https://www.scmp.com/rss/326873/feed Based in Beijing, Orange covers a range of topics including China's economy and diplomacy. He previously worked in Hong Kong and had a stint in Washington. Before joining the Post, Orange worked as a Shanghai Correspondent for ET Net, a Hong Kong financial news agency. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Orange Wang,Laura Zhou Orange Wang,Laura Zhou Hungary’s stunning political transition will not trigger a dramatic overturning of its ties with China, Chinese experts suggest, with China-EU relations also expected to see limited impact. A landslide parliamentary election victory on Sunday for the centre-right Tisza Party, led by Peter Magyar, ended Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16 years in power. Orban conceded defeat and congratulated Magyar in a phone call. Magyar is now on course to become Hungary’s next prime minister, and his... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349941/why-beijing-isnt-panicking-over-hungarian-pm-viktor-orbans-stunning-election-defeat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349941/why-beijing-isnt-panicking-over-hungarian-pm-viktor-orbans-stunning-election-defeat?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:14:12 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Orange Wang,Cao Jiaxuan Khushboo Razdan,Orange Wang,Cao Jiaxuan The United States and Iran did not reach a deal because Washington failed to win the other side’s trust, Tehran’s lead negotiator said on Sunday. In his first comments since the marathon round of talks in the Pakistani capital Islamabad broke up, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on social media: “We have the necessary good faith and will, but due to the experiences of the two previous wars, we have no trust in the opposing side. “The opposing side ultimately failed to gain the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349767/bad-news-vance-says-no-agreement-reached-after-marathon-talks-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349767/bad-news-vance-says-no-agreement-reached-after-marathon-talks-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 01:37:47 +0000 Orange Wang,Alyssa Chen,Khushboo Razdan Orange Wang,Alyssa Chen,Khushboo Razdan US Vice-President J.D. Vance has boarded Air Force Two en route to Islamabad, according to the White House. Vance, who will lead the US delegation in talks with Iran in the Pakistani capital on Saturday, struck an upbeat tone on the prospects. “We’re looking forward to negotiation. I think it’s going to be positive,” he told reporters before boarding on Friday morning (US Eastern Time). “As the President of the United States said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349583/time-running-out-vance-leads-us-delegation-islamabad-iran-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349583/time-running-out-vance-leads-us-delegation-islamabad-iran-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 02:00:57 +0000 Orange Wang,Yuanyue Dang Orange Wang,Yuanyue Dang The US-Israel war on Iran could push Nato closer to becoming a “nominal” alliance, although it was unlikely to disband any time soon, a Chinese observer said. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised the transatlantic defence alliance since returning to the White House last year, accusing allies of “free‑riding” on US security and demanding greater military and financial contributions. That rhetoric has only intensified in recent weeks, with accusations that Nato was failing to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349551/will-trumps-iran-war-loyalty-test-spell-end-nato?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349551/will-trumps-iran-war-loyalty-test-spell-end-nato?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 22:00:14 +0000 Orange Wang,Vanessa Cai Orange Wang,Vanessa Cai As the United States and Iran agree to a two-week ceasefire, Pakistan’s strongman military chief is emerging as a major diplomatic player on the international stage. When announcing the truce, both US President Donald Trump and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed appreciation for the diplomatic efforts of Asim Munir. Munir, who last year became Pakistan’s first ever chief of defence forces, is widely seen as the most powerful man in the country. According to one prominent Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349427/iran-deal-pakistans-strongman-munir-cements-his-role-global-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349427/iran-deal-pakistans-strongman-munir-cements-his-role-global-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:18:22 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Orange Wang Khushboo Razdan,Orange Wang Even as the White House lauded China’s role in securing a long-awaited ceasefire that lifted global markets, US President Donald Trump reignited trade tensions by threatening a new 50 per cent tariff on countries supplying weapons to Iran, while Tehran kept the Strait of Hormuz closed and warned it could abandon the deal if Israeli attacks on Lebanon continue. “There were conversations that took place between top levels of our government and China’s government,” Trump’s spokeswoman Karoline... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349416/trump-warns-50-cent-tariffs-arms-suppliers-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349416/trump-warns-50-cent-tariffs-arms-suppliers-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:11:08 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado,Lucy Quaggin,Orange Wang Teresa Elena Frontado,Lucy Quaggin,Orange Wang Iran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz under a ceasefire agreement with the United States brokered by Pakistan, as the two sides also agreed to start negotiations in Islamabad on Friday for a peace deal. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the US would pause its bombing campaign in Iran for two weeks, calling it a “double-sided ceasefire” requested by Pakistani mediators in a last-minute bid to create space for diplomacy. In a social media post, Trump said the suspension of military action was... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3349299/trump-agrees-suspend-bombing-iran-2-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3349299/trump-agrees-suspend-bombing-iran-2-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:28:16 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang The second crew member of a downed US F-15E fighter jet has been rescued, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday. Trump posted on social media: “WE GOT HIM! … I am thrilled to let you know [he] is now SAFE and SOUND.” Earlier, a US government official told Al Jazeera the airman had been located following a “heavy firefight”. Trump said the US military had carried out a search and rescue operation over several hours, sending dozens of aircraft armed with “the most lethal weapons in the world”... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349062/downed-us-airman-found-after-heavy-firefight-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349062/downed-us-airman-found-after-heavy-firefight-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 04:14:16 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang As the Strait of Hormuz crisis roils world energy markets, China and the US still have strong potential to work together to find solutions, according to a researcher with a Chinese think tank. Wang Lining – who heads the oil market department at the Economics and Technology Research Institute under state-run China National Petroleum Corporation – also said Washington’s change in direction on energy diplomacy was a “reminder” that Beijing could play a bigger role in global governance. Wang made... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348499/could-energy-crisis-prompt-us-and-china-sit-down-and-work-together?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348499/could-energy-crisis-prompt-us-and-china-sit-down-and-work-together?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:00:08 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Germany’s defence chief has called on the US to honour its security commitments to the Indo-Pacific and signalled that Berlin will keep raising its military presence in the region. During his visit to Australia this week, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius shared concerns about “dangerous activities” in the South China Sea and sounded an alarm over Beijing’s “close” monitoring of Washington and its allies’ management of the Iran and Ukraine conflicts. “To me, one thing is crystal clear.... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348118/german-defence-minister-urges-strong-us-presence-indo-pacific-amid-china-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348118/german-defence-minister-urges-strong-us-presence-indo-pacific-amid-china-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 09:00:11 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang The scramble in Asia to secure Russian energy supplies – coupled with the temporary lifting of US sanctions – in the wake of the war in Iran has created a growing sense that Moscow might prove the main winner from the conflict. Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a meeting of oil and gas suppliers that they should use the “additional revenues” generated by the spike in energy prices as a result of the war and the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Putin has also... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347967/russia-really-shaping-biggest-winner-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347967/russia-really-shaping-biggest-winner-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang US President Donald Trump is expected to aim for an “economic deal” with China when he is in Beijing, according to a former senior diplomat who served under the American leader during his first term. However if Beijing were to drag out trade negotiations with Washington for too long, it could risk Trump taking a much tougher turn against China, warned Stephen Biegun, who served as US deputy secretary of state from 2019 to 2021. “The president wants a deal, an economic deal, specifically,” he... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348020/trump-eyes-china-deal-dragging-out-talks-risks-backlash-warns-former-diplomat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348020/trump-eyes-china-deal-dragging-out-talks-risks-backlash-warns-former-diplomat?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:00:13 +0000 Cao Jiaxuan,Orange Wang Cao Jiaxuan,Orange Wang As Tehran signalled that Beijing could serve as a diplomatic broker in its intensifying war with the United States and Israel, analysts cautioned that the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement of 2023 could prove “hard to replicate”. They also highlighted the difficulty of Washington accepting third-party mediation, after US President Donald Trump confirmed that a planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing would be delayed by “five or six weeks” because of the armed conflict. Beijing has... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347202/can-china-broker-peace-iran-again-2023-was-different-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347202/can-china-broker-peace-iran-again-2023-was-different-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 04:00:09 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang China and Japan’s long-standing rivalry has deep historic roots, and relations between the two have taken a significant turn for the worse in recent months. This, the second in a three-part series, looks at whether Beijing overplayed its hand on the Taiwan issue in the face of what is a ‘strategic reality’ for Japan and how it may leverage its history of Japanese aggression. Find the first part here. More than four months into the bitter chill that has settled over China-Japan relations, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346997/why-beijing-has-struggled-rally-asia-against-japan-over-takaichis-taiwan-remarks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346997/why-beijing-has-struggled-rally-asia-against-japan-over-takaichis-taiwan-remarks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Iran’s air strikes on the Gulf states have turned the spotlight onto China’s dilemma in trying to develop long-term relations with those nations but also with their arch-rival Iran. Strikes on all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks on Iran have hit both American military assets stationed in those countries and civilian infrastructure, including oil refineries. As oil and gas producers, they are also bearing the brunt of the effective closure of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346919/can-china-still-maintain-good-relations-gulf-states-and-iran-fighting-escalates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346919/can-china-still-maintain-good-relations-gulf-states-and-iran-fighting-escalates?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 04:00:10 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang China’s national flag carrier is set to run direct passenger flights to North Korea for the first time in six years later this month, the latest sign of warming ties between the two neighbours. The official app of Air China, one of the country’s largest state-owned airlines, shows bookings have opened for direct flights between Beijing and Pyongyang starting on March 30. The service appears to be weekly for now, with bookings available only on Mondays. Based on current listings, initial economy... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346590/air-china-resume-north-korea-flights-after-6-years-amid-warming-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346590/air-china-resume-north-korea-flights-after-6-years-amid-warming-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 11:00:54 +0000 Orange Wang,Alyssa Chen Orange Wang,Alyssa Chen The US-Israeli war on Iran could prove difficult to end in the short term, with Israel expected to continue to “fan the flames”, Chinese experts have warned. However, they still believe that the intense back-and-forth attacks and high tensions in the Strait of Hormuz are unlikely to last. They also reject the notion that a prolonged Middle East conflict involving the United States would benefit Beijing. It has been 12 days since the US and Israel launched joint air strikes on Iran on February... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346263/why-war-iran-not-trumps-end-will-israel-fan-flames?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346263/why-war-iran-not-trumps-end-will-israel-fan-flames?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 04:00:12 +0000 Orange Wang,Shi Jiangtao Orange Wang,Shi Jiangtao Chinese analysts expect Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader, to continue and possibly harden his assassinated father’s policies towards the US and Israel. The appointment of the 56-year-old cleric could signal a sense of continuity inside Iran, as well as stabilise ties between Beijing and Tehran, the analysts added. Iran’s Assembly of Experts confirmed on Monday that the younger Khamenei would succeed the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the supreme leader – a post holding the final say... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346134/why-china-sees-stability-hardliner-mojtaba-khameneis-rise-lead-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346134/why-china-sees-stability-hardliner-mojtaba-khameneis-rise-lead-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:15:51 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Singapore and China share “common interests” in safeguarding international order amid profound changes in the global landscape and uncertainties from trade wars, according to the city state’s top envoy to Beijing. The world has faced increased challenges, with huge pressure on multilateralism, free trade, and openness since the beginning of last year, Peter Tan Hai Chuan, Singapore’s ambassador to China, warned at an event at Renmin University in Beijing on Tuesday. “But Singapore and China have... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345391/singapore-and-china-have-common-interests-safeguarding-global-order-says-ambassador?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345391/singapore-and-china-have-common-interests-safeguarding-global-order-says-ambassador?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 09:00:08 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang China has doubled down on its hard line against any nuclear escalation in Ukraine and called for restraint following Russia’s claims that Britain and France are planning to give Kyiv nuclear weapons. Asked on Wednesday about Moscow’s accusation towards the two European nations, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning urged all sides to avoid actions that could cause misunderstandings or escalate tensions. “We call on relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint and avoid any moves... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344689/china-affirms-no-nukes-position-amid-claims-european-plan-arm-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344689/china-affirms-no-nukes-position-amid-claims-european-plan-arm-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 06:00:10 +0000 Laura Zhou,Orange Wang Laura Zhou,Orange Wang Kyiv’s top envoy to Beijing has called on China to play its “important” and “critical” role to help end the war in Ukraine, which is now stretching into a fifth year. “We are working with all international partners to bring a sustainable and lasting peace, and we believe that our host country, China, is uniquely positioned to play an important and in many ways critical role in this process,” Olexander Nechytaylo, Ukrainian ambassador to China, told foreign diplomats in the Chinese capital on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344498/ukraine-urges-china-play-critical-role-peace-war-enters-fifth-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344498/ukraine-urges-china-play-critical-role-peace-war-enters-fifth-year?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 14:00:14 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Not far from the fringe of the disputed Kashmir region between India and Pakistan, in a remote valley to the north of the Karakoram mountain range, China’s road building programme has encountered another tough diplomatic posture from New Delhi. In January, India’s external affairs ministry said the stretch was “Indian territory” and that it had “consistently protested with the Chinese side against attempts to alter the ground reality”. Beijing responded that the area “belongs to China”, adding... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343391/why-harsh-words-between-china-and-india-over-remote-inhospitable-valley?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343391/why-harsh-words-between-china-and-india-over-remote-inhospitable-valley?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 04:00:09 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang China and the US are likely to secure several “very positive” outcomes but not a “grand bargain” at their presidential summit in April, according to the board chief of a major American business lobby. James Zimmerman, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, said on Friday that “the optics [of] announcing deals” such as aircraft and soybean sales might be US President Donald Trump’s main objective for his meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing this spring. Speaking... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343533/china-mulls-us-manufacturing-fund-ahead-xi-trump-summit-business-leader-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343533/china-mulls-us-manufacturing-fund-ahead-xi-trump-summit-business-leader-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:11:09 +0000 Orange Wang,Fan Chen Orange Wang,Fan Chen Taiwan is likely to be “the most critical and contentious” issue when US President Donald Trump meets his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in less than two months, according to analysts, who called on Beijing and Washington to “turn the page” on trade. They also warned there was little chance the powers would make headway on nuclear arms control – an increasingly important fault line in bilateral ties – during Trump’s visit. While his precise arrival dates were still under discussion, Trump was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343363/taiwan-tensions-poised-be-primary-flashpoint-donald-trumps-beijing-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343363/taiwan-tensions-poised-be-primary-flashpoint-donald-trumps-beijing-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 14:00:13 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang The United States has appeared “more threatening” over the past year, while perceptions of China have improved markedly in parts of the Western world, according to a global risk survey released on Monday. The same report, released in the lead-up to the Munich Security Conference (MSC) this week, also accused Beijing of “increasingly threatening regional stability” in the Indo-Pacific, while warning that President Donald Trump’s “vacillating” China policy was causing a “crisis of confidence”... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343087/trumps-vacillating-china-policy-leads-allies-crisis-confidence-security-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343087/trumps-vacillating-china-policy-leads-allies-crisis-confidence-security-report?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 14:00:15 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang China should consider delaying US President Donald Trump’s visit to the country and inflict “harsh” punishments on Panama after it stripped a Hong Kong-based conglomerate of its control of the canal, a legal analyst has said. Tian Feilong, vice dean of the law school at Minzu University, also said Beijing should impose “institutional” punishments on US “proxies” in the Latin American country and impose secondary sanctions on relevant American parties. By “squeezing” China out of Latin America,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342940/china-urged-harshly-punish-panama-over-courts-canal-ruling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342940/china-urged-harshly-punish-panama-over-courts-canal-ruling?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:00:11 +0000 Orange Wang,Cao Jiaxuan Orange Wang,Cao Jiaxuan Chinese President Xi Jinping’s unprecedented back-to-back conversations with his US and Russian counterparts have shed new light on how the three powers are positioning themselves. The Chinese leader’s separate talks on Wednesday with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin also reveal their attempts to stabilise ties as they prepare for in-person summits and grapple with mounting headwinds at home. However, analysts expressed mixed views on whether – and how – China could... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342561/what-xis-calls-trump-and-putin-reveal-about-chinas-balancing-act?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342561/what-xis-calls-trump-and-putin-reveal-about-chinas-balancing-act?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 15:07:48 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Israel’s ambassador to China has hailed the historical connections between the two countries and called for closer socioeconomic ties in a rare column for Chinese state media. Eli Belotserkovsky’s signed Chinese-language article for state news agency Xinhua comes amid global conversation over the Board of Peace, US President Donald Trump’s newly created body to tackle the Palestinian issue. The Jewish and Chinese civilisations had amassed rich historical wisdom and knowledge over millennia,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342002/israels-china-envoy-calls-deepen-historical-ties-rare-state-media-outreach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342002/israels-china-envoy-calls-deepen-historical-ties-rare-state-media-outreach?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 11:29:56 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang China should build on its “most important” strategic assets of domestic stability and progress to navigate US President Donald Trump’s shattering of global norms, a Washington watcher at a Chinese think tank says. Ni Feng, a researcher and former director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of American Studies, said the Trump administration’s “disruptive” overhaul of US diplomacy was sending the international system into a “more volatile and uncertain” phase. This could leave... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341292/us-looking-inward-under-trump-made-development-space-china-sino-us-expert-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341292/us-looking-inward-under-trump-made-development-space-china-sino-us-expert-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 01:00:11 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang China should seize a potential strategic window opened by Elon Musk’s plans for a reusable launch vessel to stay competitive with the US as it faces the risk of a new power game in space, a Chinese research institute has urged. In 2022, the US Air Force Research Laboratory awarded Musk’s firm SpaceX a five-year contract to explore how Starship – which it is developing with the aim of creating the world’s largest and most powerful launch vehicle – could be used for “global rapid mobility”, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341042/can-elon-musks-starship-upend-strategic-order-chinese-think-tank-warns-it-might?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341042/can-elon-musks-starship-upend-strategic-order-chinese-think-tank-warns-it-might?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 12:01:06 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang The United States is likely to lose its clear edge over China in strategic relations with major nations by 2035, a prominent Chinese political scientist has predicted. Yan Xuetong, honorary dean of Tsinghua University’s Institute of International Relations, said strategic competition between Beijing and Washington was likely to remain intense in the coming decade and could escalate into a crisis during US President Donald Trump’s second term, but the risk of direct war could decline under... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340468/how-narrowing-china-us-gap-could-reshape-global-power-play-2035?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340468/how-narrowing-china-us-gap-could-reshape-global-power-play-2035?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 14:30:44 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang China needs to legislate to protect itself against the risk of “external suppression” and safeguard its technology and supply chains, a legal expert with a top Beijing think tank has warned. Li Honglei, head of a Communist Party committee that oversees two law institutes under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said tighter national security legislation was needed to make the country more “resilient”. He said the risks had been laid bare by America’s abduction of the former Venezuelan... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339957/us-has-sent-dangerous-message-venezuela-and-china-must-act-legal-expert-warns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339957/us-has-sent-dangerous-message-venezuela-and-china-must-act-legal-expert-warns?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 14:00:09 +0000 Orange Wang,Meredith Chen Orange Wang,Meredith Chen When US President Donald Trump gave his blessing to sales of Nvidia’s powerful H200 artificial intelligence chips to China, he sparked a national security backlash in both countries. Rather than seeing it as an olive branch, many Chinese commenters interpreted the move as a sophisticated Trojan horse-style trap that aimed to make Beijing dependent on American technologies in advanced semiconductors and other chokepoint sectors. Trump’s green light for the H200 – a template that he said would be... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339866/does-trumps-nvidia-chip-flip-reveal-anxieties-both-sides-china-us-tech-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339866/does-trumps-nvidia-chip-flip-reveal-anxieties-both-sides-china-us-tech-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 22:00:14 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Europe made a “misjudgment” in categorising Russia as its top security threat and instead the continent’s real danger lay in Europeans’ inner “demon”, according to China’s longest-serving ambassador to the US. Cui Tiankai, a former Chinese foreign vice-minister, also claimed Nato had outlived its relevance and argued that the transatlantic security alliance no longer served the long-term interests of its members. Cui’s comments came during a discussion examining US relations with its allies... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339626/europes-real-threat-its-own-inner-demon-not-russia-former-chinese-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339626/europes-real-threat-its-own-inner-demon-not-russia-former-chinese-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 13:00:12 +0000 Orange Wang,Jane Cai,Meredith Chen Orange Wang,Jane Cai,Meredith Chen Zheng Yongnian is a leading Chinese political scientist and government adviser, with a focus on the country’s transformation and foreign relations. In his third interview for the Open Questions series, Zheng discusses the “Donroe Doctrine” and its implications for the existing world order – and an emerging one. For other interviews in the series, click here. On Venezuela, you have noted that the US pivot to Latin America could reshape the regional order and that Donald Trump’s warnings to other... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339480/zheng-yongnian-trump-venezuela-and-why-china-doesnt-want-separate-kitchen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339480/zheng-yongnian-trump-venezuela-and-why-china-doesnt-want-separate-kitchen?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 22:00:31 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang The Chinese public’s favourability towards the United States saw a “notable” rebound in 2025 to reach a three-year high, according to a new study by Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy (CISS). The annual Chinese Outlook on International Security survey, released on Wednesday, also found that the share of respondents holding a positive view of Sino-US relations increased by a “substantial” margin over the last year. Despite this warming sentiment, domestic support... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338550/chinese-public-warms-us-while-strongly-backing-beijings-trade-stance-survey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338550/chinese-public-warms-us-while-strongly-backing-beijings-trade-stance-survey?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 14:00:10 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang With less than a week to go until a presidential summit, China’s top diplomat has used talks with his South Korean counterpart to reassert Beijing’s stand on Taiwan and take aim at Tokyo. In a phone call with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Wednesday, China’s Wang Yi raised the spectre of Japan’s colonial past to get support for his country’s position on Taiwan. Wang accused “certain political forces in Japan” of trying to “reverse the course of history and whitewash [the country’s]... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338403/chinas-wang-yi-takes-aim-japan-call-south-korean-foreign-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338403/chinas-wang-yi-takes-aim-japan-call-south-korean-foreign-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 09:06:08 +0000 Orange Wang,Yuanyue Dang,Sylvie Zhuang Orange Wang,Yuanyue Dang,Sylvie Zhuang The People’s Liberation Army mobilised stealth fighters, destroyers and missile launchers on the first day of live-fire drills around Taiwan, soon after Washington approved the largest-ever arms sale to Taiwan. Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesman for the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, said on Monday that the exercise was a warning to “independence forces” and against external interference. He said the drills – dubbed Justice Mission 2025 – were taking place in waters and airspace in the Taiwan... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3337963/pla-holds-drill-near-taiwan-warning-independence-forces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3337963/pla-holds-drill-near-taiwan-warning-independence-forces?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 00:14:22 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang China will expand government spending to spur consumer demand and shore up investment in public services to strengthen the economy next year, the country’s financial authorities said on Sunday. The Ministry of Finance outlined the 2026 priorities as it wrapped up the annual two-day national fiscal work conference on the weekend. At the top of the list of tasks, the ministry said, was building a robust domestic market through “vigorously boosting consumption” and “actively expanding effective... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3337950/consumer-demand-and-public-services-top-chinas-financial-priorities-2026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3337950/consumer-demand-and-public-services-top-chinas-financial-priorities-2026?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 13:07:43 +0000 Orange Wang,Dannie Peng Orange Wang,Dannie Peng China was ready to help Asean observers monitor the ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday, a day after Bangkok and Phnom Penh called a halt to weeks of deadly border clashes. “China supports Asean in playing its due role and is ready to assist the Asean observer mission in monitoring the ceasefire,” Wang told his Cambodian counterpart Prak Sokhonn during talks in Yuxi, Yunnan province. An observer team from the Association of Southeast Asian... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337929/china-hosts-trilateral-talks-bid-cement-thailand-cambodia-truce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337929/china-hosts-trilateral-talks-bid-cement-thailand-cambodia-truce?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 06:45:42 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang China should establish an “original” knowledge system regarding the history of its border regions to mitigate security risks from “hostile forces in the West”, according to a senior scholar at a prominent state-run think tank. Fan Enshi of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) also warned about the threat of “de-Sinicisation” in US-led historical perspectives, calling for a shift from “fragmented research” towards systematic domestic theories that could better project Chinese influence... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337537/china-needs-original-knowledge-system-border-history-counter-west-scholar-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337537/china-needs-original-knowledge-system-border-history-counter-west-scholar-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Dec 2025 01:00:12 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang The rebuilding of a World War II-era airfield in Micronesia with the help of Chinese companies has raised alarm in the United States, with US defence analysts warning about Beijing’s growing footprint in the strategic western Pacific. Cleo Paskal, a non-resident senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defence of Democracies, posted a video on social media last week showing an airport runway being rebuilt on Woleai, a remote 4.5 sq km atoll in Micronesia’s Yap state. “Chinese company... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337115/chinas-rebuilding-micronesian-airport-runway-raises-alarm-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337115/chinas-rebuilding-micronesian-airport-runway-raises-alarm-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 15:00:10 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang China’s top science academy is among three parties suing Missouri for roughly US$50 billion for alleged damage to reputation and economic losses from the US state’s legal action over the Covid-19 pandemic. Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said on Tuesday that her office was notified last week of the civil lawsuit filed in the Wuhan Intermediate People’s Court. According to court documents, the case was brought by the municipal government of Wuhan, where Covid-19 was first detected,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336780/chinese-city-sues-missouri-us50-billion-tit-tat-covid-19-litigation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336780/chinese-city-sues-missouri-us50-billion-tit-tat-covid-19-litigation?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 13:00:18 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang The Japanese government has spelled out its position on Taiwan – although only in part – based on the 1972 document that normalised diplomatic ties to ease tensions, while insisting that the Taiwan issue should be resolved “peacefully through dialogue”. In a parliamentary session, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi repeated Tokyo’s position on Taiwan stated in the document that established and normalised diplomatic ties with Beijing and severed ties with Taipei – language Beijing has repeatedly... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336449/tokyos-foreign-minister-spells-out-position-taiwan-bid-ease-tension-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336449/tokyos-foreign-minister-spells-out-position-taiwan-bid-ease-tension-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 06:30:31 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Beijing has imposed sanctions on Shigeru Iwasaki, former chief of the Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defence Forces, saying he had “colluded with separatist forces” in Taiwan, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday. It comes after Beijing lodged a protest with Tokyo in March over the appointment of Iwasaki, a retired four-star air force general, as an honorary adviser to the Executive Yuan, the Taiwanese government’s highest administrative body. As Japan’s chief of the Joint Staff from 2012... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336421/china-sanctions-japanese-ex-official-colluding-separatist-forces-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336421/china-sanctions-japanese-ex-official-colluding-separatist-forces-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 02:19:36 +0000 Orange Wang,Zhao Ziwen Orange Wang,Zhao Ziwen The Trump administration is possibly facing a “dilemma” as tensions between China and Japan intensify, one Chinese analyst has suggested, while another noted that any breakthrough in the diplomatic dispute still hinged on direct engagement between the two Asian neighbours. This week, the downward spiral in ties between China and Japan showed no signs of easing. Beijing issued another travel warning targeting Japan on Thursday – less than four weeks after its previous advisory – this time citing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336106/china-japan-row-has-left-us-leader-donald-trump-facing-dilemma-analyst?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336106/china-japan-row-has-left-us-leader-donald-trump-facing-dilemma-analyst?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 15:00:09 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang China and the US are “peer powers” in Asia, as Beijing closes the gap in the region with Washington and records the highest diplomatic influence score among countries measured, an Australian think tank’s latest annual gauge indicates. According to the 2025 edition of the Sydney-based Lowy Institute’s Asia Power Index, the United States remains the most powerful nation in the region. However, its comprehensive power score fell to 80.5 out of 100 – the lowest since the rankings began in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335937/peer-powers-china-closes-capacity-and-influence-gap-us-asia-annual-index-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335937/peer-powers-china-closes-capacity-and-influence-gap-us-asia-annual-index-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 12:41:48 +0000 Vanessa Cai,Orange Wang Vanessa Cai,Orange Wang A month after her comments on Taiwan set off a diplomatic firestorm with Beijing, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Tokyo would “closely monitor” the situation and respond appropriately. Takaichi delivered these remarks during a Tuesday morning Diet session, while addressing a draft supplementary budget to fund her administration’s comprehensive economic package. On concerns about the economic impact from Beijing’s countermeasures – which have included a travel alert, a seafood import... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335713/tokyo-closely-monitoring-backlash-china-japanese-pm-tells-lawmakers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335713/tokyo-closely-monitoring-backlash-china-japanese-pm-tells-lawmakers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 06:14:24 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Beijing has lodged “counter-protests” against Japanese complaints over a weekend mid-air stand-off northeast of Taiwan near the Miyako Strait, accusing Tokyo of “purely ill-intentioned” rhetoric and “ulterior motives”. “Japan is deliberately spreading and hyping up false information regarding military and security matters, thereby stoking tensions,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday. “Such actions are entirely driven by ulterior motives,” he added. On Sunday, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335547/mid-air-military-stand-triggers-duelling-protests-china-japan-row-latest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335547/mid-air-military-stand-triggers-duelling-protests-china-japan-row-latest?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 02:01:16 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Beijing has dismissed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s latest remarks on Taiwan as “prevarication”, warning that it “absolutely does not accept” her continued refusal to retract comments made in early November. On Wednesday, Takaichi appeared to attempt to dial down weeks of tensions when she told a parliamentary questioning session that Tokyo’s “fundamental position regarding Taiwan remains unchanged from that stated in the 1972 Japan-China Joint Communique, and there has been no change... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335213/beijing-absolutely-does-not-accept-japanese-leaders-seeming-taiwan-climbdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335213/beijing-absolutely-does-not-accept-japanese-leaders-seeming-taiwan-climbdown?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 10:07:52 +0000