https://www.scmp.com/rss/322994/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The recent spike in Covid-19 cases in the US is a telling sign that the virus might be the most devastating in world history. The scope of its spread has far surpassed the 14th-century Black Death in Europe. Unexpectedly, the pandemic has also formed a “trap” that pits the US against China, which alternatively became the epicentre of the calamity. An outbreak of the new coronavirus was first reported in China and, subsequently, the US is now the hardest-hit nation, with more than 2.7 million... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3091422/second-wave-looms-us-and-china-must-escape-coronavirus-trap-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3091422/second-wave-looms-us-and-china-must-escape-coronavirus-trap-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jul 2020 19:00:16 +0000 US President-elect Donald Trump is ­assembling his cabinet before taking office on January 20. Now those around the world who were stunned at his election want to see how Trump will run the country, especially how he handles the all-important relationship with China. Relations are at a critical juncture because of widespread calls in Washington for a tougher China policy. American displeasure towards Beijing stems from China’s drastically increased economic and military clout during the Obama... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2050127/diplomacy-or-rivalry-wise-choices-are-needed-if-us-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2050127/diplomacy-or-rivalry-wise-choices-are-needed-if-us-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Nov 2016 09:37:23 +0000 The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration on Tuesday ruled on the Philippine case against China, rejecting Beijing’s maritime territorial claims to the South China Sea. Global attention is now on how the repercussions of this decision will affect the all-important US-China relations. The US and China differ fundamentally over the South China Sea, known for its vital transportation lanes, rich resources and strategic value. Beijing wants to claim back territories in which its sovereignty has... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1989387/hague-decision-south-china-sea-puts-us-and-china-collision?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1989387/hague-decision-south-china-sea-puts-us-and-china-collision?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Jul 2016 09:11:43 +0000 Hong Kong is still smouldering from the fire of the Occupy protests, the largest in China since the Tiananmen Square crackdown of 1989. But the flames haven't spread to the mainland. While many believe it is the result of the central government's efforts to censor the news, that hasn't played a decisive role. After the Hong Kong unrest erupted in late September, China's state media were briefly gagged. Soon, though, they were firing salvos of criticism at the protesters. Besides, China's... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1655412/mainland-chinese-youth-remain-cool-hong-kongs-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1655412/mainland-chinese-youth-remain-cool-hong-kongs-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2014 05:00:15 +0000 The Occupy Central protests in Hong Kong are still raging, and testing Beijing's rule in the former British colony - bringing into new focus the perennial themes of Chinese politics, democracy and nationalism. The peaceful rebellion demanding universal suffrage is the largest, most prolonged protest in China since the Tiananmen crackdown of 1989. It has exposed the clumsiness of Beijing's elite in running Hong Kong following the 1997 handover. The turmoil has sounded the alarm that the growth of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1615714/peaceful-rebellion-reminder-chinas-rigid-political-mindset?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1615714/peaceful-rebellion-reminder-chinas-rigid-political-mindset?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2014 07:00:00 +0000 US National Security Adviser Susan Rice's recent trip to China has raised expectations that when President Barack Obama visits Beijing in November, the current testy relations between the two countries can be improved. Obama will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' summit and confer with President Xi Jinping in a follow-up to their meeting at Sunnylands in California last June. Last week, Rice worked with the Chinese on details of the presidential visit, which she expects to be... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1594569/china-and-us-must-lead-example-peace-asia-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1594569/china-and-us-must-lead-example-peace-asia-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2014 06:30:30 +0000 The Edward Snowden saga has disturbed the US and caused repercussions around the world. Regardless of the ultimate fate of this unconventional whistle-blower-cum-reckless-rebel, Snowden has already carved his mark in history, given that his actions have a far-reaching impact on people's lives. Americans have been reeling as details of government monitoring and eavesdropping surfaced. In the perceived land of democracy and freedom, people are under Orwellian surveillance. The exposure has pitted... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1277375/world-needs-new-set-internet-protocols-post-snowden-affair?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1277375/world-needs-new-set-internet-protocols-post-snowden-affair?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The first encounter between President Xi Jinping and Barack Obama since the latter's re-election as US president and Xi's elevation to power comes months earlier than had been expected. The informal summit, free from all the formality of protocol at the Californian resort of Sunnylands, will have a far-reaching impact because, in Xi's words, "the current China-US relationship is at a critical juncture". China's steady rise is posing unprecedented challenges to bilateral ties. Last December, an... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1254935/xi-obama-sunnylands-summit-can-foster-renewed-trust?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1254935/xi-obama-sunnylands-summit-can-foster-renewed-trust?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Chinese leader Xi Jinping's three-day visit to Russia was his first state visit after assuming the presidency on March 14. In the Kremlin, Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a joint declaration, vowing to extend economic co-operation and steadfastly buttress each other in regional and global affairs. The venue as well as the drastically deepened ties between the two former allies, especially their security implications, struck a responsive chord in world media. Xi's predecessor Hu... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1207872/china-and-russia-seek-closer-bonds-point?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1207872/china-and-russia-seek-closer-bonds-point?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 North Korea's third nuclear test poses the first diplomatic and security challenge for China's leadership under Xi Jinping, while triggering heated debates in the West on Beijing's possible moves. For China, Pyongyang's action was shockingly flagrant. The underground explosion was conducted near the Chinese border, generating a 4.9-magnitude earthquake, which startled residents in neighbouring Jilin province. China's national security was threatened. But it has no effective leverage to deal with... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1157595/china-nuclear-test-one-provocation-too-many?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1157595/china-nuclear-test-one-provocation-too-many?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Feb 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The claims about Premier Wen Jiabao's hidden family assets prompted Beijing to block The New York Times' English and Chinese websites, but many viewers scaled the Great Firewall to find the news. Ironically, this revelation yielded little applause and harvested mostly disbelief and indignation among Chinese readers in and out of the country. Such reactions not only reflect the political reality of today's China but also provide important clues about its social transition. The story claimed... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1085425/corruption-drives-calls-reform-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1085425/corruption-drives-calls-reform-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 If there is any truth in the fancy that ears will burn while their owner is being talked about, the collective ears of China must have been ablaze during the past few weeks." These words are from a commentary in the American magazine The Saturday Evening Post in July 1900, amid the Boxer Rebellion. Today, these words exactly depict the unprecedented spike in China-bashing rhetoric during the US presidential election campaign, which ended with President Barack Obama cementing a second... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1078816/sino-us-relations-new-round-begins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1078816/sino-us-relations-new-round-begins?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Forty-one years ago today, a Trident jet hurriedly left northern China's Shanhaiguan airport, and then crashed in Mongolia before reaching its supposed destination of the Soviet Union, killing all on board. One of the passengers was Marshal Lin Biao, then vice-chairman of the Communist Party and Mao Zedong's designated successor. Today, rumours are swirling about the disappearance of Xi Jinping, the vice-president and same sole successor to supreme power. It would be flippant to draw comparisons... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1035068/silence-over-xi-jinping-does-not-befit-modern-nation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1035068/silence-over-xi-jinping-does-not-befit-modern-nation?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The scandalous downfall of Bo Xilai, the ambitious politburo member, once again made clear one of the fundamental faults of the Chinese political system: the absolute monopoly of power under one-party rule. Bo's ouster has triggered the most serious crisis within the Communist Party since 1989 and sparked a public outcry for political reform that is gathering momentum. Behind the glossy facade of a booming economy, Chinese society now suffers simultaneously the social ills typical of developing... https://www.scmp.com/article/1004397/bursting-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1004397/bursting-change?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Jun 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Another melodrama is now unfolding in China with the escape from house arrest of Chen Guangcheng , the blind human rights activist who is now believed to have sought refuge in the US embassy in Beijing. Chen, 40, is a self-taught lawyer who had been jailed for more than four years apparently over his exposure of forced abortions and sterilisations as a result of China's one-child policy. Since his release in September 2010, he had been confined to his home along with his wife, mother and... https://www.scmp.com/article/999722/status-chen-guangcheng-thorn-sino-us-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/999722/status-chen-guangcheng-thorn-sino-us-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Tensions have heightened drastically in East Asia over North Korean plans to launch a satellite-laden rocket in the next few days, despite pleas and protests by friend and foe alike. The launch, described by Pyongyang as a peaceful space project, will be the climax of celebrations for the centenary of the birth of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung. But the United States, Russia, Japan and South Korea believe it will be a disguised long-range missile test, given the technology's potential dual... https://www.scmp.com/article/998029/n-korean-launch-threatens-fire-regional-arms-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/998029/n-korean-launch-threatens-fire-regional-arms-race?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Today marks the 40th anniversary of US president Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, a milestone in contemporary world history. The celebration is also an opportunity for the two countries to contemplate whether they can have another 40 years of peaceful co-operation. Nixon's visit normalised US relations with China, enabling Beijing to begin its embrace of mainstream Western culture, thus laying the groundwork for its successful modernisation drive. Since then, bilateral ties have flourished... https://www.scmp.com/article/993235/spirit-1972-will-make-partners-china-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/993235/spirit-1972-will-make-partners-china-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000