https://www.scmp.com/rss/142312/feed Laura Zhou joined the Post's Beijing bureau in 2010. She covers China's diplomatic relations and has reported on topics such as Sino-US relations, China-India disputes, and reactions to the North Korea nuclear crisis, as well as other general news. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Laura Zhou Laura Zhou The compound is modern with air conditioning in every room. Inside are a medical clinic, massage parlour, and Vietnamese barbecue, Chinese hotpot and halal eateries – a full range of conveniences. Yet the residents are gone – and they appear to have fled in haste. Clothes still hang out to dry, while the stench of rotting food lingers. Located in a secluded area in Kampot province near Cambodia’s border with Vietnam, the site is believed to be a telecoms scam centre. Cambodian authorities said... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348930/game-whack-mole-how-could-scam-industry-bring-china-and-us-together?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348930/game-whack-mole-how-could-scam-industry-bring-china-and-us-together?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Despite land reclamation efforts in the fiercely contested South China Sea, an unusual silence has fallen between Beijing and Hanoi over their rival claims. Observers said this suggested both sides were prioritising pragmatism to keep tensions in check. In March, months into reports suggesting continued Chinese dredging activities at Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands, Hanoi broke its silence by lodging a protest with Beijing over what it called “illegal and invalid” foreign... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348763/why-china-and-vietnam-are-shifting-confrontation-calm-south-china-sea-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348763/why-china-and-vietnam-are-shifting-confrontation-calm-south-china-sea-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 09:01:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou With Washington’s objectives in the Iran war shifting, the evolving goals could allow US President Donald Trump to justify success and finish the conflict sooner than expected, Chinese analysts said. However, the observers cautioned that a wide gap with Israel over the conflict’s endgame could hinder the White House from swiftly moving past the war. The assessment coincides with growing international scepticism regarding the duration of the war in the Middle East. With global oil markets already... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348706/how-donald-trump-could-reframe-us-goals-iran-war-justify-finishing-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348706/how-donald-trump-could-reframe-us-goals-iran-war-justify-finishing-it?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:00:13 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Beijing has imposed sanctions on Japanese lawmaker Keiji Furuya for allegedly “colluding with the Taiwan independence forces”. “Japanese House of Representatives member Keiji Furuya, despite strong opposition from China, has repeatedly made provocative visits to Taiwan and colluded with ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces, seriously violating the one-China principle,” Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Monday. Furuya, 73, is a lawmaker with Japan’s ruling Liberal... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348343/beijing-sanctions-japanese-lawmaker-colluding-taiwan-independence-forces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348343/beijing-sanctions-japanese-lawmaker-colluding-taiwan-independence-forces?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 02:59:07 +0000 Amber Wang,Dewey Sim,Laura Zhou Amber Wang,Dewey Sim,Laura Zhou Vladimir Putin is expected to visit China soon after Donald Trump’s trip in May in a diplomatic double-header that would be the first time Beijing has hosted the leaders of the US and Russia in the same month outside a multilateral event. According to Chinese analysts, the back-to-back visits highlight Beijing’s strategic effort to manage relations with both major powers amid rising global turbulence. Trump’s long-planned trip to Beijing was expected to take place from May 14 to 15, the White... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348148/what-does-it-mean-china-if-donald-trump-and-vladimir-putin-visit-back-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348148/what-does-it-mean-china-if-donald-trump-and-vladimir-putin-visit-back-back?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 15:00:10 +0000 Laura Zhou,Alyssa Chen Laura Zhou,Alyssa Chen Donald Trump’s planned visit to China in May may offer some clues about the preferred US road map for ending the war with Iran, according to Chinese analysts, who said that if the conflict dragged on, it could play into Beijing’s hands. The US president delayed the visit, initially scheduled to start at the end of this month, to focus on the conflict, but said on Wednesday that he would visit Beijing on May 14 and 15. China has yet to confirm the dates and on Thursday foreign ministry spokesman... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348033/can-donald-trump-end-his-war-iran-time-rescheduled-china-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348033/can-donald-trump-end-his-war-iran-time-rescheduled-china-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:00:09 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou The strategic value to Beijing of a new military base in the contested Paracel Islands is likely to be limited, according to Chinese observers, as the South China Sea remains a focal point of regional tensions. The assessment comes amid rising concern over China’s land reclamation at Antelope Reef, believed to be its most significant project in the strategic waters since it declared a halt to such activities about a decade ago. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) of the Centre for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347748/why-military-base-contested-paracels-will-be-limited-value-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347748/why-military-base-contested-paracels-will-be-limited-value-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:00:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Hanoi has protested to Beijing over Chinese land-reclamation activities in the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, following reports of accelerated dredging and landfill operations at Antelope Reef. “Vietnam resolutely opposes such activities, makes representations and affirms its position on this matter,” Vietnamese foreign ministry spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang said on Saturday. She said Hanoi had “ample historical evidence and legal grounds” to assert sovereignty over the Paracel... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347467/vietnam-protests-chinas-paracels-build-escalates-antelope-reef?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347467/vietnam-protests-chinas-paracels-build-escalates-antelope-reef?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 07:00:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China and Japan’s long-standing rivalry has deep historic roots, and relations between the two have taken a significant turn for the worse in recent months. This article, the third in a three-part series, looks at how US President Donald Trump, Taiwan and war in the Middle East factor into their relationship. Read the second part here. As Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to host regional leaders for the Apec summit later this year, observers are closely watching whether the summit could... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347188/uncompromising-takaichis-meeting-trump-seen-key-china-japan-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347188/uncompromising-takaichis-meeting-trump-seen-key-china-japan-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:00:14 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China and Vietnam are to hold their first high-level ministerial talks under a new platform next week. This comes as the neighbours seek to cement their strategic alignment despite heightened tensions over Beijing’s purported new land reclamation work in the disputed South China Sea. According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong and Defence Minister Dong Jun will be in Vietnam from Sunday to Tuesday to meet their respective... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346539/will-paracels-dispute-overshadow-china-and-vietnams-drive-stronger-strategic-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346539/will-paracels-dispute-overshadow-china-and-vietnams-drive-stronger-strategic-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 13:00:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China has significantly stepped up its land reclamation activities on a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, according to satellite images. One image, reportedly taken on Monday, suggested that the surface area of Antelope Reef, once a mostly submerged feature in the Paracel Islands, had expanded substantially. The picture, published on social media by Damien Symon, a researcher with global intelligence research network The Intel Lab, also showed more than 30 vessels, believed to be dredgers... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346257/beijing-stepping-island-building-south-china-sea-after-10-year-pause?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346257/beijing-stepping-island-building-south-china-sea-after-10-year-pause?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 01:00:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China will resume passenger train services to North Korea for the first time in six years – the latest sign of warming ties between the two countries as Pyongyang grapples with increasing tensions with the South and Donald Trump’s unpredictability. From Thursday, passenger trains between Beijing and Pyongyang will run four times a week – on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, China Railway Group (CREC) said on social media Tuesday night. The train will depart from Beijing at around 5.30pm... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346128/china-north-korea-rail-services-restored-neighbours-try-get-relations-back-track?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346128/china-north-korea-rail-services-restored-neighbours-try-get-relations-back-track?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:00:12 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China plans to further strengthen its strategic transport network in sensitive border regions over the next five years to fortify and better project power along its remote frontiers amid rising geopolitical uncertainty. One project involves building a 394km (245-mile) highway linking the northern and southern sides of the rugged Tianshan Mountains in far-western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, according to the draft 15th five-year plan released last week. The route will run parallel to a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346094/how-china-plans-greater-power-projection-xinjiang-and-tibet-over-next-5-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346094/how-china-plans-greater-power-projection-xinjiang-and-tibet-over-next-5-years?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 09:10:04 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Beijing’s top diplomat has issued a stark warning against any attempt to thwart reunification with Taiwan and repeated his country’s criticism of Tokyo, dimming hopes that the diplomatic row sparked by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan would come to an end any time soon. The comments by Foreign Minister Wang Yi, delivered in a press conference on Sunday as part of the “two sessions”, were the latest in a series of strong criticisms by Beijing officials following... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345882/wang-yi-warns-japan-taiwan-red-line-dashing-hopes-ending-diplomatic-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345882/wang-yi-warns-japan-taiwan-red-line-dashing-hopes-ending-diplomatic-row?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 10:31:05 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China has pledged to strengthen maritime law enforcement and bolster legal and institutional mechanisms to defend its claims in disputed waters. Outlined in Beijing’s latest five-year policy blueprint, the resolution reflects its effort to strengthen China’s position in increasingly contested waters. China’s 15th five-year plan, which covers the 2026-2030 period, also signals a push by policymakers to expand China’s influence in shaping global maritime governance and rule-making. Unlike the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345729/why-china-wants-stronger-policing-disputed-waters-under-new-5-year-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345729/why-china-wants-stronger-policing-disputed-waters-under-new-5-year-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:00:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Beijing laid out a list of priorities for the economy, innovation and the military for this year at the opening session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday. Here are the major takeaways from this year’s government work report and budget report: Major targets for 2026 Gross domestic product growth of 4.5-5 per cent A consumer price index increase of around 2 per cent A fiscal budget deficit of around 4 per cent of GDP Addition of 12 million... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345503/takeaways-chinese-premier-li-qiangs-government-work-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345503/takeaways-chinese-premier-li-qiangs-government-work-report?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 03:22:09 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Lucy Quaggin,Teresa Elena Frontado,Wendy Wu,Laura Zhou,Zhuang Pinghui Khushboo Razdan,Lucy Quaggin,Teresa Elena Frontado,Wendy Wu,Laura Zhou,Zhuang Pinghui Iran has confirmed the death of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in US and Israeli air strikes on the weekend, raising questions for the next leader of a country in a region bracing for further attacks. US President Donald Trump called Khamenei “one of the most evil people in history” and said the strikes delivered justice for Iranians, Americans and others “killed or mutilated” by him. As the US and Israeli attacks on Iran entered a second day, Tehran declared a seven-day public... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3344994/global-powers-divided-china-expresses-deep-concern-over-us-israel-strikes-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3344994/global-powers-divided-china-expresses-deep-concern-over-us-israel-strikes-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 14:48:19 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou The Chilean government has turned down a request from a Chinese military hospital ship to treat Chilean residents on board the vessel. The decision reflects Santiago’s tilt towards Washington and US efforts to exert more influence in the western hemisphere, according to a Chinese academic. The Chilean Ministry of Health said on Friday that it had reviewed the Silk Road Ark’s request and decided not to grant it, citing a health code that restricts such services to professionals accredited ‌in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344972/why-wont-chile-let-chinas-silk-road-ark-military-hospital-ship-give-medical-aid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344972/why-wont-chile-let-chinas-silk-road-ark-military-hospital-ship-give-medical-aid?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 10:00:30 +0000 Vanessa Cai,Laura Zhou,Josephine Ma,Alcott Wei,Dannie Peng Vanessa Cai,Laura Zhou,Josephine Ma,Alcott Wei,Dannie Peng Donald Trump called on the Iranian people to overthrow their government after the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran early on Saturday in what the US president described as “major combat operations”. “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally … obliterated. We are going to annihilate their navy. We’re going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilise the region or the world and attack... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3344963/israel-launches-preemptive-strike-against-iran-saying-it-seeks-remove-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3344963/israel-launches-preemptive-strike-against-iran-saying-it-seeks-remove-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 06:46:02 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Early in 2021, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw and held talks with both General Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of the armed forces, and Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of the civilian government. The meeting was a chance for China to voice support for Myanmar’s “national conditions” development path and signal China’s long-term pragmatic approach to ties with its southwestern neighbour, irrespective of who was in power. That strategy, however, came under... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343830/5-years-and-1-election-later-why-chinas-myanmar-dilemma-still-isnt-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343830/5-years-and-1-election-later-why-chinas-myanmar-dilemma-still-isnt-over?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Dewey Sim,Laura Zhou Dewey Sim,Laura Zhou Beijing has called for all hands on deck to work out what ever-unpredictable US President Donald Trump might demand when he sits down with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in a few weeks. Several sources, all speaking on condition of anonymity, said various Chinese government departments had been told to research and assess the US leader’s potential demands and come up with possible concessions Beijing could put on the table. According to the sources, the entities included China’s Ministry of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344862/china-scours-bargaining-chips-put-trump-xi-summit-table-sources?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344862/china-scours-bargaining-chips-put-trump-xi-summit-table-sources?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:00:08 +0000 Laura Zhou,Orange Wang Laura Zhou,Orange Wang Kyiv’s top envoy to Beijing has called on China to play its “important” and “critical” role to help end the war in Ukraine, which is now stretching into a fifth year. “We are working with all international partners to bring a sustainable and lasting peace, and we believe that our host country, China, is uniquely positioned to play an important and in many ways critical role in this process,” Olexander Nechytaylo, Ukrainian ambassador to China, told foreign diplomats in the Chinese capital on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344498/ukraine-urges-china-play-critical-role-peace-war-enters-fifth-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344498/ukraine-urges-china-play-critical-role-peace-war-enters-fifth-year?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 14:00:14 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham,Laura Zhou Finbarr Bermingham,Laura Zhou On the margins of a glitzy security event in Bavaria, the foreign ministers of France and Germany revived a dormant diplomatic format with China. In what was described as part of a larger effort to prevent the world’s superpowers from picking Europe apart, France’s Jean-Noel Barrot and Germany’s Johann Wadephul hosted Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday. It revived a configuration not seen since the days of French President Emmanuel Macron’s first term, talks that Wang said were “both an... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3343547/farewell-unipolar-moment-europe-scrambles-footing-between-us-and-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3343547/farewell-unipolar-moment-europe-scrambles-footing-between-us-and-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 20:58:33 +0000 Fan Chen,Laura Zhou Fan Chen,Laura Zhou The South China Sea continues to act as a lightning rod for competing claims among regional powers. In the second of a three-part series, Fan Chen and Laura Zhou examine how frayed China-Philippines relations might create a ‘challenging context’ for Manila’s aims to finalise an effective and legally binding code. Read the first part of the series here. The Philippine push to seal a legally binding code of conduct in the South China Sea is more symbolic than achievable because of the deep-seated... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343036/philippines-wants-seal-south-china-sea-code-conduct-can-it-deliver?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343036/philippines-wants-seal-south-china-sea-code-conduct-can-it-deliver?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 22:00:13 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Cambodia continues to work with China, the United States and Britain on the case of Chen Zhi, the business tycoon accused of masterminding a vast network that scammed billions from victims around the world, according to a government minister in Phnom Penh. “We are collaborating with the US, China and also the UK,” Chhay Sinarith, a senior minister who also heads Cambodia’s Commission for Combating Online Scams, said in an interview with the South China Morning Post on Monday. Chen, who held... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342993/uk-us-cybercrime-cooperation-continues-after-chen-zhi-extradition-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342993/uk-us-cybercrime-cooperation-continues-after-chen-zhi-extradition-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 04:02:07 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou The South China Sea continues to act as a lightning rod for competing claims among regional powers. In the first of a three-part series, Laura Zhou examines how a new conservation framework is being leveraged to advance territorial ambitions within these highly contested waters. Amid simmering tensions in the South China Sea, a likely new legal and diplomatic battlefield has emerged. Two decades in the making, the High Seas Treaty, also known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342892/will-new-high-seas-treaty-open-fresh-front-line-south-china-sea-disputes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342892/will-new-high-seas-treaty-open-fresh-front-line-south-china-sea-disputes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou A war of words between Chinese diplomats and Philippine politicians over the disputed South China Sea has prompted calls in Manila to declare the Chinese ambassador persona non grata – the second such call in three years. While Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has rejected the idea, the latest spike in tensions led to officials of the two countries breaking a year-long hiatus and sitting down for talks in Cebu. According to the Chinese foreign ministry, the talks on January 29 were... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342485/first-china-philippines-talks-over-year-south-china-sea-thaw-offing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342485/first-china-philippines-talks-over-year-south-china-sea-thaw-offing?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 10:00:12 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Israel and China should avoid letting political disagreement hijack cooperation, an Israeli senior diplomat has said, amid growing signs that the two strategic partners are moving to repair ties following the Gaza war rift. “We do not let [ties] be hijacked by the political sphere and we continue our ongoing activities on the bilateral,” said Aviv Ezra, the Israeli foreign ministry’s deputy director general for Asia and the Pacific. Ezra was in China last week for a working visit, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342302/china-ties-must-not-be-marred-politics-israeli-diplomat-aviv-ezra?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342302/china-ties-must-not-be-marred-politics-israeli-diplomat-aviv-ezra?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 12:00:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Venezuela will ensure that Chinese energy, trade and investment interests in the South American country are secure, its envoy to Beijing has said. The reassurance from Remigio Ceballos comes amid growing concern in Beijing that last month’s unprecedented US assault on Venezuela might complicate China’s ties with the resource-rich country and the wider region. “China and Venezuela are trusted partners who share mutual trust. Both nations are sovereign states, and their bilateral relationship... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342261/month-after-maduro-abduction-venezuela-moves-reassure-china-its-investments-are-safe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342261/month-after-maduro-abduction-venezuela-moves-reassure-china-its-investments-are-safe?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 13:01:40 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China has cancelled almost all of its rocket launches at the country’s busiest space port after two failures at other sites and signs of a long-awaited lift-off for a lunar supercarrier. The Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported on Friday that nearly all the rocket launches scheduled next month for the Wenchang space centre in the southern province of Hainan had been cancelled. “Only the test flight for a new type of rocket on February 11 [remains],” the Changsha-based newspaper quoted a space port... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341113/china-cancels-rocket-launches-after-failures-will-long-march-10a-still-lift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341113/china-cancels-rocket-launches-after-failures-will-long-march-10a-still-lift?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 13:00:10 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Monday’s fatal blast at a Chinese restaurant in Kabul has underscored the grave security threat China is facing, not just in Afghanistan but also in wider Central Asia. One potential area of vulnerability is Tajikistan, Central Asia’s poorest country, which has a weak military and a long border with Afghanistan. On the same day as the Kabul bombing, the Chinese embassy in Tajikistan issued a travel warning, telling its citizens and companies to boost security and evacuate from the border region... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341049/why-are-tensions-along-afghan-tajikistan-border-such-headache-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341049/why-are-tensions-along-afghan-tajikistan-border-such-headache-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 02:00:23 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China has condemned Monday’s suicide attack on a Chinese restaurant in Kabul, urging the Taliban to take further measures to protect the safety of its citizens in Afghanistan. Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing had made “urgent representations” following the attack in a heavily guarded part of the capital that killed at least seven people – one Chinese national and six Afghans – and injured several others. Guo added that China had asked the authorities to “further adopt effective... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340584/china-urges-taliban-tighten-security-after-suicide-attack-restaurant-kabul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340584/china-urges-taliban-tighten-security-after-suicide-attack-restaurant-kabul?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:00:09 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China has proposed to host the secretariat of a new treaty governing the high seas, in what observers say is the latest effort by Beijing to proactively play a bigger role in shaping international rules of order. Days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to pull the US from 66 international organisations, including United Nations commissions and major bodies set up to tackle climate change, China has bid for Xiamen in Fujian province – a coastal hub that sits on the Taiwan... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340455/china-bids-secretariat-high-seas-treaty-contrast-us-exit-un-bodies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340455/china-bids-secretariat-high-seas-treaty-contrast-us-exit-un-bodies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 12:21:09 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Chinese nationals will be allowed to enter the Philippines without a visa for up to two weeks from Friday, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila. The visa-waiver programme will cover Chinese nationals entering the Philippines for both tourism and business, but will apply only to those entering via Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila and Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Cebu. “This is in line with the president’s directive to facilitate trade, investments and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340028/philippines-offers-2-week-visa-free-stays-lure-chinese-tourists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340028/philippines-offers-2-week-visa-free-stays-lure-chinese-tourists?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 11:00:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China is recruiting social workers for disputed islands in the South China Sea. According to a notice published on Monday, the government of Sansha, the authority set up to administer the disputed territories, said it was looking for 11 “community workers” to post on eight reefs and islands in the Paracel and the Spratly islands. The territories include Woody Island, the administrative centre of the disputed territories, and Mischief Reef, which is home to a large military base. The notice was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339921/beijing-looks-social-workers-place-disputed-south-china-sea-islands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339921/beijing-looks-social-workers-place-disputed-south-china-sea-islands?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 06:00:14 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China and the Philippines have again exchanged barbs over confrontations in the disputed South China Sea, with each accusing the other of provocation and escalating tensions. The Chinese embassy in the Philippines on Tuesday said a statement the day before by the National Maritime Council – a government body created by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr in 2024 to address the nation’s maritime challenges – was “unfounded and misleading”. It accused Manila of “provoking trouble and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339766/south-china-sea-claims-coercion-deception-beijing-and-manila-wage-new-war-words?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339766/south-china-sea-claims-coercion-deception-beijing-and-manila-wage-new-war-words?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 12:06:07 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is said to be weighing up an early election, a move that could put her in a stronger position with both China and the United States if she secures a decisive win, according to observers. But a diplomatic thaw between Japan and China is not expected any time soon. Media reports in recent days have suggested that Takaichi may call a snap general election to capitalise on her high approval ratings. Citing government sources, the Yomiuri Shinbun reported on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339685/how-snap-election-japan-could-put-sanae-takaichi-stronger-position-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339685/how-snap-election-japan-could-put-sanae-takaichi-stronger-position-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 07:00:10 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China is expected to be cautious about confronting the United States over Cuba as Washington ramps up its threats following the abduction of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Since the raid on Caracas, the White House has increasingly turned its attention towards the western hemisphere’s only Communist state, along with Colombia and Greenland, with President Donald Trump saying “Cuba looks like it’s ready to fall”. Havana is also heavily reliant on subsidised Venezuelan oil and is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339330/how-far-china-willing-go-help-cuba-face-increasing-us-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339330/how-far-china-willing-go-help-cuba-face-increasing-us-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 13:00:12 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China has launched a fresh food supply service for residents of Woody Island, part of the hotly contested Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. A flight carrying fresh fruit, vegetables and meat landed on Woody Island – known as Yongxing Island in Chinese – on Tuesday, according to local state broadcaster Sansha TV. Woody Island is the largest outcrop in the Paracels, which are called the Xisha Islands in China. The island hosts the government of Sansha, which was established to administer... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339176/china-launches-woody-island-fresh-food-link-disputed-paracels-hub-expands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339176/china-launches-woody-island-fresh-food-link-disputed-paracels-hub-expands?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 08:57:54 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Two of China’s aircraft carriers, including its biggest and best, have docked at the same naval base near the Yellow Sea, raising suggestions that another dual-carrier exercise is on the horizon. Satellite images circulating on Chinese social media this week show the Fujian, which was officially commissioned last month, docked at a naval base in Qingdao in eastern China’s Shandong province. In one of the images purportedly taken on Thursday, the Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, docked... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3337173/chinas-fujian-gearing-dual-aircraft-carrier-exercise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3337173/chinas-fujian-gearing-dual-aircraft-carrier-exercise?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 13:00:09 +0000 Mark Magnier,Laura Zhou Mark Magnier,Laura Zhou Taiwanese authorities have ordered a stronger police presence in crowded public areas after a rare mass stabbing in central Taipei left three people dead and 11 wounded. Police said on Saturday that Friday night’s attack during which the suspected assailant exploded smoke and petrol bombs before going on a violent rampage in two subway stations was not terrorism and that he had acted alone. They said the suspect – 27-year-old Chang Wen – threw smoke grenades into the Taipei Main Metro station,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3337137/3-killed-taiwan-knife-and-smoke-grenade-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3337137/3-killed-taiwan-knife-and-smoke-grenade-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 16:30:19 +0000 Fan Chen,Laura Zhou Fan Chen,Laura Zhou An inherent “asymmetry” of power poses a challenge to resolving South China Sea disputes via the quiet diplomacy traditionally favoured by Southeast Asian nations, a leading Malaysian security expert has said. Chinese analysts said Beijing supported the “Asean way” too, so long as sovereignty claims were resolved bilaterally. They also warned against external interference and “power politics” standing in the way of consensus within the bloc. Ruhanas Harun, an international relations professor at... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336082/why-are-south-china-sea-disputes-hard-resolve-power-asymmetry-says-malaysian-expert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336082/why-are-south-china-sea-disputes-hard-resolve-power-asymmetry-says-malaysian-expert?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 01:00:14 +0000 Laura Zhou,Fan Chen Laura Zhou,Fan Chen China is willing to work with Southeast Asian countries to manage maritime disputes in the South China Sea and build a fair and just maritime order, a senior Chinese diplomat has said. Speaking in Sanya on the southern island province of Hainan, Sun Weidong, the vice-minister of foreign affairs, also hit out at the recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who suggested last month that an attack on Taiwan by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) might qualify as a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335903/south-china-sea-beijing-says-it-seeks-ease-disputes-asean-over-waterway?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335903/south-china-sea-beijing-says-it-seeks-ease-disputes-asean-over-waterway?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 10:03:12 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou A passenger ferry named after an ancient monk seen as a symbol of Sino-Japanese cultural exchange has suspended its service as Beijing continues its retaliation for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan. The Jian Zhen Hao ferry from Shanghai to Japan’s Osaka and Kobe had been suspended since Saturday “due to a request from the Chinese side”, trip operator Japan-China International Ferry said in a statement on Monday. The Japanese company said the request was over concerns... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335626/china-japan-ferry-halts-service-tensions-over-takaichi-remarks-flare?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335626/china-japan-ferry-halts-service-tensions-over-takaichi-remarks-flare?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 11:00:28 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou The fragile rapprochement between China and India faces a fresh test as New Delhi looks to promote its links with the sixth Dalai Lama, observers have warned. India is hosting the first international conference of the 17th century Tibetan spiritual leader at his birthplace in today’s Tawang, a mountain town in an area that India governs as the border state of Arunachal Pradesh and China claims as Zangnan or southern Tibet. Pema Khandu, the state chief minister, opened the four-day event at... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335100/how-17th-century-dalai-lama-could-test-china-india-border-thaw?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335100/how-17th-century-dalai-lama-could-test-china-india-border-thaw?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 03:00:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Across the strategic waterway of the South China Sea, claimant countries are increasingly relying on long-endurance aerial drones to carry out continuous patrols – overcoming the geographic and logistical limitations of traditional aircraft and ships. The US Marine Corps last month deployed MQ-9A Reaper drones to the Philippines, at Manila’s request, to “support Philippine regional maritime security through shared maritime domain awareness”, according the US Marine Corps Forces, Pacific. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334927/drones-are-rise-over-south-china-sea-shift-data-driven-strategies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334927/drones-are-rise-over-south-china-sea-shift-data-driven-strategies?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 02:00:10 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Beijing has frozen youth exchange programmes with Tokyo amid the fallout over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan, according to a diplomatic source, raising concern that the bilateral rift could affect younger generations. The Japanese side was told about the cancelled programmes after China launched retaliatory measures against Japan over Takaichi’s comments earlier this month, the source said. “Usually, November and December are the season for youth exchanges, but now... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334452/beijing-freezes-japan-youth-exchange-programmes-over-pm-takaichis-taiwan-remarks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334452/beijing-freezes-japan-youth-exchange-programmes-over-pm-takaichis-taiwan-remarks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 04:02:09 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou No winter lasts forever, but the deep chill in the Beijing-Tokyo relationship set off by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan could last a long time. Takaichi has had consistently high approval ratings since taking office, which could encourage her to solidify her position on the island. But there is one big uncertainty – US President Donald Trump’s reluctance to show open support for Japan, America’s closest ally in the region Ties between Beijing and Tokyo have sunk to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334197/how-beijing-tokyo-deep-freeze-over-taiwan-could-harden-takaichis-grip-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334197/how-beijing-tokyo-deep-freeze-over-taiwan-could-harden-takaichis-grip-power?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Nov 2025 07:21:06 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China has launched a campaign to preserve historical sites on the disputed Woody Island, or Yongxing Island in Chinese, as Beijing looks to cement its territorial claims in the South China Sea. A team of conservation scientists and technicians from the Hainan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology spent six days reinforcing a monument that marked China’s takeover of the Paracel Islands, known as the Xisha Islands in China, after World War II, according to the government of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333579/beijing-launches-historic-preservation-campaign-cement-south-china-sea-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333579/beijing-launches-historic-preservation-campaign-cement-south-china-sea-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:29 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China has urged Tokyo to “behave with restraint” after it called for talks amid the diplomatic freeze over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments about Taiwan. Asked about a possible meeting between Premier Li Qiang and Takaichi on the sidelines of the Group of 20 Summit in South Africa this weekend, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said China had no such plans. “There’s no arrangement for Premier Li Qiang meeting the Japanese leader. We urge Japan to behave with proper self-restraint,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333533/china-tells-japan-behave-properly-it-dimisses-call-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333533/china-tells-japan-behave-properly-it-dimisses-call-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 07:50:31 +0000