https://www.scmp.com/rss/265568/feed Breaking news and analysis on US-China relations, including trade war, talks, and tensions between Washington and Beijing. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma US President Donald Trump announced a last-minute indefinite extension of a ceasefire with Iran and downplayed reports about an intercepted ship carrying a “gift from China” to Tehran. The US would avoid military action against Iran “until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal”, Trump said on social media on Tuesday. He cited a request from Pakistan as a reason for reversing earlier threats to resume bombing if no deal was reached. Prospects for new... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/world/middle-east/article/3351006/trump-extends-iran-war-ceasefire-strait-shutdown-drags?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/world/middle-east/article/3351006/trump-extends-iran-war-ceasefire-strait-shutdown-drags?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:16:45 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin A Chinese university student has been charged with unauthorised photography of US military aircraft in Nebraska during a road trip through several states, which included a stop at an air force base in South Dakota. Tianrui Liang, who is studying in Glasgow, was arrested at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport on April 7 as he attempted to return to Scotland, court documents filed in the Eastern District of New York revealed. The 21-year-old has been charged with photographing defence... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350933/chinese-college-student-charged-illegally-taking-photos-us-military-planes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350933/chinese-college-student-charged-illegally-taking-photos-us-military-planes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:30:56 +0000 Xiao Qian Xiao Qian The United States House Select Committee on China recently released a report on artificial intelligence. Titled “Buy What It Can, Steal What It Must: China’s Campaign to Acquire Frontier AI Capabilities”, it captures a hardening view in Washington that Beijing’s artificial intelligence rise is closely tied to both market access and security concerns. Whether fully substantiated or not, such beliefs are increasingly shaping the policy lens through which technology competition between the two... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3350871/us-china-ai-race-must-strike-balance-between-security-and-openness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3350871/us-china-ai-race-must-strike-balance-between-security-and-openness?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang China’s next-generation “drone-carrier” amphibious assault ship is en route to the South China Sea for critical sea trials, the military announced on Tuesday, in the same waters where the US, the Philippines and Japan are conducting large-scale joint military exercises and the aircraft carrier Liaoning is apparently sailing to. “The Sichuan, our country’s first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, has set sail from Shanghai for relevant waters in the South China Sea to carry out scientific research... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3350932/chinas-new-type-076-drone-carrier-take-part-south-china-sea-training-drills?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3350932/chinas-new-type-076-drone-carrier-take-part-south-china-sea-training-drills?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 21:09:29 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang US President Donald Trump’s long-standing obsession with sea power was underscored by his pledge to rebuild the US Navy into what he called a “Golden Fleet” as he returned to the White House. His financial year 2027 budget released on April 3 puts a price tag on the ambition: US$65.8 billion for 34 warships, including initial funding for a next-generation battleship he wants to name after himself, part of the largest US$1.5 trillion defence-spending request in history. But analysts say the... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3350866/trumps-military-push-confronts-us-lawmakers-and-chinas-shipbuilding-edge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3350866/trumps-military-push-confronts-us-lawmakers-and-chinas-shipbuilding-edge?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:00:09 +0000 Sylvia Ma Sylvia Ma The West’s narrative of Chinese “overcapacity” is a double standard, said a former chief economist of the World Bank as he urged advanced economies to draw on “Eastern wisdom” rather than protectionism to navigate the rise of hi-tech competition. Justin Lin Yifu, a prominent advocate of Beijing’s industrial policy, dismissed claims that China’s auto-export surge was a sign of industrial imbalance. Speaking at Hong Kong Chu Hai College, Lin drew a contrast with Germany to expose a logical... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350885/economist-justin-lin-urges-west-adopt-eastern-wisdom-china-moves-value-chain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350885/economist-justin-lin-urges-west-adopt-eastern-wisdom-china-moves-value-chain?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:00:12 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump announced a last-minute extension of the ceasefire with Iran following a request from Pakistan’s top leadership, even as he appeared to suggest that American forces had intercepted a potentially lethal “gift from China” to Tehran. Describing the Iranian government as “seriously fractured”, Trump said on social media that he agreed to hold off military operations against Iran at the behest of Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Trump added... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350915/us-forces-intercepted-gift-china-iran-donald-trump-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350915/us-forces-intercepted-gift-china-iran-donald-trump-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:54:30 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan For Tim Avanzato and the team at Lanca Sales, Monday marked the start of a high-stakes digital scramble to recover tariffs paid after US President Donald Trump imposed steep duties on almost all imports, including from China, last year. While the New Jersey-based company that imports and exports food packaging has become accustomed to operating under tariffs and adjusting its business around them, Avanzato, who handles global trade and logistics at the firm, said the refund process has... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3350794/us-firms-dash-recover-tariffs-paid-chinese-imports-refund-system-launches?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3350794/us-firms-dash-recover-tariffs-paid-chinese-imports-refund-system-launches?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 22:11:14 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang China has released new regulations that aim to counter the “unjustified” extraterritorial use of foreign laws, the latest move to protect its interests from external threats. Analysts view the move as a shift from diplomatic protests to legal warfare, and some warn it could have wide-ranging applications. The European Chamber of Commerce in China raised concern that the “broad scope, vague language and wide discretion” of the rules went far beyond similar statutes in the West. Amid the US... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3350743/how-china-reinforcing-its-legal-shield-against-foreign-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3350743/how-china-reinforcing-its-legal-shield-against-foreign-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 22:00:12 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang China “has to be involved” in nuclear arms control talks, while the US must step up its nuclear modernisation, including deploying more bombers, a senator responsible for overseeing American strategic forces said on Monday. “We need to be able to have a verifiable [treaty] and ensure accountability under treaties, and have them enforced with Russia and with China,” said Deb Fischer, a Nebraska Republican and chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces subcommittee. The US has... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3350791/china-has-be-involved-any-nuclear-arms-control-talks-us-senator-urges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3350791/china-has-be-involved-any-nuclear-arms-control-talks-us-senator-urges?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 20:55:13 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings China’s central bank chief has urged the IMF to serve as a bulwark against “rising unilateralism”, at a time when escalating trade restrictions and an intensified Middle East conflict threaten energy and food security. The International Monetary Fund should “take a clear stand against protectionism and defend multilateralism”, People’s Bank of China governor Pan Gongsheng said in a statement to the fund’s International Monetary and Financial Committee, for its 53rd meeting, held on Thursday and... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350718/china-presses-imf-quota-reform-better-surveillance-advanced-economies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350718/china-presses-imf-quota-reform-better-surveillance-advanced-economies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 09:05:04 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Sven Biscop is a Belgian political scientist and strategist specialising in the foreign affairs and security of the EU and its relations with great powers. He is a director at the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels and a professor at Ghent University. He is also a senior research fellow at Renmin University in Beijing, where he teaches in the summer. Biscop is the author of many books, including 2024’s This Is Not a New World Order: Europe Rediscovers Geopolitics,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350626/saying-youre-geopolitical-actor-doesnt-make-it-so-sven-biscop-europe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350626/saying-youre-geopolitical-actor-doesnt-make-it-so-sven-biscop-europe?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 22:00:19 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji The global balance of power has tilted to major emerging economies such as China and India as US hegemony is increasingly undermined – much of it by its own actions, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. In his speech on Saturday at the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, Lavrov argued that the foundations of globalisation powered primarily by America had “come to an end”. He added that the trend had been under way during former US president Joe Biden’s administration, and that... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350598/russias-lavrov-says-balance-power-shifting-emerging-economies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350598/russias-lavrov-says-balance-power-shifting-emerging-economies?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:42:35 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham In June 2021, from a podium in the Cornish countryside, former US president Joe Biden told a relieved Europe that “America is back at the table”. The comment – made after a summit of the Group of Seven rich nations – became a galvanising force for reinvigorated transatlanticism after the first term of Donald Trump had left it in tatters. When Russia invaded Ukraine eight months later, the G7 became the forum of choice for cooking up punitive sanctions against Russia. It was also the venue for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350572/rupture-how-europe-fell-out-love-america?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350572/rupture-how-europe-fell-out-love-america?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:00:10 +0000 Fan Chen,Josephine Ma Fan Chen,Josephine Ma US President Donald Trump said on Friday night he was looking forward to his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping next month and predicted it would be “special”. Trump posted on social media: “China’s President Xi is very happy that Strait of Hormuz is open and/or rapidly opening; I look forward to meeting Xi. “Our meeting ‌in China will ‌be a special ⁠one and, potentially, Historic. I ⁠look forward to being with President ‌Xi – ‌Much will be accomplished!” Trump was originally... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350555/donald-trump-predicts-meeting-xi-jinping-will-be-special-ahead-china-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350555/donald-trump-predicts-meeting-xi-jinping-will-be-special-ahead-china-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 04:06:34 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on a recent podcast that if Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek optimised its new models on chips from Huawei Technologies, it would be “a horrible outcome” for the US. If “future AI models are optimised in a very different way than the American tech stack”, and as “AI diffuses out into the rest of the world” with Chinese standards and technology, China “will become superior to” the US, Huang said on the Dwarkesh Podcast on Wednesday. The conversation... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3350460/nvidias-jensen-huang-warns-huawei-chips-deepseek-ai-models-would-be-horrible-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3350460/nvidias-jensen-huang-warns-huawei-chips-deepseek-ai-models-would-be-horrible-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:00:14 +0000 Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow The China-US trade war bubbled away this week, even as the Strait of Hormuz shutdown dominated global headlines. The US is finalising a multinational agreement on trade and critical minerals to break China’s grip on vital resources, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told lawmakers on Thursday. He also sought a higher budget to support more trade investigations, and suggested potential action to pare US farmers’ reliance on Chinese orders. “We’re not just going to lay down and let the... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350432/us-china-tensions-simmer-economy-outperforms-auto-china-begins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350432/us-china-tensions-simmer-economy-outperforms-auto-china-begins?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:00:12 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin At a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill on Thursday, lawmakers and experts accused China of buying “what they can” and stealing “what they cannot” in the global artificial intelligence (AI) race, while warning the United States’ immigration and research policies could be hindering innovation necessary to stay ahead. “The pattern is clear. China is dependent on our tech stack to continue their AI development. China is willing to buy what they can, and steal what they cannot, to advance their... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350380/china-willing-buy-or-steal-us-tech-get-ahead-ai-race-congress-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350380/china-willing-buy-or-steal-us-tech-get-ahead-ai-race-congress-told?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 22:26:36 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick A senior US lawmaker called on Peru’s next government to reclaim the Chinese-controlled port of Chancay, describing the deepwater facility as a direct military threat to the western hemisphere. Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, said during a hearing on Thursday that Washington would help Peru wrest the megaport from Chinese hands. “The new Peruvian government, which will be elected next June, must take it back, that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350379/us-will-help-peru-take-back-chancay-port-china-congress-chair-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350379/us-will-help-peru-take-back-chancay-port-china-congress-chair-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:59:21 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan In a defiant display of “America first” brinkmanship, Washington’s top trade negotiator on Thursday sought additional funding to support US President Donald Trump’s new trade wars, insisting the administration will not be held hostage by Beijing’s retaliatory tactics ahead of a high-stakes leaders’ summit next month. With Trump set to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on May 14-15, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer used the agency’s budget hearing to draw a hard line: the US is doubling down... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3350377/greer-pushes-funds-escalate-trumps-trade-fight-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3350377/greer-pushes-funds-escalate-trumps-trade-fight-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:28:58 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado China has assured the United States that it will not supply weapons to Iran during the current ceasefire in the Middle East conflict, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday, as Washington stepped up pressure on Tehran to agree to a broader peace deal brokered by Pakistan. Speaking at a Pentagon briefing, Hegseth said Beijing had conveyed the assurance directly, amid heightened concerns in Washington about external support for Iran during the fragile pause in fighting. “Trump has a... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3350365/us-says-china-pledged-not-arm-iran-during-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3350365/us-says-china-pledged-not-arm-iran-during-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:42:45 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump-Xi summit shaped by uncertainty, not strategy: experts The lead-up for the consequential Trump-Xi summit has been compressed and rather disjointed given the Middle East war and Trump’s preference for making last-minute decisions based on his “gut”. One source told the South China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350227/trump-xi-summit-worries-tariffs-tested-diaspora-drama-7-us-china-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350227/trump-xi-summit-worries-tariffs-tested-diaspora-drama-7-us-china-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:00:11 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China has advised its citizens travelling to the US to avoid a Seattle airport, citing “malicious interrogation and harassment” of some 20 Chinese academics. The Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday that the academics had valid visas and were going to a conference but were denied entry after “unreasonable interrogation” by US border officers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The ministry said that any citizens planning to travel to the US in the near future should improve their... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350333/china-warns-travellers-avoid-seattle-airport-after-academics-denied-entry-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350333/china-warns-travellers-avoid-seattle-airport-after-academics-denied-entry-us?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:31:48 +0000 Sylvia Ma Sylvia Ma China continued to diversify its foreign exchange reserves in February, trimming its US Treasury stockpile even as overall overseas holdings of sovereign American debt rose to a record high. China’s stockpile of United States Treasuries fell to US$693.3 billion in February, down from US$694.4 billion in January, according to US Treasury Department data released on Wednesday. Although China slightly increased its US Treasury holdings in January, the uptick did little to alter a broader downward... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350275/china-trims-us-treasury-holdings-amid-rising-debt-supply-global-ownership-hits-record?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350275/china-trims-us-treasury-holdings-amid-rising-debt-supply-global-ownership-hits-record?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:00:13 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang US military leaders painted a picture of Chinese military threats, spanning Taiwan and space, as they briefed Congress on the military readiness for the financial year 2027 on Wednesday. The People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) “invasion rehearsals and live-fire exercises near Taiwan and around the region” had illustrated “the need for combat-ready naval forces in the Indo-Pacific”, according to James Kilby, vice chief of Naval Operations. “[The US Navy therefore] remains committed to partnering and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350232/china-threat-used-convince-congress-need-bolster-us-military-capabilities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350232/china-threat-used-convince-congress-need-bolster-us-military-capabilities?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:08:57 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan A stretch of awkward diplomacy is unfolding in the Indo-Pacific. After India’s 2025 term as the Quad’s rotating chair ended without a summit, New Delhi is planning to host a foreign ministers’ meeting that could be framed as a leaders-level discussion, even if the top leaders do not attend, according to two people familiar with the matter. The move is seen as a way to smooth India’s ruffled feathers on several counts. “It’s akin to putting lipstick on a pig,” said Sourabh Gupta of the Institute... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350230/quad-summit-plan-turns-uneasy-india-pushes-ahead-without-top-leaders-sources?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350230/quad-summit-plan-turns-uneasy-india-pushes-ahead-without-top-leaders-sources?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:17:13 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Washington’s senior envoys to the United Nations took a victory lap in Senate testimony on Wednesday over the US-inspired cuts and efficiency drive at the multilateral agency, even as they slammed its inability to end the conflict in Ukraine, stem the Iran war started by the US and Israel or curb China’s growing clout. Mike Waltz, US ambassador to the UN, touted the US$570 million in UN budget cuts, 3,000 fewer jobs and the US decision to pull out of several UN agencies, even as he defended US... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3350229/us-envoy-waltz-touts-america-first-policy-budget-cuts-senate-swipe-un?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3350229/us-envoy-waltz-touts-america-first-policy-budget-cuts-senate-swipe-un?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 21:29:48 +0000 Kandy Wong Kandy Wong A decoupling between China and the United States is something “that you don’t want to see”, says former US Treasury secretary Janet Yellen, adding that both countries have developed deep trade and investment relationships that should be preserved and encouraged to thrive. Speaking in Hong Kong at the HSBC Global Investment Summit on Wednesday, Yellen also argued that China’s reliance on exports for growth – resulting in a trade surplus with the rest of the world – has created “serious conflicts”... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350169/yellen-says-no-alternative-dollar-urges-us-china-cooperation-sake-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350169/yellen-says-no-alternative-dollar-urges-us-china-cooperation-sake-world?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:00:09 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles Balikatan, the flagship annual military exercise between Manila and Washington, begins in the Philippines this month without a single neighbouring Southeast Asian member taking part, despite the drills’ growing scale and multinational reach. Analysts say that hesitation helps explain Balikatan’s place in the region: for some Asean members, it is a reassuring sign of US commitment, but joining it risks looking like a strategic choice in the sharpening rivalry between Washington and Beijing. “To... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350190/why-southeast-asian-nations-are-hesitant-join-major-us-philippine-balikatan-drills?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350190/why-southeast-asian-nations-are-hesitant-join-major-us-philippine-balikatan-drills?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:00:12 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin American views on China have softened ahead of a high-stakes summit between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in May, with positive sentiment nearly doubling since 2023, a survey by the Pew Research Centre has found. While a significant majority of Americans still regard China as a competitor to the US rather than a partner, fewer call the world’s second largest economy an adversary than in 2025, according to the survey, which was released on Tuesday. “Today, 27... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350109/trump-will-head-beijing-amid-warming-trend-sentiment-about-china-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350109/trump-will-head-beijing-amid-warming-trend-sentiment-about-china-home?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:00:14 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Russia and China’s top envoys met in Beijing on Tuesday to discuss the Iran war, Ukraine and Taiwan as Beijing stepped up its Iran war diplomacy and tensions with Washington increased. In a jab at Washington and US President Donald Trump that did not mention either by name, a Chinese readout of the meeting between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov noted that the world is increasingly marked by turmoil and instability. The two top diplomats also discussed plans... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350099/top-russian-and-chinese-envoys-meet-beijing-discuss-iran-ukraine-and-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350099/top-russian-and-chinese-envoys-meet-beijing-discuss-iran-ukraine-and-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:59:47 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump’s son Eric Trump and his wife, Lara, will accompany the president on his trip next month to China, a spokeswoman for the family organisation said on Tuesday. Two sources earlier said members of Trump’s family, including Eric, were ‌considering joining Trump on his highly anticipated May 14-15 visit, potentially to contribute to US-China business relations. The spokeswoman said that Eric, who manages his father’s business empire, would go in a personal capacity. “Eric... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350096/trumps-son-eric-join-fathers-state-visit-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350096/trumps-son-eric-join-fathers-state-visit-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:47:28 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Brazil will require foreign partners to process rare earth minerals domestically as a condition for access to its reserves, a senior government official said this week, setting terms that could reshape how Chinese and Western firms compete for resources the country has long exported raw. “Our doors of Brazil to foreign investment are open, but our position has matured,” Leonardo Durans, a senior official at Brazil’s industry ministry, said at a press conference with international media on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350094/brazil-demands-rare-earths-be-processed-home-us-and-china-compete?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350094/brazil-demands-rare-earths-be-processed-home-us-and-china-compete?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:37:42 +0000 Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan,William Zheng,Dewey Sim Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan,William Zheng,Dewey Sim As US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping prepare to sit down in the coming weeks, negotiations on deliverables and scheduling have accelerated, including a possible visit to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven and a military parade, according to several people familiar with the planning process. The lead-up for such a consequential summit has been compressed and rather disjointed given the Middle East war and Trump’s preference for making last-minute decisions based on his “gut”. “This... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350079/trump-xi-summit-shaped-uncertainty-not-strategy-experts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350079/trump-xi-summit-shaped-uncertainty-not-strategy-experts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:00:13 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang China has slammed the US blockade of Iranian ports as “dangerous and irresponsible”, calling for an immediate and full ceasefire and for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened. Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters at a daily briefing in Beijing on Tuesday that the US action would only “inflame tensions, escalate the situation and undermine an already fragile ceasefire”, and that would further jeopardise the safety of navigation in the strait. “We urge all parties to abide by the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350054/china-hits-out-dangerous-and-irresponsible-us-blockade-irans-ports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350054/china-hits-out-dangerous-and-irresponsible-us-blockade-irans-ports?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:00:08 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu A leading European business association in China has urged Brussels to avoid becoming a “passive recipient” of US-China trade negotiations, as European firms scramble to navigate Beijing’s export controls. In a report released on Tuesday, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China asserted that the EU must take the lead in discussions affecting its interests, while urging Beijing to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to export controls. “We’re in a situation where Europe simply cannot... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3349937/brussels-must-resist-passive-role-us-china-trade-war-eu-chamber-urges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3349937/brussels-must-resist-passive-role-us-china-trade-war-eu-chamber-urges?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 01:30:14 +0000 Meredith Chen,Fan Chen Meredith Chen,Fan Chen The US drive to reduce reliance on China for rare earths and critical minerals will take more than fixing resource and processing gaps, experts say, noting that the decisive factor would be talent. Eroding industrial know-how, a weak education pipeline, and the lack of a consistent long-term strategy could complicate US ambitions to become a mining powerhouse and rival or even surpass China, they warned. Rare earth supplies are expected to be on the agenda when US President Donald Trump and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349894/compete-china-us-needs-rebuild-rare-earth-talent-ground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349894/compete-china-us-needs-rebuild-rare-earth-talent-ground?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 22:00:14 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen Donald Trump’s threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz “forces Beijing into a political dilemma” and could potentially derail the US president’s coming summit with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, analysts said. After talks in Pakistan between the US and Iran ended without a deal on Sunday, Trump said in a social media post that the US would seal off the strategically vital chokepoint. In a narrower order issued later, the US military said American forces would blockade only “maritime traffic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349942/could-trumps-hormuz-blockade-derail-china-summit-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349942/could-trumps-hormuz-blockade-derail-china-summit-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:15:52 +0000 Marshall Li Marshall Li In Beijing, strategic elites have started to see world politics as sliding from the Spring and Autumn period to the Warring States era. However, if China believes the old order is falling apart, its future will depend less on economic power and more on presenting a reliable political vision. For much of the past decade, the dominant framework for understanding China-US relations has been the Thucydides Trap. Since Graham Allison popularised the term, the relationship has been cast as an... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3349637/global-warring-states-era-begins-china-must-plan-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3349637/global-warring-states-era-begins-china-must-plan-future?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang China is pushing a ceasefire in the Iran war as key to the Strait of Hormuz being open to international trade and energy, as US President Donald Trump announced a sweeping naval operation targeting the oil transit chokepoint. Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday that the strait was an important channel for international trade in goods and energy, and that “maintaining its safety, stability and unimpeded passage serves the common interests of the international community”. “The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349929/china-says-open-strait-hormuz-crucial-global-interests-trump-threatens-blockade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349929/china-says-open-strait-hormuz-crucial-global-interests-trump-threatens-blockade?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:00:52 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang A Chinese company has tried to use AI analysis to track US aerial refuelling missions to detect the strike patterns of bombers over Iran. MizarVision, a private geospatial intelligence firm, published a report earlier this month analysing the activities of US KC-135 and KC-46 tanker aircraft during Operation Epic Fury. The report detailed critical links between known tanker movements and strikes against Iranian targets. Analysts said the tankers could be tracked through Automatic Dependent... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3349788/how-chinese-company-said-it-used-ai-track-us-bomber-movements-over-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3349788/how-chinese-company-said-it-used-ai-track-us-bomber-movements-over-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:00:08 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump has announced a sweeping naval operation targeting the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil transit chokepoints, in a move that risks deepening a global crisis and further complicating ties with Beijing in the countdown to next month’s summit. “Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said in a social media post... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349813/blown-hell-trump-announces-us-blockade-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349813/blown-hell-trump-announces-us-blockade-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:10:08 +0000 Jane Cai Jane Cai For millennia, the wisdom of Chinese strategist Sun Tzu has guided leaders. His sayings, most famously collected in The Art of War, emphasise deception, careful preparation and understanding both your enemy and yourself. “Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.” “Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” Today, a new master strategist has arisen, though his aphorisms emphasise careless blundering. “If you do not know what... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349792/you-cannot-lose-if-you-do-not-have-goal-viral-wisdom-don-tzu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349792/you-cannot-lose-if-you-do-not-have-goal-viral-wisdom-don-tzu?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:00:07 +0000 Dulue Mbachu Dulue Mbachu The world’s two superpowers are waging an information war to influence the minds of Africa’s young and media-savvy demographic, with articles pitched by the United States and China designed to show each other in an unflattering light. On March 31, Africa Defence Forum magazine, a publication of the US Army’s Africa Command, ran an article called: “China’s floating fish factories plunder Guinea Bissau’s resources”. It detailed illegal operations by Chinese fishing trawlers in the West African... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349789/war-words-china-and-us-battle-it-out-loyalty-african-hearts-and-minds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349789/war-words-china-and-us-battle-it-out-loyalty-african-hearts-and-minds?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 10:00:13 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng Two months after the United States’ capture and forcible extradition of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro – and as the South American country attempts to settle into a state of relative normalcy in the aftermath of the military incursion – a cohort of Chinese migrants are relocating there in search of business opportunities. Not all are new arrivals. Mey Hou, a long-term Venezuela resident in her 40s who fled the country during Maduro’s tenure, said many people from her hometown in... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347566/maduros-capture-sparked-outrage-confusion-and-chinese-migration-wave-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347566/maduros-capture-sparked-outrage-confusion-and-chinese-migration-wave-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 02:00:07 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump’s tariffs returned to court on Friday, as a three-judge Court of International Trade panel in New York sharply questioned both sides while weighing the legality of a new set of tariffs he imposed in February, shortly after a Supreme Court ruling declared most of his sweeping levies unlawful. While the judges offered few clues on how they might rule on the Section 122 tariffs, the court has previously rejected business challenges seeking to invalidate Section 301 tariffs... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3349717/trumps-tariff-powers-tested-again-judges-question-deficit-justification?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3349717/trumps-tariff-powers-tested-again-judges-question-deficit-justification?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 21:43:51 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Jeff Winton, a dairy farmer in upstate New York who grows much of the feed for his own cattle, stopped planting corn in 2022 when fertiliser prices spiked. “We just couldn’t afford the input costs,” he recalled. The surge began after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted exports of nitrogen, urea and other key fertiliser nutrients, with Russia, alongside its ally Belarus, among the world’s leading suppliers. As the war in Ukraine entered its fourth year, a separate conflict involving the US,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3349712/high-fertiliser-prices-mean-more-soybeans-farmers-and-greater-reliance-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3349712/high-fertiliser-prices-mean-more-soybeans-farmers-and-greater-reliance-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 19:11:24 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen The latest US restrictions on Chinese telecoms operators could ultimately force them out of the American market, analysts said, marking an escalation in Washington’s multi-year crackdown on Chinese technology. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said on Thursday that it was considering broader measures to bar Chinese telecom carriers from operating data centres in its territory, further restricting Chinese telecoms carriers’ access to US networks and infrastructure. China Mobile,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3349699/china-telecoms-face-us-exit-risk-fcc-deepens-crackdown-data-centres?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3349699/china-telecoms-face-us-exit-risk-fcc-deepens-crackdown-data-centres?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:55:29 +0000 Peter T. C. Chang Peter T. C. Chang With the coming summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump back on schedule for May, the two leaders present two starkly different paths for the world: one defined by a “community with a shared future” and the other driven by unpredictable impulses of rivalry and division. While Trump postponed the April summit to engage Xi without the distractions of the war he launched on Iran, a swift resolution before their meeting does not seem likely – despite the newly... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3349273/can-community-shared-future-prevail-over-zero-sum-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3349273/can-community-shared-future-prevail-over-zero-sum-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 01:30:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters A lobbying firm led by one of Donald Trump Jnr’s hunting buddies helped a Chinese company ⁠make its case to a US national security watchdog, public filings show. The case involved a US ⁠start-up that was seeking to have the Chinese firm removed as one of its investors. The watchdog rejected the US firm’s request for ⁠a national security review of the Chinese firm’s investment, according to a document seen by Reuters, handing a rare win to a Chinese company in Washington. The decision has not... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349575/chinese-business-hired-lobbying-firm-ties-donald-trump-jnr-washington-win?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349575/chinese-business-hired-lobbying-firm-ties-donald-trump-jnr-washington-win?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 23:16:03 +0000