https://www.scmp.com/rss/326874/feed Keegan Elmer is a reporter at the Post covering China in world affairs, including US-China relations and China's relationship with its neighbours. He has degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and the University of Helsinki. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron’s role in sealing a landmark investment deal between the European Union and China has raised questions in some other member states about whether their interests are being addressed. An initial draft of the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) was approved by the two sides on December 30, narrowly hitting the target set by the two sides of finishing seven years of negotiation before the end of 2020. The final talks held... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3118009/china-eu-investment-deal-smaller-countries-question-whether?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3118009/china-eu-investment-deal-smaller-countries-question-whether?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Jan 2021 14:00:15 +0000 China has tentatively planned to hold a long-delayed summit between President Xi Jinping and leaders of central and eastern European nations from the “17+1” bloc in early February, sources have said. Set to take place via video link, the summit would break a year-long deadlock over holding a meeting and show new signs of momentum in China-Europe relations after a rocky 2020. Plans involving the cooperation platform between China and 17 central and eastern European countries are being returned to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3117799/china-and-european-171-nations-revive-summit-plans-aiming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3117799/china-and-european-171-nations-revive-summit-plans-aiming?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Jan 2021 17:00:15 +0000 India has returned a Chinese soldier who crossed the disputed border between the two sides last week. The smooth handover is seen as a rare positive sign in a volatile area, where thousands of troops, tanks and artillery remain after almost a year of heightened, sometimes deadly, tensions between the two sides. The Indian army returned the PLA soldier to the Chinese side at 10.10am on Monday at Chushul-Moldo – a crossing point where senior officers from both sides have met for talks, according... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3117297/india-returns-chinese-soldier-who-strayed-across-disputed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3117297/india-returns-chinese-soldier-who-strayed-across-disputed?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Jan 2021 13:34:49 +0000 China’s embassy in Washington has warned its citizens in the vicinity of the Capitol Hill area to take greater safety precautions, following the storming of government buildings by supporters of outgoing US president Donald Trump. The embassy issued a short statement on Thursday morning, after mounting chaos in the US capital which followed Trump’s call to thousands of supporters at a rally near the Capitol that they should “never concede”. Chinese citizens in the US should beware of both the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3116749/china-warns-its-citizens-washington-take-safety-precautions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3116749/china-warns-its-citizens-washington-take-safety-precautions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Jan 2021 06:00:11 +0000 A Chinese man has been jailed for more than six years over a medical equipment scam in the early days of the Covid-19 outbreak. The man from Jingzhou in Hubei province – just 200km (124 miles) from Wuhan, the initial epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak – had taken orders for thousands of masks worth 400,000 yuan (US$61,000) in one week but only delivered a fraction of the total. Chutian Metropolis Daily reported on Sunday that a county court found he had taken the orders from six people via... https://www.scmp.com/coronavirus/health-medicine/article/3116260/chinese-man-jailed-more-six-years-over-medical?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/coronavirus/health-medicine/article/3116260/chinese-man-jailed-more-six-years-over-medical?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Jan 2021 13:30:12 +0000 China is doing all it can to prevent the sale and distribution of illegal Covid-19 vaccines, its embassy in Japan said on Friday, following a newspaper report that 18 Japanese had been injected with a Chinese product that had been smuggled into the country. “The Chinese government attaches great importance to the safety of vaccine production and distribution … [and] strictly implements the management of the entire vaccine process,” it said in a statement. “[China] is willing to work with other... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3116233/coronavirus-vaccine-beijing-responds-claims-japanese-were?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3116233/coronavirus-vaccine-beijing-responds-claims-japanese-were?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Jan 2021 07:00:49 +0000 China and Pakistan will deepen cooperation on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), in particular Gwadar port and a railway upgrade project, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Pakistani counterpart, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, on Thursday. Wang said it carried significance to call his “iron brother” friend – a term used to describe the strong relationship between the two countries – on New Year’s Eve to reaffirm their friendship and Beijing’s commitment to the CPEC. The call... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3116180/china-pakistan-relations-security-fence-gwadar-port-creates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3116180/china-pakistan-relations-security-fence-gwadar-port-creates?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Jan 2021 14:00:05 +0000 China will pursue the ratification of key global human rights conventions starting next year as a compromise on a forced labour controversy that once stalled investment deal talks with the European Union, according to EU documents of their ongoing negotiations. But analysts remain concerned that Beijing is unable to live up to international standards on forced labour, collective bargaining and the right to freely form trade unions, issues that Brussels has demanded be included as part of their... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3115869/china-eu-investment-deal-beijing-appears-comply-human-rights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3115869/china-eu-investment-deal-beijing-appears-comply-human-rights?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Dec 2020 11:00:37 +0000 This is the latest story in our series on the Covid-19 pandemic, a year after the first cases were reported in the mainland city of Wuhan. It explores the worrying gaps in China’s animal health services exposed by the new coronavirus, and what can be done to prevent future zoonotic diseases. Please support us on our mission to bring you quality journalism. When African swine fever spread like wildfire through China’s pig herd in 2018, it killed millions of animals in a few short months. It... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3115741/coronavirus-china-will-need-army-vets-defend-against-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3115741/coronavirus-china-will-need-army-vets-defend-against-future?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Dec 2020 22:00:07 +0000 Investment deal talks were going smoothly between China and the European Union, Beijing said on Thursday, dismissing a report they had been complicated by its demand for access to the EU‘s nuclear power market. Time is running out for the bilateral investment deal, which is in its seventh year of talks, with both sides facing a deal-or-no-deal deadline of the end of the year, amid rising pressure from European politicians over human rights issues. Soon after Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3115296/china-insists-investment-deal-talks-eu-going-smoothly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3115296/china-insists-investment-deal-talks-eu-going-smoothly?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Dec 2020 13:00:21 +0000 Time has nearly run out for a landmark investment deal between China and the European Union, potentially tanking promises made by leaders on both sides to finish before the end of the year. The Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) was meant to join the ranks of other major economic deals signed in 2020, such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a China-backed trade deal which includes 15 countries in the Pacific, and the China-US phase one trade agreement. But doubt has... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3115199/what-china-eu-cai-and-how-investment-deal-different-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3115199/what-china-eu-cai-and-how-investment-deal-different-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Dec 2020 04:00:17 +0000 Sweden will push ahead with building its 5G network without Huawei, despite protests from the company and the Chinese government, as the icy relations between Beijing and Stockholm showed little sign of thawing. The decision is in line with the latest public opinion polls in Sweden, which holds some of the most negative views of China in Europe. The Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) said on Friday it would resume its next-generation telecoms auctions next month, after an appeals court... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3115012/huawei-and-china-frozen-out-sweden-after-appeals-court-upholds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3115012/huawei-and-china-frozen-out-sweden-after-appeals-court-upholds?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Dec 2020 14:07:13 +0000 More than six years ago, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda hatched a grand plan to build an ambitious standard gauge railway line linking their countries from the Kenyan coast and eventually stretching to the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo. The rail link was expected to be completed by 2018 but so far only its first phase – from the port city of Mombasa to Kenya’s capital Nairobi and then on to Naivasha, a town in the Central Rift Valley – has been done, with US$4.7 billion... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3114551/african-railways-feel-pinch-chinas-belt-and-road-funding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3114551/african-railways-feel-pinch-chinas-belt-and-road-funding?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Dec 2020 12:00:19 +0000 Australian agriculture companies in China are bracing for job losses and “roadblocks” from the Chinese government, as business ties between the two nations sour, according to a new report. The results of a survey by the Australian Chamber of Commerce have been published as Australia further curbed foreign investment and responded to escalating tariffs and as Australia and China edged closer to an open trade war. “Our members are fearful of significant job losses to come, particularly from those... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3114361/australian-agriculture-firms-brace-chinese-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3114361/australian-agriculture-firms-brace-chinese-government?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Dec 2020 10:15:32 +0000 Australia accused a Chinese tabloid of “inaccurate and inflammatory” coverage on Thursday after the newspaper’s editor and the Australian ambassador met in Beijing. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that ambassador Graham Fletcher and Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin met on Wednesday. But the department did not specify which comments it objected to, saying only that “Australia rejects the inaccurate and inflammatory coverage of Australia by the Global... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3113353/australia-pays-lip-service-neutrality-says-china-tabloid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3113353/australia-pays-lip-service-neutrality-says-china-tabloid?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Dec 2020 06:57:07 +0000 China has urged Australia not to discriminate against its Belt and Road Initiative, as a new set of laws puts Beijing’s agreements with local governments in Canberra’s cross hairs. Frigid ties between the two countries slipped lower this week with the passage of laws on Tuesday that could allow Australia’s foreign ministry to scrap agreements made between local authorities and foreign states. A 2018 memorandum of understanding between the Victoria state government and Beijing is likely to be the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3113256/chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-faces-fresh-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3113256/chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-faces-fresh-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Dec 2020 21:00:08 +0000 China has pressed ahead with coronavirus testing on frozen meat imports, ignoring World Health Organization recommendations and causing headaches for global exporters. From Ecuadorean shrimp to Russian squid, there has been no slowing in the number of positive coronavirus samples detected on frozen meat products across China, despite stricter import requirements for international firms. China detected more than 40 batches of samples infected with the new coronavirus from more than a dozen... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3112561/chinas-coronavirus-testing-rules-frozen-meats-give-importers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3112561/chinas-coronavirus-testing-rules-frozen-meats-give-importers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Dec 2020 10:00:15 +0000 Joe Biden’s choice of Linda Thomas-Greenfield as ambassador to the United Nations is the latest signal that he will seek to re-engage with international bodies but while this may herald a change of tone towards China, many observers believe the administration will seek to keep up the pressure over issues such as human rights, Xinjiang and Hong Kong. Thomas-Greenfield, a veteran diplomat, could use the UN as a forum to hold Beijing to account, but the Biden White House is also expected to keep... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3111531/joe-bidens-un-pick-signals-diplomacy-back-does-mean-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3111531/joe-bidens-un-pick-signals-diplomacy-back-does-mean-new?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Nov 2020 14:00:24 +0000 China’s top diplomat to Germany has dismissed concerns that Beijing will rely less on the European Union as a result of focusing more on its internal market after signs of rapprochement between the EU and US since the American election An assurance on Tuesday from Beijing’s ambassador Wu Ken that the bloc will still be a key partner of China – along with a telephone call between the nations’ leaders Angela Merkel and Xi Jinping – came as China and Germany face difficult bilateral challenges,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3111274/eu-will-not-be-snubbed-beijing-chinese-ambassador-assures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3111274/eu-will-not-be-snubbed-beijing-chinese-ambassador-assures?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Nov 2020 05:21:36 +0000 John Kerry’s appointment as US climate envoy and Washington’s expected pivot on climate change policy could help find common ground with Beijing under president-elect Joe Biden, Chinese foreign policy observers said. The return of former secretary of state Kerry to a cabinet-level role was an early sign of the Biden administration setting a more predictable course for its dealings with China, some argued. However, one said renewed engagement by a more multilateral Washington could bring it into... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3111207/biden-cabinet-john-kerry-climate-tsar-may-cool-us-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3111207/biden-cabinet-john-kerry-climate-tsar-may-cool-us-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Nov 2020 14:00:26 +0000 The Chinese authorities have locked down a city in Inner Mongolia and ordered coronavirus tests for 3 million people in the northern megacity of Tianjin after new Covid-19 cases were detected. The Tianjin authorities ordered the mass testing in the Binhai New Area after five new cases were detected on Friday, according to state news agency Xinhua. The city’s health commission said on Saturday morning that one of the cases was a 52-year-old contact of another person who handled imported frozen... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3110817/coronavirus-chinese-city-orders-tests-3-million-people-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3110817/coronavirus-chinese-city-orders-tests-3-million-people-after?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Nov 2020 08:04:25 +0000 China and the United States should hit the reset button on their Covid-19 cooperation and join forces to prevent the global health crisis getting any worse, according to the collected thoughts of a group of American academics, diplomats and economists. The report, titled The Future of US Policy Toward China: Recommendations for the Biden Administration, was jointly published on Tuesday by Yale University and the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. Italian paper on origins of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3110744/us-china-relations-come-together-beat-covid-19-american?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3110744/us-china-relations-come-together-beat-covid-19-american?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Nov 2020 13:00:18 +0000 China’s reputation in Europe has been tarnished by its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and its aggressive “Wolf Warrior” style of diplomacy, a survey of nearly 20,000 people from 13 countries has found. But, as negative views of Beijing have grown across the continent, Europeans continued to regard trade and cooperation with China on climate change in a positive light, according to the report published this week by a group of 20 researchers. The survey, led by the Sinophone Borderlands project... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3110516/china-loses-its-lustre-among-europeans-doors-remain-open?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3110516/china-loses-its-lustre-among-europeans-doors-remain-open?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Nov 2020 08:06:53 +0000 China’s embassy in Brazil has hit back at comments made by a senior US official, after Brasilia this week became the latest signatory to an American deal to block Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co. from foreign nations’ 5G networks. “What the US calls ‘clean networks’ is discrimination, exclusionary and political,” the mission said in a statement released on Thursday. It came after Brazil on Wednesday signed up to the US-led “Clean Network” proposal, which has already attracted support... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3109581/china-us-ties-chinese-embassy-brazil-hits-back-brasilia-joins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3109581/china-us-ties-chinese-embassy-brazil-hits-back-brasilia-joins?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Nov 2020 10:04:44 +0000 China and US armed forces kicked off three days of discussion on control of the coronavirus pandemic, humanitarian aid and disaster prevention on Wednesday, in a rare glimpse of cooperation amid rising tensions between the world’s two biggest military powers. According to a short statement from the Chinese defence ministry, discussions will include Covid-19 prevention and control, a cooperative response to floods and typhoons, and civil-military cooperation. Meetings will be held via video... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3109516/us-china-military-talks-aim-ease-tensions-covid-19-prevention?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3109516/us-china-military-talks-aim-ease-tensions-covid-19-prevention?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Nov 2020 06:00:14 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping has told Asian partners and Russia to oppose interference by “external forces”, taking a veiled swipe at the United States during an address to a regional security summit. Xi did not make direct mention of Washington in the speech, his first international comments since the US election a week ago, and delivered as officials in the Donald Trump administration step up pressure on Beijing. “The world is entering a period of turbulence and transformation. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3109432/us-china-tensions-xi-jinping-tells-russia-asian-partners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3109432/us-china-tensions-xi-jinping-tells-russia-asian-partners?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Nov 2020 15:00:08 +0000 President Xi Jinping is likely to hold off on congratulating US president-elect Joe Biden, according to Chinese analysts, as messages pour in from world leaders acknowledging his election win. Four years ago, Xi joined other leaders in calling Donald Trump just hours after he was declared the winner of the presidential election on November 9, a day after the vote. Xi’s hesitation this time around partly reflects the deep rift between Beijing and Washington, which looks likely to continue... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3109107/us-china-tensions-xi-jinping-waits-congratulate-joe-biden?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3109107/us-china-tensions-xi-jinping-waits-congratulate-joe-biden?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Nov 2020 14:00:14 +0000 For much of this year, tensions between China and India have centred on a disputed section of their Himalayan border known as Ladakh. In June, those tensions erupted into bloody conflict, which left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead, with an undisclosed number of Chinese casualties. But another potential area of border conflict is brewing further east where Tibet in China meets Arunachal Pradesh in India. The area is traversed by the 2,900km-long (1,800-mile) Yarlung Tsangpo river, known in India... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3108904/could-chinas-new-dam-plans-unleash-more-trouble-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3108904/could-chinas-new-dam-plans-unleash-more-trouble-india?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Nov 2020 23:10:11 +0000 Many Beijingers have followed the Trump-Biden presidential showdown with interest, while others just do not have time or the inclination to keep up with the election. “I don’t have much interest in world affairs, but my husband is constantly talking about the election at home,” a shopkeeper at a convenience store in Chaoyang district in eastern Beijing said on Friday. “If he were here, he would talk to you about it for hours, but I’m sick of hearing about it.” And in spite of Beijing’s tight... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3108849/us-presidential-election-view-street-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3108849/us-presidential-election-view-street-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Nov 2020 23:00:19 +0000 China has suspended entry for foreign visitors from a further eight countries as it seeks to prevent importing the coronavirus. Notices telling people about the restrictions were posted on the websites of China’s embassies in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, France, India, Italy, Nigeria, Russia and Ukraine on Thursday. They came after would-be travellers from Britain, Belgium and the Philippines were given a similar message. The statements said the suspensions were a “temporary response necessitated by... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3108778/coronavirus-china-extends-ban-foreign-visitors-eight-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3108778/coronavirus-china-extends-ban-foreign-visitors-eight-more?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Nov 2020 09:00:08 +0000 China has temporarily suspended entry for British, Belgian and Philippine nationals in an effort to prevent importing fresh coronavirus infections. The announcement was made in near-identical statements published on Wednesday and Thursday on the websites of China’s embassies in the three countries. Entry to China had been suspended for all British, Belgian and Philippine nationals regardless of whether their visas or residence permits were still valid, the notices said, adding that Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3108584/coronavirus-china-closes-door-british-belgian-and-philippine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3108584/coronavirus-china-closes-door-british-belgian-and-philippine?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Nov 2020 07:44:12 +0000 Chinese businesswoman Claire Li had to queue for a seat at a packed US election watch party at a Beijing pub on Wednesday morning. Like many Chinese, she was keen to follow the closely fought contest between Democratic candidate Joe Biden and incumbent leader Donald Trump. “I hope Trump will win,” said Li, who works for an iron ore trading company in the Chinese capital. “I’m just very interested in politics, and to me this is an exciting event,” she said, before finally being allowed inside The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3108471/us-election-chinese-expats-follow-action-cnn-beijing-bar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3108471/us-election-chinese-expats-follow-action-cnn-beijing-bar?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Nov 2020 12:00:21 +0000 While China’s top leaders praised the country’s economic achievements at a key Communist Party meeting on Thursday, a group of elderly protesters gathered at a government building in the capital, chanting slogans and demanding a replacement for their homes demolished by the city more than a decade ago. Police stood by and watched as the protesters gathered at the gate of the Chaoyang District Housing Construction Committee, as they had done for the past three days, and yelled to its director,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3107908/housing-protests-beijing-top-leaders-meet-crucial-policy-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3107908/housing-protests-beijing-top-leaders-meet-crucial-policy-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Nov 2020 03:30:17 +0000 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s five-nation Asian tour rebranded Washington’s relationship with the region around the problem of China, signalling that Beijing has reshaped American diplomatic priorities, analysts say. Pompeo’s week-long trip to India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Indonesia and Vietnam sought to rally together nations troubled by China, with US military deals, and trade and investment promises. Ahead of his trip last week – and before Vietnam had been added to the itinerary –... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3107817/china-us-relations-pompeos-five-nation-tour-reveals-how-much?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3107817/china-us-relations-pompeos-five-nation-tour-reveals-how-much?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Oct 2020 00:30:05 +0000 China’s envoy in Colombo has accused the US of “importing risk” to a nation battling the coronavirus ahead of a visit by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “In recent days, Sri Lanka is facing the most severe challenge since the outbreak, and the local health system can no longer bear any imported risks,” the embassy said in a fiery statement published on Monday. “[The US is] sending a huge delegation and advance team to Sri Lanka, and making requests for visits and even the construction of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3107264/coronavirus-chinese-embassy-accuses-us-importing-risk-sri?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3107264/coronavirus-chinese-embassy-accuses-us-importing-risk-sri?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Oct 2020 09:34:44 +0000 The remote city of Kashgar in China’s far west detected more than 100 asymptomatic Covid-19 cases on Sunday, the regional health authority said. Gu Yingsu, the Xinjiang health committee deputy head, told a press conference that all 137 new cases were related to one identified in a 17-year-old villager in Shufu county the previous day. Gu said the cases were all related to a factory in a neighboring village where the girl’s parents worked. The outbreak is the biggest reported in China since a... https://www.scmp.com/health/china-races-contain-coronavirus-outbreak-xinjiang/article/3107083?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/health/china-races-contain-coronavirus-outbreak-xinjiang/article/3107083?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Oct 2020 11:36:19 +0000 The United States and India are preparing to sign an agreement to share satellite intelligence, media reports say, as the two sides seek to enhance security cooperation. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper arrived in New Delhi on Monday ahead of a regular bilateral security meeting on Tuesday, as tens of thousands of troops remain stationed on the China-India border. Pompeo and Esper will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as Indian External Affairs... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3107124/us-and-india-set-sign-intelligence-deal-amid-ongoing-border?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3107124/us-and-india-set-sign-intelligence-deal-amid-ongoing-border?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Oct 2020 10:36:37 +0000 The remote city of Kashgar in China’s far west detected more than 100 asymptomatic Covid-19 cases on Sunday, the regional health authority said. Gu Yingsu, the deputy head of the Xinjiang health committee, told a press conference that all 137 new cases were related to one identified in a 17-year-old villager in Shufu county the previous day. Gu said the cases were all related to a factory in a neighbouring village where the girl’s parents worked. The outbreak is the biggest reported in China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3107016/coronavirus-chinas-kashgar-test-all-700000-residents-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3107016/coronavirus-chinas-kashgar-test-all-700000-residents-after?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Oct 2020 11:00:21 +0000 China’s embassy in Cyprus has accused the US of intimidating its allies after signing the island nation up to its “Clean Network” initiative, which seeks to curtail the influence of Chinese tech firms on the development of data networks around the world. “China fully believes that the international community can see the true colours of certain US politicians,” the mission said in a statement on Saturday. Countries should “say ‘no’ to the US practice of bullying and interfering” in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3107000/china-accuses-us-intimidating-its-allies-after-signing-cyprus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3107000/china-accuses-us-intimidating-its-allies-after-signing-cyprus?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Oct 2020 06:37:01 +0000 Hundreds of Chinese foreign exchange students were subjected to harassment and interrogation at American airports as they were leaving the country this summer, Beijing said on Wednesday. “For some time the United States has been using judicial power to wantonly harass and interrogate Chinese students, and even arrest and prosecute them under false allegations,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a press conference. Between May and September, nearly 300 students “experienced harassment... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3106659/china-us-relations-300-foreign-exchange-students-interrogated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3106659/china-us-relations-300-foreign-exchange-students-interrogated?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Oct 2020 11:00:19 +0000 China pushed for greater dialogue in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday at a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the situation in the region, while also making a veiled criticism of the United States for its sanctions on Iran. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing supported the establishment of a new platform for multilateral dialogue to ease tensions in the region and achieve the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JPOCA) – better known as the Iran nuclear deal. Speaking at the meeting – at... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3106492/un-security-council-meeting-china-promotes-platform-talks-gulf?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3106492/un-security-council-meeting-china-promotes-platform-talks-gulf?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Oct 2020 10:29:58 +0000 A Chinese soldier captured by India has been returned, China’s military confirmed on Wednesday morning, resolving the latest cross-border stand-off between the two countries in their disputed high-mountain border region. “According to an agreement reached by China and India, a Chinese soldier who was asked by herders to help find a lost yak was handed over by India to Chinese border troops on the morning of October 21,” according to a news bulletin issued by official armed forces newspaper... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3106392/india-returns-stray-soldier-china-troops-disputed-border?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3106392/india-returns-stray-soldier-china-troops-disputed-border?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Oct 2020 03:51:23 +0000 A state-run Chinese organisation has landed a US$54 million surveying contract in Saudi Arabia, bringing Beijing a step closer to a key energy supplier. The deal, the largest of its kind, is the latest sign of warming relations between Beijing and Riyadh. “It is the beginning of a great cooperative relationship between the two sides and will surely open up new cooperative areas for both countries,” said Zhong Ziran, president of China Geological Survey (CGS) in a video call during the signing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3106145/chinese-state-body-lands-us54m-saudi-surveying-contract-latest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3106145/chinese-state-body-lands-us54m-saudi-surveying-contract-latest?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Oct 2020 12:00:13 +0000 China’s embassy in Italy has warned its citizens against “blind optimism” about the spread of the coronavirus after nearly 100 Chinese citizens contracted the pathogen in the country. Italy remains one of the hardest-hit countries in Europe as the continent enters its second wave of coronavirus cases. “Recently, there have been many cluster infections in the Chinese community [in Italy], related to the gathering of people as work and production resume,” the embassy in Rome said in an alert on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3105800/coronavirus-chinese-embassy-issues-alert-over-italian-cluster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3105800/coronavirus-chinese-embassy-issues-alert-over-italian-cluster?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Oct 2020 06:59:00 +0000 Beijing has reiterated that it does not recognise Ladakh, the region at the centre of the China-India border dispute that New Delhi designated as a union territory last year. The statement came after Indian media reported this week that India recently completed the construction of eight bridges in the mountainous region. “China does not recognise the so-called Ladakh union territory, illegally established by India,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday, adding that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3105698/china-india-relations-beijing-repeats-statement-it-does-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3105698/china-india-relations-beijing-repeats-statement-it-does-not?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Oct 2020 12:00:10 +0000 China has cancelled its biggest air show for this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Airshow China – held every two years in the southern city of Zhuhai – is a chance for some of the world’s largest arms manufacturers to showcase their top military hardware, but has been called off because the “global situation of the Covid-19 pandemic is still developing rapidly”, organisers said on Tuesday. The six-day air show, formally known as the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3105308/coronavirus-china-calls-top-international-air-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3105308/coronavirus-china-calls-top-international-air-show?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Oct 2020 07:17:39 +0000 Unrest in Kyrgyzstan is likely to scare off Chinese and other foreign investors in the future, with increasing reports of attacks on foreign businesses amid the political upheaval, analysts say. China, which neighbours the volatile Central Asian country and has in the past been its largest investor, will be hoping for a fast resolution to the turmoil. But analysts say it could be a long time before Chinese investors are confident about doing business in Kyrgyzstan, where political uncertainty... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3105145/kyrgyzstan-unrest-may-scare-future-chinese-and-other-foreign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3105145/kyrgyzstan-unrest-may-scare-future-chinese-and-other-foreign?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Oct 2020 11:30:12 +0000 Beijing said it was “highly concerned” about the situation in Kyrgyzstan, which shares a border with China’s sensitive Xinjiang region, and warned against foreign interference as the government in Bishkek is rocked by protests over rigged elections. “China sincerely hopes that all parties in Kyrgyzstan will properly resolve issues through dialogue and consultation,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, adding that China hoped stability would be brought to Kyrgyzstan’s situation “as... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3104574/china-calls-bordering-kyrgyzstan-resolve-election-turmoil-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3104574/china-calls-bordering-kyrgyzstan-resolve-election-turmoil-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2020 13:30:19 +0000 Chinese border patrol troops shared mooncakes near the disputed border with India and told citizens not to worry in a military propaganda video released on Thursday, as a months-long stand-off in the Himalayas continues. Both India and China have stepped up their sabre-rattling, even as de-escalation talks between the two sides are scheduled to continue, and as the harsh winter sets in. Holding a Chinese flag on a mountainside, troops shout, “I am here to protect the border! To the country, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3104267/pla-troops-eat-mooncakes-and-tell-chinese-not-worry-message?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3104267/pla-troops-eat-mooncakes-and-tell-chinese-not-worry-message?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2020 12:21:26 +0000 The United States has released guidance on its immigration laws that will make it almost impossible for members of a communist party or similar to be granted permanent residence or citizenship of America. The announcement, made on Friday by the US Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS), potentially makes it harder for at least 91.9 million members of the Chinese Communist Party to immigrate to the US. In a sign Washington is dusting off its Cold War-era legislation, the agency said: “In... https://www.scmp.com/politics/america-closes-immigration-door-919-million-communists-china/article/3104200?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/america-closes-immigration-door-919-million-communists-china/article/3104200?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2020 08:47:39 +0000