https://www.scmp.com/rss/310037/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com North Korea’s missile launch and nuclear test where shots heard around the world, setting off a torrent of news coverage and analysis about the hermit kingdom. But in China, the tests caused barely a ripple of controversy, with reporters more cautious than ever about covering the country’s wayward neighbour. There has long been a red line in the sand about what mainland journalists can write on China’s communist ally. That line is drawn by state censors and the press itself, and follows the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1918437/chinas-thick-red-media-line-what-journalists-can-write?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1918437/chinas-thick-red-media-line-what-journalists-can-write?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Feb 2016 13:30:21 +0000 China has agreed on a draft United Nations resolution that would impose tougher sanctions on North Korea amid growing criticism over its handling of Pyongyang’s recent provocations. But scepticism remains over Beijing’s willingness to rein in its wayward neighbour amid a rare diplomatic spat between China and South Korea over the possible deployment of an American ­missile defence system. China and the United States, both UN Security Council members and major stakeholders in the North Korean... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1917088/china-and-us-agree-very-tough-un-sanctions-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1917088/china-and-us-agree-very-tough-un-sanctions-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Feb 2016 16:13:25 +0000 China may deploy more advanced weapons – such as anti-ship missiles – in the South China Sea, analysts say, amid criticism that Beijing has been militarising the disputed region. The plan would allow Beijing to beef up its defence and monitoring in the waters, deterring potential adversaries in a crisis, the analysts say. Recent reports that Beijing had ­installed an advanced surface-to-air missile system on Woody Island in the Paracel Islands chain prompted protests from the United States,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1913800/china-may-send-anti-ship-missiles-disputed-south-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1913800/china-may-send-anti-ship-missiles-disputed-south-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Feb 2016 01:00:53 +0000 Beijing has defended the deployment of armaments in the South China Sea after the United States and Taiwan said it had installed surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island in the Paracel chain. Analysts said Beijing’s move had been a long time coming and more military facilities would be mounted in the Paracels, where China considers its claims are less disputable than in other parts of the sea. News about the missile deployment on Woody Island, also known as Yongxing in China, was first... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1913621/beijing-calls-reaction-missile-deployment-hype?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1913621/beijing-calls-reaction-missile-deployment-hype?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Feb 2016 02:45:00 +0000 As US President Barack Obama and Southeast Asian leaders conclude a landmark summit on Tuesday, Beijing will be warily eyeing a statement that is likely to touch on the contentious South China Sea disputes. But analysts said the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations grouping were unlikely to go beyond the usual boilerplate clauses that Beijing has been hearing over the years. As the curtains are drawn in the California oasis resort of Sunnylands, they will continue to tread... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1913361/obama-scores-victory-hosting-asean-us-breakthroughs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1913361/obama-scores-victory-hosting-asean-us-breakthroughs?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Feb 2016 00:00:15 +0000 Washington may claim its latest operation in the South China Sea was aimed at challenging Vietnamese territorial claims in the region as much as China’s, but analysts say Hanoi is likely to have viewed the development positively. The USS Curtis Wilbur sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island in the Paracel archipelago on Saturday, attracting immediate protest from Beijing, which claims and controls the area. But Hanoi, another claimant of the island as well as others in the Paracels,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1908573/vietnam-backs-latest-us-challenge-beijings-sovereignty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1908573/vietnam-backs-latest-us-challenge-beijings-sovereignty?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Feb 2016 02:33:09 +0000 China’s economic turmoil may have spilled pain to other parts of the world, but Mexico’s envoy to China is not too worried. Amid the buzz on China’s global infrastructure push, Julian Ventura said his country was seeking to tap into the “One Belt, One Road” initiative. A recent rebuff to Beijing’s ambition to build a high-speed rail line in Mexico is said to have tainted China’s confidence in Mexico. But in an interview with the South China Morning Post, Ventura sought to brush off such concern... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1908000/mexicos-envoy-downplays-rail-link-snub-says-ties-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1908000/mexicos-envoy-downplays-rail-link-snub-says-ties-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Jan 2016 15:07:49 +0000 In what could be an equivalent of Vietnam’s House of Cards, the country’s Communist Party chief has retained power after an intense political rivalry. As business returns to normal, analysts said there would be little dramatic change in the country’s diplomatic and economic policies. In Nguyen Phu Trong’s second stint as the party’s general secretary, Hanoi will continue its current course of guarding against China’s maritime ambitions while moving toward a more open, market-oriented economy,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1906521/key-questions-over-security-and-economic-reform-await-trong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1906521/key-questions-over-security-and-economic-reform-await-trong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Jan 2016 13:45:45 +0000 China’s joint project to build a high-speed railway in Indonesia has been suspended over unresolved issues and incomplete paperwork, according to the ­Jakarta Post. The revelation, published on Wednesday, came just six days after Indonesian President Joko Widodo officiated the project’s groundbreaking ceremony. It prompted talk that the latest turn of events could deal another blow to China’s global high-speed railway push. READ MORE: China wins Indonesia high-speed rail project as Japan laments... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1906307/chinas-high-speed-railway-project-indonesia-suspended?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1906307/chinas-high-speed-railway-project-indonesia-suspended?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Jan 2016 13:30:45 +0000 Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou’s planned trip to the Taiwanese-held island of Taiping, or Itu Aba, in the disputed South China Sea is “extremely unhelpful” and won’t do anything to resolve disputes over the waterway, a US official said on Wednesday. Ma’s office earlier announced that the president, who steps down in May, would fly to Taiping on Thursday to offer Lunar New Year wishes to residents on the island, mainly Taiwanese coastguard personnel and environmental scholars. But Ma’s one-day... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1905842/taiwanese-presidents-trip-south-china-sea-island?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1905842/taiwanese-presidents-trip-south-china-sea-island?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Jan 2016 03:27:44 +0000 China’s gigantic oil rig, Haiyangshihou 981, is no stranger to the Vietnamese. Its latest appearance near the Southeast Asian nation’s coast renewed focus on crucial question: how should Vietnam deal with its aggressive yet economically important neighbour without angering it? Analysts said the recent deployment of the oil rig, together with test flights of civilian planes over the disputed Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea, were part of China’s vigorous efforts to further establish its... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1905384/chinese-oil-rigs-return-south-china-sea-coast-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1905384/chinese-oil-rigs-return-south-china-sea-coast-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Jan 2016 07:30:45 +0000 Moscow is planning to expand energy exports to China in an effort to bolster economic and strategic ties, according to Russian deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich. The energy export plan comes at awkward time as China’s energy needs are cooling as its economy slows. While predicting flat economic growth this year as a result of plunging oil prices and Western sanctions, Dvorkovich said Russia was looking to diversify its economy and diplomatic support. Russia’s economy has been on a downward... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1903297/russia-seeking-bolster-energy-exports-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1903297/russia-seeking-bolster-energy-exports-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Jan 2016 14:12:27 +0000 President Xi Jinping is to embark on a whirlwind visit to Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt in his first diplomatic trip of the year amidst escalating tensions in the region. The timing of Xi’s visit – coming as Iran and Saudi Arabia lock horns in their worst conflict in a decade – will thrust China to the forefront of Middle East politics. Beijing will be closely watched as it tries to strike a delicate balance between the feuding Tehran and Riyadh. Both are key oil suppliers to China and crucial to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1901092/xi-jinping-man-defuse-tensions-middle-east-landmark?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1901092/xi-jinping-man-defuse-tensions-middle-east-landmark?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Jan 2016 04:52:57 +0000 To change or not to change. That will be the question confronting Vietnam’s Communist Party elites when they congregate next week for a meeting that will shape the country’s future. At stake is the selection of new leadership, who will determine how to navigate the tricky juncture of whether to further modernise the single-party state, or to dig their heels in and uphold the party’s supremacy. Past leaders have found themselves stuck between these opposing currents. But expectations are high... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1900005/vietnams-communist-party-meets-elect-new-leadership-while?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1900005/vietnams-communist-party-meets-elect-new-leadership-while?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Jan 2016 19:00:00 +0000 Vietnam has postponed an important Communist Party meeting that will elect the country’s new leadership as disagreement on who should take up the baton as the new party chief intensifies. The 12th Party Congress, a five-yearly congregation of party elites to discuss important policies and elect key party positions, was meant to convene this week but has been postponed until January 20, sources said. The struggle to select the next party helmsman, analysts said, highlighted a bigger dilemma as... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1899870/vietnams-stormy-leadership-tussle-bares-nations-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1899870/vietnams-stormy-leadership-tussle-bares-nations-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Jan 2016 03:49:05 +0000 A new airport in a contested part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea will soon be used by military aircraft to conduct test flights, probably within the first half of the year, according to a retired Chinese major general. Civil aircraft completed two test flights on Wednesday at the airport on Fiery Cross Reef, known as Yongshu Reef in China , amid Japanese, Vietnamese and US concerns over the landing of another plane there last Saturday. READ MORE: Chinese civilian aircraft make... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1899036/chinese-military-aircraft-likely-land-new-airport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1899036/chinese-military-aircraft-likely-land-new-airport?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Jan 2016 03:54:52 +0000 Every time North Korea pushes the nuclear button, China feels the heat. And many are watching to see how Beijing will react as its leverage over it neighbour continues to dwindle. Analysts said Pyongyang’s defiant nuclear test on Wednesday was a reminder of how China’s declining influence over its ideological ally and Beijing’s conflicting geopolitical considerations were limiting its options. Many now expect China to support more UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea, just as it did... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1898964/china-doesnt-want-be-seen-paper-tiger-beijing-bind-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1898964/china-doesnt-want-be-seen-paper-tiger-beijing-bind-over?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Jan 2016 14:24:37 +0000 North Korea said on Wednesday it had successfully tested its first hydrogen bomb, dealing a blow to ­regional efforts to contain tensions surrounding Pyongyang’s nuclear programme, and drawing condemnation from Beijing. The claim, which if true would mark significant progress in Pyongyang’s nuclear abilities, triggered condemnation from across the region, and scepticism from some countries over whether the test had been ­successful. WATCH: North Korea announces successful hydrogen nuclear... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1898445/stop-making-situation-worse-north-koreas-h-bomb-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1898445/stop-making-situation-worse-north-koreas-h-bomb-test?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Jan 2016 15:45:30 +0000 As Japan and South Korea concluded a highly symbolic year with a historical deal to “finally and irreversibly” resolve the wartime “comfort women” dispute, analysts said the intensifying geostrategic competition in the region has been given an unexpected stir: a gain for Washington but an irritant for Beijing. While hopes have been high that the agreement, announced on Monday in Seoul, would improve relations between the two countries, challenges remain for the estranged neighbours to get over... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/1896474/why-japans-comfort-women-apology-coup-washington-and-blow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/1896474/why-japans-comfort-women-apology-coup-washington-and-blow?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Dec 2015 03:30:45 +0000 As the United States’ pending arms sales to Taiwan renews tensions between Washington and Beijing over one of the most sensitive issues in bilateral ties, the island is reminded of the difficult geopolitical choices it will have to make when its people elect a new government and legislature next month. The corner will be even tighter for opposition leader and presidential frontrunner Tsai Ing-wen. READ MORE: Eyes on frontrunner Tsai Ing-wen as Taiwan presidential poll may mark shift in ties with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1892499/taiwan-faces-tough-choices-balancing-between-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1892499/taiwan-faces-tough-choices-balancing-between-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Dec 2015 16:11:58 +0000 As Thailand celebrates the 88th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej today, his failing health ensures some will be pondering the elephant in the room: the looming period of uncertainty and succession likely to follow his eventual death. Revered in Thailand as a unifying figure, the world’s longest-serving monarch has withdrawn from public life in recent years and, on medical advice, skipped last year’s birthday celebrations altogether. Due to the country’s increasingly strict lese-majeste laws,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1886971/thailands-beloved-king-celebrates-his-88th-birthday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1886971/thailands-beloved-king-celebrates-his-88th-birthday?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Dec 2015 01:30:45 +0000 Doing business in Myanmar has never been a straightforward practice for Zhang Qiang, a jade mine investor from Yunnan province’s Ruili township, which borders the Southeast Asian country. “Gratuity fees are usually a prerequisite,” Zhang said, referring to the money – often somewhere between a few thousand yuan to tens of thousands of yuan – he has paid Myanmese officials and middlemen in order to get business deals there. Read more: Revealed: Myanmar’s US$31 billion jade mining industry and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1886703/myanmar-faces-dilemma-balance-need-chinese-investment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1886703/myanmar-faces-dilemma-balance-need-chinese-investment?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Dec 2015 03:45:30 +0000 Premier Li Keqiang offered Malaysia a string of economic perks as he wrapped up a four-day trip to smooth tensions in the South China Sea on Monday. China would buy more of Malaysia’s treasury bonds, give it a 50 billion yuan (HK$60.6 billion) quota to invest in the Chinese capital market, and help build cheaper infrastructure, Li told business elites in Kuala Lumpur. “Uncertainties in international financial markets are emerging, some countries … have seen sluggish or negative growth, high... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1882474/china-offers-economic-perks-malaysia-it-tries-ease?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1882474/china-offers-economic-perks-malaysia-it-tries-ease?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Nov 2015 16:30:30 +0000 China used both carrots and sticks at a regional summit over the weekend, promising US$10 billion in loans for infrastructure in Southeast Asia while maintaining that work on its South China Sea reclamation projects would continue. The sweeteners, however, failed to erase concerns over escalating tensions in the busy waterways at the weekend summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and eight other countries. Wrapping up the East Asia Summit, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1881917/south-china-sea-fears-linger-despite-beijings-loan-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1881917/south-china-sea-fears-linger-despite-beijings-loan-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Nov 2015 16:30:15 +0000 Despite China's best efforts to avoid the South China Sea issuing from overshadowing a regional summit, Southeast Asian leaders raised their concerns over the maritime dispute yesterday. Speaking at a summit between China and the Association of South East Asian Countries (Asean), which is among a series of annual meetings taking place in Kuala Lumpur this weekend, Premier Li Keqiang said Beijing's ties with the 10-nation grouping had improved "steadily" over the past year. "China has always made... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/diplomacy/article/1881636/asean-leaders-raise-concern-about-south-china-sea-island?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/diplomacy/article/1881636/asean-leaders-raise-concern-about-south-china-sea-island?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Nov 2015 18:45:00 +0000 China could have reclaimed South China Sea islands occupied by other claimants but has exercised “great restraint” by not doing so, a senior Chinese diplomat said yesterday, ahead of regional summits in Kuala Lumpur this weekend. Southeast Asian leaders have for years used the series of annual summits involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to address the thorny territorial dispute but analysts said a rethink was needed as Asean’s position was becoming irrelevant. China has been... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1880048/china-held-back-right-seize-occupied-islands-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1880048/china-held-back-right-seize-occupied-islands-south?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Nov 2015 16:00:00 +0000 As President Xi Jinping  continues on his whirlwind schedule of overseas tours, an increasing number of countries are treading a delicate line in their relationships with China and the United States as competition between the two intensifies. As China increases its presence on the world stage – Xi is visiting Turkey and the Philippines this week, Paris and South Africa next month – observers say some of Washington’s traditional allies are adopting the “dual-track” system, already in place in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1879160/econony-vs-defence-americas-allies-take-dual-track?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1879160/econony-vs-defence-americas-allies-take-dual-track?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Nov 2015 15:15:00 +0000 The highly lucrative industry of jade mining is complicating Myanmar’s democracy process because of a lack of transparency and the involvement of key players closely associated with the former junta government, according to an investigation by an international non-governmental organisation. While oil and gas, long thought to be the resource-rich country’s key source of income, raked in US$4.3 billion last year, a report by Global Witness put the revenues brought in by jade mining at US$31... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1871311/myanmars-illicit-jade-mining-industry-contributes-billion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1871311/myanmars-illicit-jade-mining-industry-contributes-billion?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Oct 2015 02:30:00 +0000 Beijing is willing to hold joint drills with Southeast Asian countries in the disputed South China Sea, the defence minister said on Friday in what analysts saw as a response to Washington's plan to sail its warships around the Spratly Islands, which China claims as territory. Striking a conciliatory tone over an increasingly tense spat in the oil-rich region, Defence Minister Chang Wanquan told his counterparts from the Association of South East Asian Nations at an informal summit in Beijing... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1868814/china-offers-joint-drills-asean-south-china-sea-check-us-plan-send-warships?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1868814/china-offers-joint-drills-asean-south-china-sea-check-us-plan-send-warships?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Oct 2015 16:00:15 +0000 China has nothing to fear from being left out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and should instead press ahead with another regional trade pact to expand its economic reach, Australia's trade and investment minister said yesterday. Rather than seeking to join the TPP, widely seen as a tool for the United States to contain China's rise, Andrew Robb said Beijing should focus on concluding talks over the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) - a China-led Asian free trade... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1868248/china-has-nothing-fear-trans-pacific-partnership-omission-australian?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1868248/china-has-nothing-fear-trans-pacific-partnership-omission-australian?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Oct 2015 19:00:30 +0000 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for high-level dialogue with his Chinese counterparts as he told a top diplomat from Beijing that China should move on from "unfortunate past history". As State Councillor Yang Jiechi yesterday concluded a two-day visit to Japan, the two neighbours agreed to launch a crisis management mechanism to prevent unintended clashes in the East China Sea as soon as possible. Yang's trip followed recent hiccups in historical and maritime territorial disputes that... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1867651/china-and-japan-should-move-past-says-shinzo-abe-countries-agree-system-avoid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1867651/china-and-japan-should-move-past-says-shinzo-abe-countries-agree-system-avoid?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Oct 2015 03:45:45 +0000 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for high-level dialogue with his Chinese counterparts as he told a top diplomat from Beijing that China should move on from “unfortunate past history”. As State Councillor Yang Jiechi yesterday concluded a two-day visit to Japan, the two neighbours agreed to launch a crisis management mechanism to prevent unintended clashes in the East China Sea as soon as possible. Yang’s trip followed recent hiccups in historical and maritime territorial disputes that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1867656/lets-move-past-says-shinzo-abe-china-and-japan-agree?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1867656/lets-move-past-says-shinzo-abe-china-and-japan-agree?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Oct 2015 15:45:15 +0000 China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi held talks with the head of Japan's National Security Council on Tuesday, paving the way to resume a long-halted trilateral summit between the two countries and South Korea. Visiting Japan for the first time in his capacity as State Councillor, Yang will also meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday. The two nations' slowly thawing relations have hit a rough patch in recent months. At the onset of the meeting in Tokyo yesterday, Shotaro Yachi, senior... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1867244/chinas-top-diplomat-yang-jiechi-tokyo-pave-way-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1867244/chinas-top-diplomat-yang-jiechi-tokyo-pave-way-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Oct 2015 15:30:00 +0000 Negotiations on a maritime and air crisis-management mechanism to prevent unwanted conflict in the East China Sea have ground to a halt after China and Japan refused to budge on their disagreement over the sovereignty of a disputed island chain. Given the impasse over whether the communication mechanism should apply to the territorial waters surrounding - and airspace above - the Diaoyu Islands, known as the Senkakus in Japan, analysts said the thaw in bilateral ties since a landmark summit last... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1865079/diaoyu-islands-bring-china-japan-talks-stall-discussion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1865079/diaoyu-islands-bring-china-japan-talks-stall-discussion?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2015 21:30:30 +0000 Capped by a 21-gun salute and a dinner at the White House, President Xi Jinping's first state visit to the US was hailed in China as a great success. The trip was given blanket positive coverage in state media, with wall-to-wall articles and stories burnishing Xi's image as an international leader. But while there were some signs of easing in various bilateral tensions, analysts said the ultimate value of the trip would depend on how Xi and his American counterpart Barack Obama follow through... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1862562/now-hard-part-following-xi-jinpings-trip-action?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1862562/now-hard-part-following-xi-jinpings-trip-action?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Sep 2015 16:00:30 +0000 The leaders of China and the United States yesterday pledged to curb commercial cyberespionage as President Xi Jinping concluded a state visit that analysts said had made incremental progress in bolstering recently strained relations. In what was possibly the final summit between the pair in a two-way setting - US President Barack Obama leaves office in 2017 - China sought to emphasize cooperation amid concerns the next administration may take a tougher stance against it. Speaking after the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1861710/chinese-president-xi-jinping-crowns-us-state-visit-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1861710/chinese-president-xi-jinping-crowns-us-state-visit-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Sep 2015 20:45:45 +0000 US President Barack Obama yesterday said he and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping must address their differences "candidly", specifically raising the importance of protecting human rights. "Even as our nations cooperate, I believe - and I know you agree - that we must address our differences candidly," Obama said as he welcomed Xi to the White House. "The United States will always speak out on behalf of fundamental truths. We believe nations are more successful … when our companies compete on a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1861551/china-us-address-differences-candidly-barack-obama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1861551/china-us-address-differences-candidly-barack-obama?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Sep 2015 15:45:00 +0000 US President Barack Obama greeted visiting Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping with a “ni hao” yesterday as the two leaders spent almost three hours over a private dinner discussing issues that have been straining bilateral ties. While there has been little expectation that Xi’s state visit – his first as president – would lead to a major breakthrough in the otherwise troubled relationship, analysts said the opportunity for the two leaders to sit in the same room was particularly important as the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1861394/ni-hao-barack-obama-takes-personal-approach-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1861394/ni-hao-barack-obama-takes-personal-approach-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Sep 2015 09:15:00 +0000 President Xi Jinping sought to reassure his American hosts in a speech yesterday that addressed almost all of the issues that are straining bilateral ties, ranging from devaluation of the yuan to foreign investment, and even offered to cooperate on the thorniest issue of cybersecurity. In a 35-minute speech meshing personal anecdotes and references to popular American culture with lofty pledges, a self-assured Xi set the tone for his week-long visit, which comes at a critical moment for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1860923/smiling-xi-jinping-tackles-key-strains-sino-us-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1860923/smiling-xi-jinping-tackles-key-strains-sino-us-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Sep 2015 15:45:15 +0000 President Xi Jinping defended his government's handling of the nation's recent market crisis and pledged Beijing's commitment to economic reform as he embarked on a highly symbolic visit to the United States yesterday. Xi's remarks, made in a lengthy written interview with The Wall Street Journal, appear to be an attempt to reassure his audience in America as heightened tensions between the two powers and a highly political atmosphere ahead of the US presidential election look set to overshadow... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1860635/china-will-stay-course-reforming-its-economy-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1860635/china-will-stay-course-reforming-its-economy-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Sep 2015 15:30:30 +0000 When President Xi Jinping visits the United States this week, the mainland public is bound to receive wall-to-wall positive coverage of what Beijing has pledged will be a successful trip. But underneath the pomp and pageantry, Xi may find himself facing an American audience that is increasingly ambivalent towards China. Underlying a host of security and economic issues is a shifting balance between the two countries as China's clout continues to grow, and what some observers describe as a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1860022/behind-fairytale-press-chinese-president-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1860022/behind-fairytale-press-chinese-president-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2015 15:45:30 +0000 Vietnam may be forced to perform a delicate balancing act should President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Barack Obama, visit within the same timeframe, as expected, later this year. No exact dates have been fixed for Xi's visit - which will be the first in 10 years by a Chinese president. Hanoi's invitation for Xi to visit was accepted last year but sources say Beijing only recently confirmed that Xi would come by the end of this year. We could be receiving two of the most important world... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1858489/balancing-act-vietnam-may-find-itself-hosting-barack-obama-and-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1858489/balancing-act-vietnam-may-find-itself-hosting-barack-obama-and-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Sep 2015 15:15:00 +0000 Vietnam's Communist Party chief will embark on a four-day visit to Japan today, seeking not only investment opportunities but geopolitical assurances as China continues its aggressive maritime posturing, according to experts. Nguyen Phu Trong will also become the first party leader to have visited all five countries considered by Hanoi as major powers: China, the United States, Russia, India and Japan. It reflects his determination to leave a personal legacy when he retires from the position... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1858160/vietnam-keeps-options-open-communist-party-chief-seeks-expand-economic-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1858160/vietnam-keeps-options-open-communist-party-chief-seeks-expand-economic-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Sep 2015 14:30:30 +0000 Despite strained ties and limited common ground, President Xi Jinping is embarking on a lengthy and elaborate state visit to the United States later this month, according to people familiar with the preparations. But there are also doubts over how the trip can improve relations between the world's two biggest economies as talks on what the visit can achieve have made little headway. There’s [usually] something on the agenda … but there hasn’t been a lot of buzz JACQUES DELISLE, ANALYST Xi will... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1856546/details-emerge-xi-jinpings-first-state-visit-us-hopes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1856546/details-emerge-xi-jinpings-first-state-visit-us-hopes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:45:30 +0000 When Fan Hao was first told about a family secret almost 20 years ago, his heart sank. He learned that his doting grandfather was actually a Kuomintang soldier who only joined the Communist Party's People's Liberation Army in 1949. Five years later there was another surprise for the family: their 90-something patriarch, Nationalist veteran Zhong Zilin, had taken part in the second Sino-Japanese war. Thus began the family's quest to restore a piece of history that had until recently been painted... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1853697/70th-anniversary-chinese-liberation-nationalists-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1853697/70th-anniversary-chinese-liberation-nationalists-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Aug 2015 18:30:45 +0000 When Akiko Ishimaru was choosing courses last year for her master's degree in international security at Bristol University in England, she found more classes were being offered on China than on her native Japan. "Ten years ago, there were a lot of classes related to Japan, but not anymore," the 23-year-old said. "The world is changing." While the courses on China never caught her interest, the Chinese friends she made during the semester helped her realise not all Chinese people were as "messy"... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1853531/enough-all-second-world-war-apology-talk-young-japanese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1853531/enough-all-second-world-war-apology-talk-young-japanese?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:30:30 +0000 China and the United States stressed the positives in their complex relationship during meetings between US National Security Adviser Susan Rice and Chinese officials yesterday, paving the way for President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington next month. Neither Xi nor Rice mentioned recent economic turmoil in their opening remarks, focusing instead on the importance of Xi’s visit to strengthening relations between the world’s two largest economies.  “I look forward to continuing my conversation... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1853425/us-china-skirt-stocks-turmoil-and-focus-positives-susan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1853425/us-china-skirt-stocks-turmoil-and-focus-positives-susan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Aug 2015 08:00:30 +0000 Embattled Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak may face another political challenge when critics of his government stage a potentially massive rally this weekend to demand his resignation. The rally, also known as "Bersih 4", will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Sabah and Sarawak tomorrow and on Sunday, just ahead of the country's Independence Day on Monday. Malaysian police have said the event is unlawful and called on the public to stay away, setting the stage for clashes between participants and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1853285/forces-gather-against-under-fire-malaysian-prime-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1853285/forces-gather-against-under-fire-malaysian-prime-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Aug 2015 15:15:30 +0000 The US is looking to expand a naval clash-prevention mechanism agreed with China to include the coastguards, the new US Pacific Fleet Commander said. Admiral Scott Swift also sought to reassure US commitment in the regional allies but stressed the importance of having a positive relation with China. Speaking to reporters in a teleconference from Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Swift said the many regional counterparts had expressed “great angst” over the “scale and scope” of China’s reclamation... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1852724/swift-proposal-us-wants-coastguard-agreement-china-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1852724/swift-proposal-us-wants-coastguard-agreement-china-help?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Aug 2015 07:00:15 +0000 The latest crisis on the Korean peninsula has not only renewed attention over China's North Korea policy but may also inadvertently impact Beijing's massive military parade next week, according to diplomatic sources and analysts. As talks to defuse the border stand-off between North and South Korea continued for a third day yesterday, a diplomatic source said South Korean President Park Geun-hye might have to cancel her trip to Beijing if negotiations failed and tensions flared up. The South... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/1852301/south-korean-president-may-skip-chinas-parade-over-korean-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/1852301/south-korean-president-may-skip-chinas-parade-over-korean-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Aug 2015 17:45:15 +0000