https://www.scmp.com/rss/326344/feed Nong Hong, PhD, is executive director and senior fellow at the Institute for China-America Studies in Washington, US, and a senior fellow with the Beijing Club for International Dialogue. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Nong Hong Nong Hong Gulf exporters are scrambling to bypass the Strait of Hormuz after Iran choked off most of the maritime traffic in one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates rushed to divert exports through overland pipelines; officials warned that even naval escorts could not guarantee safe passage. About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade passed through this narrow waterway. The immediate shock was felt in the Gulf. The strategic... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3347190/conflict-middle-east-boosting-value-arctic-windfall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3347190/conflict-middle-east-boosting-value-arctic-windfall?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Nong Hong Nong Hong Talk of the United States acquiring Greenland has often been dismissed as rhetorical provocation. But the latest escalation is harder to wave away. President Donald Trump said it would be “unacceptable” if the US did not control Greenland only hours before Vice-President J.D. Vance hosted the Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers. When territorial language is paired with senior-level diplomacy, it forces allies to draw public red lines, narrows the space for quiet crisis management, and turns... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340064/greenlands-stress-test-nato-will-ripple-beyond-arctic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340064/greenlands-stress-test-nato-will-ripple-beyond-arctic?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 12:30:09 +0000 Nong Hong Nong Hong China’s decision to establish a national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal – known as Huangyan Island in China and Panatag Shoal in the Philippines – has hit regional headlines as the plan involving the contested South China Sea feature swiftly became a diplomatic flashpoint. Approved by China’s State Council and announced by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the plan covers some 3,500 hectares of ecologically sensitive reef and waters, divided into “core” and “experimental”... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3325981/what-scarborough-nature-reserve-plan-means-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3325981/what-scarborough-nature-reserve-plan-means-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 21:30:09 +0000 Nong Hong Nong Hong Decades of dispute over the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, rooted in colonial history and international legal challenges, have been addressed after the United Kingdom agreed to transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius. Under the May 22 deal, the UK retains a 99-year lease on the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands. Under British colonial rule, the island chain was separated from Mauritius in 1965, three years before Mauritius was granted independence.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3311622/uks-chagos-deal-puts-spotlight-strategic-contest-indian-ocean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3311622/uks-chagos-deal-puts-spotlight-strategic-contest-indian-ocean?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 May 2025 21:30:07 +0000 Lawmakers in the United States are making a strategic push to revive its shipbuilding industry through the “Save Our Shipyards Act”, signalling a renewed focus on maritime strength amid growing geopolitical competition. This effort reflects increasing concerns over China’s expanding naval capabilities, Russia’s Arctic defence fortification and the importance of securing global trade routes and strategic chokepoints. China’s naval build-up has turned the Indo-Pacific into a key strategic priority... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3302705/china-modernises-its-navy-us-races-stay-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3302705/china-modernises-its-navy-us-races-stay-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Mar 2025 21:30:08 +0000 President Donald Trump has recently expressed interest in the US “taking back” control of the Panama Canal, a statement that raises significant legal and geopolitical questions. The Panama Canal, completed in 1914, came under US control after the signing of the 1903 Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty that granted the US sovereignty over the canal zone. For nearly a century, the US oversaw this vital maritime route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. But the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties paved the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3297325/any-us-bid-retake-panama-canal-would-be-prohibitively-costly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3297325/any-us-bid-retake-panama-canal-would-be-prohibitively-costly?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Feb 2025 12:30:07 +0000 In August 2019, then US president Donald Trump made headlines with his surprising proposal to buy Greenland from Denmark. While the idea was met with scepticism and humour, it also reignited a historical debate and shed light on Greenland’s growing geopolitical significance. As Trump prepares to re-enter the White House, his renewed interest in Greenland – and its implications for US foreign policy and Arctic governance – merits deeper examination. The idea is not new. In 1868, US secretary of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3294290/trumps-greenland-gambit-spotlights-geopolitical-tussle-over-arctic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3294290/trumps-greenland-gambit-spotlights-geopolitical-tussle-over-arctic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jan 2025 12:30:08 +0000 The China-Russia partnership has reached unprecedented levels, propelled by mutual strategic interests in Arctic governance and a shared objective of countering Western influence. This partnership is reflected in recent joint military activities, enhanced maritime cooperation and increasingly integrated Arctic policies. Two high-profile military exercises – “Northern/Interaction-2024” and “Ocean-2024” – highlight the depth of China-Russian military cooperation. The Northern/Interaction-2024... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3287988/how-west-can-navigate-sino-russian-cooperation-arctic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3287988/how-west-can-navigate-sino-russian-cooperation-arctic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Nov 2024 12:30:15 +0000 Recent clashes between China and the Philippines over the Second Thomas Shoal have heightened tensions in the South China Sea. The Philippines has maintained a presence there since 1999 by stationing a small contingent of marines on the BRP Sierra Madre, a deliberately grounded World War II-era ship symbolising its claims over the area. China also claims the shoal based on its nine-dash line. It has taken actions to prevent the Philippines from turning the shoal into a military base and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3267493/legal-moves-turn-south-china-sea-public-image-battleground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3267493/legal-moves-turn-south-china-sea-public-image-battleground?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Jun 2024 21:30:09 +0000 April 23 marked the 75th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in China, celebrated with various activities showcasing its achievements, capabilities and contributions to national defence and maritime security. Alongside events in multiple coastal cities offering visitors the opportunity to board PLA navy vessels, significant attention was focused on the start of the 19th Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Qingdao, held from April 21 to 24. Themed “Seas of Shared Future”, this... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3260751/rivalries-aside-its-vital-us-and-chinese-navies-keep-talking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3260751/rivalries-aside-its-vital-us-and-chinese-navies-keep-talking?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Apr 2024 21:30:22 +0000 Last month, the Arctic Council broke the ice by agreeing to reconvene its working group meetings virtually, nearly two years after seven of its eight members, including the US, halted participation in protest against the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which held the council chairmanship then. The working groups had been relying on “written procedures” for the last six months, after Norway took over the chairmanship and found ways to resume project work. The latest development will hopefully pave... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3255279/how-ukraine-war-and-sanctions-russia-put-arctic-cooperation-ice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3255279/how-ukraine-war-and-sanctions-russia-put-arctic-cooperation-ice?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Mar 2024 21:31:05 +0000 The disruptive consequences of the attacks on Red Sea shipping by Yemen’s Houthi rebels were underscored recently by Jan Hoffmann, the logistics chief at Unctad, the UN trade body. These incidents, he noted, were exacerbating the vulnerabilities of global trade and supply chains, adding to the challenges arising from the Ukraine conflict and from reduced shipping in the Panama Canal, where water levels have been dropping due to climate change. The armed Houthi rebel group, which has taken up the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3251310/red-sea-shipping-attacks-continue-pressure-grows-china-act?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3251310/red-sea-shipping-attacks-continue-pressure-grows-china-act?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Feb 2024 21:30:13 +0000 The Ukraine crisis has changed the world in many ways, one of which is the functionality of the Arctic Council, a forum that Russia currently chairs. The decision by the other seven council members in March last year to stop joining its meetings is a grave impediment to international cooperation in the Arctic. Concerns have also been raised over the role of the observer states, including China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and India. Climate change has made the Arctic and its potential... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3211298/war-ukraine-freezes-arctic-council-how-will-asia-break-ice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3211298/war-ukraine-freezes-arctic-council-how-will-asia-break-ice?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Feb 2023 19:30:13 +0000 A recent report titled “China’s Strategy and Activities in the Arctic”, by the US-based Rand Corporation and Swedish Defence Research Agency, examines the potential implications of Chinese investment and activity in the Arctic. It points out that while China’s presence in the North American sections of the Arctic remains limited, the world should keep an eye on its relationship with Russia, which will create uncertainties in the region. A careful observation of China-Russia relations in the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3194872/why-russias-arctic-agenda-should-be-more-concern-chinas-actions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3194872/why-russias-arctic-agenda-should-be-more-concern-chinas-actions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Oct 2022 19:30:12 +0000 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his long-delayed policy speech last Thursday, outlining America’s China policy by describing Beijing as “the most serious long-term challenge to the international order”. This followed a wider effort to calm Beijing over President Joe Biden’s comment that the United States would be willing to use force to defend Taiwan against attack, and is the latest move in the administration’s months-long campaign to counter China. It seems to signal that... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3179502/whirlwind-round-us-diplomacy-leaves-china-relations-unknown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3179502/whirlwind-round-us-diplomacy-leaves-china-relations-unknown?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 May 2022 17:30:19 +0000 Nong Hong Nong Hong On March 3, seven Arctic Council member states – Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United States – issued a joint statement on cooperation following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The representatives of these countries said they will not travel to Russia, the current council chair, for meetings and will temporarily pause participation in all meetings of the council and its subsidiary bodies. This raises serious barriers for international cooperation in the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3169903/ukraine-war-may-freeze-both-russia-and-china-out-arctic-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3169903/ukraine-war-may-freeze-both-russia-and-china-out-arctic-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Mar 2022 01:15:21 +0000 Following US climate envoy John Kerry’s trip to China and the release of the first US-China joint statement on climate change in more than four years, President Xi Jinping joined the Leaders Summit on Climate on April 21. This marked the first meeting of the Chinese and American leaders since US President Joe Biden came to office in January. Some might predict few concrete results from these meetings. However, climate change in the context of polar studies, both in the Arctic and Antarctica,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3131768/how-cooperation-climate-change-polar-research-can-help-thaw-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3131768/how-cooperation-climate-change-polar-research-can-help-thaw-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 May 2021 17:00:18 +0000 On Day 1 of his administration, US President Joe Biden moved to undo the most damaging aspects of Donald Trump’s legacy and started to reverse many of the previous president’s policies, particularly on the environment, immigration and restoring federal efforts to promote diversity. As of January 29, Biden had made almost 40 executive orders, some reversing Trump’s executive orders and some Trump-era policy. Even before his inauguration, Biden sent a clear message of embracing multilateralism... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3120094/us-china-relations-how-bidens-return-multilateralism-can-revive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3120094/us-china-relations-how-bidens-return-multilateralism-can-revive?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Feb 2021 17:00:14 +0000 US Vice-President Mike Pence, during a visit to Iceland on September 4, warned of his concerns about “Russian aggression” in the Arctic and China’s increasing activities in the region. After Secretary of State Mike Pompeo openly challenged China’s and Russia’s Arctic intentions at the May 2019 Arctic Council Meeting in Finland, this was another senior US official who framed the US engagement in the Arctic by targeting Russia and China. Even before Pompeo, former secretary of state Rex Tillerson... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3026007/despite-us-unease-over-china-and-russia-arctic-there-are-ways?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3026007/despite-us-unease-over-china-and-russia-arctic-there-are-ways?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Sep 2019 19:00:15 +0000 The United States has always been a reluctant power in the Arctic. It has invested very little into its Arctic resources – with no real ports along Alaska’s Arctic waters, little military presence, and insufficient diplomatic engagement. However, in February, the US government allocated a total of US$675 million in funding for new icebreakers, which military leaders deem vital for competing with Russia and China in the Arctic. When US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited America’s Nato ally,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2189206/arctic-ambitions-china-russia-and-now-us-need?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2189206/arctic-ambitions-china-russia-and-now-us-need?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2019 18:03:45 +0000 The Philippine navy frigate, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, ran aground on Half Moon Shoal in waters off the disputed Spratly Islands on August 29. The frigate is one of the three ships the Philippines armed forces acquired from the US coastguard, and are currently the largest warships owned by the Philippines. Half Moon Shoal lies about 110km (68 miles) from the southern tip of the western Philippine island of Palawan and south of the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, where a Philippine navy transport... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2163826/what-navy-ship-stranded-south-china-sea-shoal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2163826/what-navy-ship-stranded-south-china-sea-shoal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Sep 2018 18:30:42 +0000 China issued its official Arctic policy in a January 26 white paper. The paper prompted overwhelming praise among Chinese media and academics, along with much discussion among foreign observers, especially in member states of the Arctic Council. Five states in Asia – China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and India – received observer status to the council in 2013. Japan, South Korea and Singapore quickly proceeded to issue their Arctic strategy (India almost never issues formal papers outlining... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2133243/how-chinas-arctic-policy-paper-has-warmed-atmosphere?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2133243/how-chinas-arctic-policy-paper-has-warmed-atmosphere?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Feb 2018 04:03:12 +0000 The new US National Defence Strategy, announced on January 19, kicked off a fresh round of speculation on US-China relations. The new strategy must be viewed in conjunction with the US National Security Strategy, announced in December, and the “Indo-Pacific” concept raised frequently by US President Donald Trump during his visit to Asia in November – and repeatedly echoed by his foreign policy team. All of this seems to suggest, at least from the US perspective, that American policy towards... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2131042/can-us-pessimism-and-chinese-optimism-find-common-ground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2131042/can-us-pessimism-and-chinese-optimism-find-common-ground?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jan 2018 09:58:15 +0000