https://www.scmp.com/rss/329276/feed Kai He is a professor of international relations at the School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University, Australia. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The escalating trade war between China and the United States has pushed the global economy to the brink of recession. Neither side shows signs of blinking. Washington has ramped up tariffs and tightened restrictions on Chinese tech, prompting retaliation from Beijing, which pledges to “fight till the end”. US President Donald Trump insists that America will emerge victorious; Chinese President Xi Jinping warns there will be “no winners” in a trade war. In reality, both countries have reasons to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3307267/how-find-face-saving-way-out-us-china-trade-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3307267/how-find-face-saving-way-out-us-china-trade-war?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Apr 2025 12:30:08 +0000 This year is likely to be remembered as a turning point in history because it could signify the emergence of an Asian Nato – a multilateral security alliance in the Asia-Pacific led by the United States and consisting of its traditional bilateral allies in the region such as Australia, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines. This grouping will target China, the elephant in the room. The idea of an Asian equivalent to the transatlantic security alliance was previously considered a far-fetched... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3219805/why-us-led-china-focused-asian-nato-no-longer-so-far-fetched?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3219805/why-us-led-china-focused-asian-nato-no-longer-so-far-fetched?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 May 2023 19:30:09 +0000 The recent stopover visits of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen to the United States have heightened tensions between Taipei and Beijing while also straining relations between the US and China. Tsai’s expected meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has escalated tensions even further. Last month, the US State Department authorised the potential sale of arms and equipment to Taiwan. The sale includes 200 medium-range air-to-air missiles and 100 high-speed anti-radiation missiles capable of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3215985/us-china-relations-taiwan-deterrence-dilemma-requires-urgent-talks-avoid-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3215985/us-china-relations-taiwan-deterrence-dilemma-requires-urgent-talks-avoid-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Apr 2023 17:00:20 +0000 On May 23, US President Joe Biden announced the establishment of a new economic grouping, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), including 13 inaugural members and accounting for about 40 per cent of the world’s GDP. China has not been invited. Given Biden’s claim that “we’re writing the new rules for the 21st-century economy”, it is clear that China is not only excluded but also targeted. It looks like a win for the United States in this round of the institutional balancing game against... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3180033/us-indo-pacific-economic-bloc-irks-china-it-may-not-be-all-bad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3180033/us-indo-pacific-economic-bloc-irks-china-it-may-not-be-all-bad?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jun 2022 19:30:31 +0000 The world was shocked, if not entirely surprised, by US President Donald Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis earlier this month. But there could be more “October surprises” yet to come in the lead up to November’s presidential election. Diplomatic recognition of Taiwan, for one – a risky move which would undoubtedly lead to an unintended military clash. The United States has warmed on its relations with Taiwan in recent months. On August 10, US Health Secretary Alex Azar arrived on the self-ruled island,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3104548/thought-trumps-covid-19-diagnosis-was-pre-election-shocker-wait?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3104548/thought-trumps-covid-19-diagnosis-was-pre-election-shocker-wait?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2020 21:00:14 +0000 A “new cold war”: that’s the buzzword appearing in headlines amid the deepening strategic enmity between the United States and China. Since late June, amid the Covid-19 pandemic’s ongoing rampage in the US, high-ranking officials in Washington have unleashed a series of rhetorical attacks on the Chinese Communist Party. National security adviser Robert O’Brien, FBI director Christopher Wray, attorney general William Barr and secretary of state Mike Pompeo have been dubbed the “four horsemen of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3102125/us-china-ties-worsen-india-and-china-must-revisit-bandung-spirit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3102125/us-china-ties-worsen-india-and-china-must-revisit-bandung-spirit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Sep 2020 22:45:08 +0000 If you feel as a person that everyone is against you, before blaming others you might want to ask what’s wrong with your behaviour. The same applies to a country. If China feels everyone is against it, it might do best to examine its own foreign policy. As a rising power, China faces more challenges than others on the world stage, not only because its national interests have expanded and been redefined alongside its increasing capabilities, but because of the systemic competition generated by... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3092445/china-if-you-think-everyones-against-you-its-time-reflect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3092445/china-if-you-think-everyones-against-you-its-time-reflect?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jul 2020 04:25:01 +0000 US President Donald Trump is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday after the G20 forum, to discuss ways to end US-China trade hostilities over dinner. Expecting Xi to compromise publicly will be unrealistic. However, it is also in China’s interest to end the “trade war” before it spills over to a new “cold war”. So there are hopes the leadership in both the US and China will think creatively and artfully on how to reach a deal and save face at the same time. What if this... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2175353/g20-trump-xi-talks-balance-3-benefits-china-and-1-big-risk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2175353/g20-trump-xi-talks-balance-3-benefits-china-and-1-big-risk?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Nov 2018 21:00:30 +0000 The upcoming Asean-oriented summits in Singapore will bring both opportunities and risks to China’s diplomacy. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang can use the occasions to woo support from Asian countries as a countermeasure against US pressures from the “trade war”. However, China might face some diplomatic setbacks over the South China Sea as well as infrastructure investments in the region. China needs its neighbours to avoid a new cold war. More 1MDB secrets to emerge from Hong Kong, Singapore, says... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2172517/china-needs-its-neighbours-us-threatens-new-cold-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2172517/china-needs-its-neighbours-us-threatens-new-cold-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Nov 2018 01:30:30 +0000