https://www.scmp.com/rss/330122/feed As the world's two greatest powers jostle for economic influence, what does the future have in store for Asia? en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Albee Zhang Albee Zhang A US and Philippine-led military drill seen as targeting China grew this year into the largest yet, prompting Chinese experts to warn that the annual event will exacerbate regional instability amid heightened tensions in the Indo-Pacific. The decades-old drill called Balikatan, which means shoulder to shoulder, reached record highs in terms of scale, scope of participation and training complexity this year, according to a report published by the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354621/why-largest-ever-us-philippine-drill-and-japans-role-it-making-china-uneasy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354621/why-largest-ever-us-philippine-drill-and-japans-role-it-making-china-uneasy?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 May 2026 10:00:17 +0000 Hoang Thi Ha Hoang Thi Ha When Xi Jinping and Donald Trump concluded their Beijing summit, the most consequential outcome – for China at least – may prove not material, but conceptual: the adoption of “constructive strategic stability” (CSS) as the guiding framework for managing their intensifying competition. For Southeast Asia, a region often caught in the rivalry between the two powers, understanding what this means will matter in the years ahead. The framework reflects a long-held Chinese strategic aspiration.... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3354534/what-china-us-stability-pact-means-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3354534/what-china-us-stability-pact-means-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 May 2026 03:00:13 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo The US military will deploy its Typhon midrange missile launcher and Himars rocket system to southwestern Japan next month for joint exercises with the Self-Defence Forces, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, in a move apparently aimed at deterring China. The systems will be deployed to the Maritime Self-Defence Force’s Kanoya Airbase in Kagoshima prefecture during the Valiant Shield and Orient Shield joint exercises between June and September, the sources said. The Typhon... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3354294/us-send-typhon-himars-missile-systems-japan-drills-amid-china-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3354294/us-send-typhon-himars-missile-systems-japan-drills-amid-china-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 01:23:26 +0000 Göktuğ Çalışkan Göktuğ Çalışkan When the United States and the Philippines opened this year’s Balikatan exercises, the message travelled far beyond the parade ground. More than 17,000 troops are taking part in drills set to run until May 8. What matters is where the drills unfold, who has joined and what kind of regional habit they are helping to normalise. Japan took part in its first Balitakan live-fire exercises. Australia, Canada, France and New Zealand were also active participants. Then the exercises moved closer to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3352387/why-chinas-warning-over-military-blocs-finding-listeners-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3352387/why-chinas-warning-over-military-blocs-finding-listeners-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 21:30:05 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China’s top diplomat on the US-Mexico border denounced protectionism as a dead end at the weekend, delivering a pointed defence of open trade just weeks before Mexico, the United States and Canada sit down to review the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that governs North American commerce. Consul General Fu Xinrong told a business gathering in Tijuana that unilateralism benefits no one and called on nations to build economic ties based on sovereignty and mutual respect rather than... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352418/chinas-consul-tijuana-calls-protectionism-dead-end-trade-tensions-us-escalate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352418/chinas-consul-tijuana-calls-protectionism-dead-end-trade-tensions-us-escalate?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 19:40:46 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump announced a last-minute extension of the ceasefire with Iran following a request from Pakistan’s top leadership, even as he appeared to suggest that American forces had intercepted a potentially lethal “gift from China” to Tehran. Describing the Iranian government as “seriously fractured”, Trump said on social media that he agreed to hold off military operations against Iran at the behest of Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Trump added... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350915/us-forces-intercepted-gift-china-iran-donald-trump-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350915/us-forces-intercepted-gift-china-iran-donald-trump-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:54:30 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles Balikatan, the flagship annual military exercise between Manila and Washington, begins in the Philippines this month without a single neighbouring Southeast Asian member taking part, despite the drills’ growing scale and multinational reach. Analysts say that hesitation helps explain Balikatan’s place in the region: for some Asean members, it is a reassuring sign of US commitment, but joining it risks looking like a strategic choice in the sharpening rivalry between Washington and Beijing. “To... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350190/why-southeast-asian-nations-are-hesitant-join-major-us-philippine-balikatan-drills?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350190/why-southeast-asian-nations-are-hesitant-join-major-us-philippine-balikatan-drills?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:00:12 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang A Chinese company has tried to use AI analysis to track US aerial refuelling missions to detect the strike patterns of bombers over Iran. MizarVision, a private geospatial intelligence firm, published a report earlier this month analysing the activities of US KC-135 and KC-46 tanker aircraft during Operation Epic Fury. The report detailed critical links between known tanker movements and strikes against Iranian targets. Analysts said the tankers could be tracked through Automatic Dependent... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3349788/how-chinese-company-said-it-used-ai-track-us-bomber-movements-over-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3349788/how-chinese-company-said-it-used-ai-track-us-bomber-movements-over-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:00:08 +0000 Josephine Ma,Wendy Wu,Fan Chen Josephine Ma,Wendy Wu,Fan Chen Chinese analysts have cautioned about any possible role for Beijing as a security guarantor in the Middle East, after the Iranian ambassador on Wednesday voiced hopes that China would help secure regional peace. Addressing reporters in Beijing hours after the US declared a brief ceasefire, Iranian envoy Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said: “We hope different sides could guarantee that the US would not resume the war, we hope the UN Security Council, big countries like China and Russia, as well as... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349347/iran-hopes-china-can-be-security-guarantor-middle-east-envoy-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349347/iran-hopes-china-can-be-security-guarantor-middle-east-envoy-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:38:23 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Whether it wraps up quickly or drags on, the repercussions of the US-Israeli war on Iran will echo for years, reshaping warfare, geopolitics, energy security and global perceptions of American tactical and strategic power. In the first of a three-part series, Mark Magnier looks at how the Iran war may alter Beijing’s approach to potential conflict over Taiwan, asymmetrical weaponry and the United States as an adversary. The US military is formidable, well-disciplined, projects deadly force... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3349130/how-lessons-iran-war-could-shape-mainland-chinas-calculus-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3349130/how-lessons-iran-war-could-shape-mainland-chinas-calculus-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:01:07 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Mainland Chinese citizens feel more favourable towards Taiwan than they did six months ago, support a hardline stance towards the US if another trade war erupts and view Russia and North Korea most positively and Japan least positively among their neighbours, according to a new survey by the Carter Centre and Emory University. One finding that comes through loud and clear, its authors said, is that mainlanders believe they have arrived and their country now belongs in a grouping limited to China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346151/mainland-chinese-see-taiwan-positively-wont-retreat-us-trade-war-survey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346151/mainland-chinese-see-taiwan-positively-wont-retreat-us-trade-war-survey?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 20:50:18 +0000 Samer Elhajjar ,Niraj Dawar Samer Elhajjar ,Niraj Dawar For years, debates about US-China competition have defaulted to the obvious categories: ships, chips, tariffs and security pacts. Soft power was often treated as America’s home turf, the domain of Hollywood, top universities, global brands and a political ideal that still attracts even when it disappoints. That assumption is getting riskier. The world has entered a new emotional weather pattern: fatigue. It’s a structural condition shaped by overlapping shocks: pandemic after-effects, inflation... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3344992/fatigue-rewriting-us-china-soft-power-contest-starting-asean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3344992/fatigue-rewriting-us-china-soft-power-contest-starting-asean?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin The balance of power in the Russia-China relationship has evolved to the point that Beijing is now the dominant partner and the primary threat to the United States, according to US Congressman Pat Fallon. Speaking at the Hudson Institute during a discussion about the first year of US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, Fallon said while Russia and China have long had a strategic partnership, the world has now “seen that senior partnership shift”. “It was clearly the Soviets. Now it’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343120/beijing-dominant-partner-russia-china-relationship-us-congressman-fallon-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343120/beijing-dominant-partner-russia-china-relationship-us-congressman-fallon-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 23:37:40 +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 Jean Iau Jean Iau Asean faces a challenge to remain relevant in light of an increasingly transactional United States under the Donald Trump administration, observers warn, even as they hail the bloc’s large inflows of trade from global superpowers. At the South China Morning Post’s China Conference: Southeast Asia 2026 in Jakarta on Tuesday, chairman of Malaysian Investment Development Authority Tengku Zafrul Aziz said that Association of Southeast Asian Nations members presented a united front in handling... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343093/why-asean-must-stay-nimble-survive-us-china-trade-squeeze?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343093/why-asean-must-stay-nimble-survive-us-china-trade-squeeze?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 13:04:20 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang China has almost finished building the US$10 billion Pinglu Canal to deepen trade ties between its southwestern provinces and Southeast Asia. Now, it is considering an even more ambitious – and expensive – project further inland. The Xianggui Canal would be a 300km (186 mile) waterway that effectively acts as an extension of the new Pinglu Canal, giving cities right at the heart of the Chinese interior direct access to the Gulf of Tonkin, known in China as the Beibu Gulf. Like the earlier... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342669/time-ripe-why-china-eyeing-another-vast-canal-link-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342669/time-ripe-why-china-eyeing-another-vast-canal-link-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 01:00:25 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin US President Donald Trump wants to build his “Dream Military”. In January, he proposed setting military spending at US$1.5 trillion in 2027 while citing “very troubled and dangerous times”. The move would increase the country’s defence budget by around 50 per cent amid growing concern at the Pentagon about China’s AI advancements. As the United States and China race to develop the latest artificial intelligence, the use of AI technology in the military has become a battleground in its own right,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3342412/us-and-china-defence-sectors-emerge-key-battlegrounds-race-ai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3342412/us-and-china-defence-sectors-emerge-key-battlegrounds-race-ai?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 16:00:42 +0000 Malaika Thiam-Bockman Malaika Thiam-Bockman The United States has been constructing a new dimension of its economic security policy: outbound investment rules. Since January last year, Washington has not only established its first outbound investment screening programme but codified it into law and explicitly provided for its expansion. These rules are gaining teeth, giving rise to a compliance architecture that conditions US foreign direct investment on national security priorities. As firms begin to operationalise these rules, capital... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3342148/beyond-china-asia-will-bear-brunt-us-builds-walls-around-tech-capital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3342148/beyond-china-asia-will-bear-brunt-us-builds-walls-around-tech-capital?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 12:30:38 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A year after Vietnam elevated its relations with Washington to the highest diplomatic level, an internal document shows its military was taking steps to prepare for a possible American “war of aggression” and considered the United States a “belligerent” power, according to a report released on Tuesday. More than just exposing Hanoi’s duality in approach towards the US, the document confirms a deep-seated fear of external forces fomenting an uprising against the communist leadership in a “colour... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342318/vietnam-prepared-possible-war-against-belligerent-us-secret-paper-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342318/vietnam-prepared-possible-war-against-belligerent-us-secret-paper-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 03:49:38 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan A key US congressional panel on Thursday advanced four Taiwan-related bills aimed at strengthening the island’s energy security, communications resilience and diplomatic influence as lawmakers ramp up efforts to counter Beijing ahead of President Donald Trump’s expected visit to China in April. The move by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee reflects a broader trend in Congress, where support for Taiwan often exceeds the administration’s position. Thursday’s coordinated action on the bills... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341749/senate-bills-remind-trump-taiwan-remains-priority-key-xi-meeting-april?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341749/senate-bills-remind-trump-taiwan-remains-priority-key-xi-meeting-april?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 23:29:52 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen The US faces critical “sustainment risks” that might lead to rapid defeat in a conflict with China, according to a Heritage Foundation report, which also found that while such a scenario could start in the Taiwan Strait, it would not be contained there. Based on the findings of an AI-based study called Tidalwave – after a 1943 operation of the same name – the right-wing think tank urged Washington to immediately strengthen American fuel and munitions reserves and logistical networks. At the same... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3341565/would-chinese-or-us-supply-lines-be-more-vulnerable-pacific-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3341565/would-chinese-or-us-supply-lines-be-more-vulnerable-pacific-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 14:00:09 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Most Americans favour cooperation with China in spite of Washington’s tougher stance on visas, research collaboration and tariffs, according to a new survey by the Committee of 100 (C100) civic group. The results of the polling, conducted in June 2025 shortly after US President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff onslaught and released this month, found relatively broad support for greater cooperation between Washington and Beijing on “diplomatic issues and policies that affect both... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341469/us-china-cooperation-backed-most-americans-new-national-survey-reveals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341469/us-china-cooperation-backed-most-americans-new-national-survey-reveals?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 20:44:44 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he would raise tariffs on imports from South Korea, accusing the country of “not living up to its deal” with the US. Tariffs had declined to 15 per cent but, assuming his threat is carried out, will jump back to 25 per cent. “Because the Korean Legislature hasn’t enacted our Historic Trade Agreement, which is their prerogative, I am hereby increasing South Korean TARIFFS on Autos, Lumber, Pharma, and all other Reciprocal TARIFFS,” he wrote on social... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3341318/trump-raises-tariffs-south-korea-25-country-not-living-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3341318/trump-raises-tariffs-south-korea-25-country-not-living-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 23:39:37 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang China is expected to finish construction on the landmark Pinglu Canal before the end of this year, taking just four years to complete the 72.7 billion yuan (US$10.4 billion) project to boost trade links with the country’s top export destination: Southeast Asia. The mega-project will provide China’s landlocked southwestern provinces with direct access to global shipping lanes, making it faster and cheaper to transport goods between the Chinese interior and neighbouring countries. The 134km (83... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341277/china-close-opening-us10-billion-canal-linking-heartlands-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341277/china-close-opening-us10-billion-canal-linking-heartlands-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:00:09 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen China will closely monitor developments in Greenland as it seeks to become an important player in Arctic affairs. Still, Beijing is unlikely to respond with any major action in the near future to counter US President Donald Trump’s bid to annex the island, analysts said. “The Arctic is certainly a central matter for policy for China, and they know it’s going to be important in the future, especially with climate change,” said Eurasia Group’s China practice head, David Meale. In his escalated... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340914/china-quietly-track-greenland-developments-curb-arctic-ambitions-now-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340914/china-quietly-track-greenland-developments-curb-arctic-ambitions-now-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:01:33 +0000 Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan,Holly Chik Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan,Holly Chik Following what he called a “very productive” meeting with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States has established the framework for a future agreement concerning Greenland and the broader Arctic region. “This solution, if finalised, will be a great one for the United States of America and all Nato nations,” Trump said on Wednesday, adding that, based on this understanding, he will not impose the tariffs originally scheduled for February... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3340743/donald-trumps-davos-speech-greenland-plan-xi-friendship-chinas-smart-energy-sales?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3340743/donald-trumps-davos-speech-greenland-plan-xi-friendship-chinas-smart-energy-sales?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 17:48:42 +0000 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters This live blog has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. US President Donald Trump tackled a slew of hot geopolitical topics at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday in a sometimes rambling speech that overran by almost 30 minutes. Trump, who complained that he had not received enough recognition for his achievements in world peace, said... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3340618/donald-trump-address-world-economic-forum-davos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3340618/donald-trump-address-world-economic-forum-davos?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 13:08:12 +0000 Göktuğ Çalışkan Göktuğ Çalışkan This month, a telling scene unfolded in Addis Ababa. The African Union and China held their ninth strategic dialogue in the Ethiopian capital and launched the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, framing the agenda around modernisation, connectivity and industrialisation rather than bloc politics. The moment captures what many smaller states are doing in today’s fractured world: choosing workable partnership over performative rivalry. The loudest conversations in global politics... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3340606/many-states-partnership-china-makes-more-sense-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3340606/many-states-partnership-china-makes-more-sense-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 08:30:08 +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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Vietnam’s leaders convene next week for a once-every-five-years congress, where General Secretary To Lam is looking to cement control over the Communist Party ruling one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies. The nation of 100 million people is both a repressive one-party state and a regional economic bright spot, with the party seeking to deliver rapid expansion to underpin its claim to legitimacy. But its leaders face challenges from tensions between its main trading partners, the United States... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340236/vietnams-lam-eyes-supreme-power-seeks-presidency-party-congress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340236/vietnams-lam-eyes-supreme-power-seeks-presidency-party-congress?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 00:53:25 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han A US spending bill approving US$300 million in cash assistance for Taiwan’s military has passed the House of Representatives and is expected to become law. On Wednesday, the House passed a two-bill government spending package that would fund the Departments of the Treasury and State through September, along with other federal agencies, bringing the total to eight of 12 annual spending bills needed by January 30, to avoid a government shutdown. The bills must now clear the Senate before they can... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3340074/us-bill-approving-us300-million-taiwans-military-passed-house?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3340074/us-bill-approving-us300-million-taiwans-military-passed-house?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 22:09:56 +0000 Lucy Quaggin,Khushboo Razdan Lucy Quaggin,Khushboo Razdan Australia’s former prime minister and a prominent China scholar, Kevin Rudd, will step down as ambassador to the United States a year ahead of schedule, a move some analysts say underscores a fundamental shift in how Canberra must navigate a Washington increasingly centred on the personal rapport with US President Donald Trump. The resignation follows a period of heightened friction between Rudd and Trump, punctuated by the “America first” leader’s blunt public declaration in October 2025 that... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3339796/not-trump-compatible-china-expert-rudd-exits-australias-us-ambassador-role?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3339796/not-trump-compatible-china-expert-rudd-exits-australias-us-ambassador-role?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 22:28:45 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has completed only seven months in office after tumultuous domestic politics resulted in the ousting of his predecessor Yoon Suk-yeol. But already, there is little question his first year will be remembered for his industrious efforts to restore relations with China while maintaining close ties with the United States. His trip to China this week may have been the first by a South Korean leader in eight years. But he has also now met Chinese President Xi... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3339205/south-korea-reset-relations-china-it-must-withstand-us-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3339205/south-korea-reset-relations-china-it-must-withstand-us-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 23:15:11 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Donald Trump’s renewed threats to take over Greenland could pose a direct challenge to China’s ambitions in the Arctic, but some observers say it may also open the door to increased cooperation with Europe. Following the abduction of Venezuela’s former leader Nicolas Maduro, the White House swiftly turned its attention towards the self-governing Danish territory, adding that “of course, utilising the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal”. On Sunday, the US... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339078/will-donald-trumps-threats-greenland-help-bring-china-and-europe-closer-together?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339078/will-donald-trumps-threats-greenland-help-bring-china-and-europe-closer-together?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jan 2026 16:00:15 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han Ro Khanna, a California progressive who opposed the US congressional effort to force the Chinese divestment of TikTok, will replace Illinois Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi as the top Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Communist Party later this month. The announcement, made by House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday, comes eight months after Krishnamoorthi said he would run for a Senate seat that will be vacated by Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin. Durbin announced last... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3338833/california-progressive-lead-democrats-house-china-panel-seeks-economic-patriotism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3338833/california-progressive-lead-democrats-house-china-panel-seeks-economic-patriotism?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 20:40:44 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump has ordered the forced divestment of semiconductor-related assets acquired by HieFo Corporation, a Delaware-registered company, which he said is controlled by a Chinese citizen, citing national security risks. In an executive order (EO) issued under the Defence Production Act, Trump on Friday said there was “credible evidence” that HieFo’s acquisition of New Jersey-based Emcore Corporation’s digital chips and related wafer design, fabrication and processing businesses... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3338586/trump-orders-chinese-linked-firm-divest-us-semiconductor-assets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3338586/trump-orders-chinese-linked-firm-divest-us-semiconductor-assets?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 22:19:36 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump is meeting US Ambassador to China David Perdue at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Friday, rounding off a day of diplomacy that began with a call with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The engagements come at a delicate moment for the administration as it seeks to align its “America first” regional approach amid a deepening diplomatic rift between Tokyo and Beijing over Taiwan, and following Washington’s recent approval of its largest-ever arms sale to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3338582/trump-meet-us-envoy-perdue-after-call-japans-takaichi-taiwan-drills-conclude?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3338582/trump-meet-us-envoy-perdue-after-call-japans-takaichi-taiwan-drills-conclude?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 19:17:01 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier The US State Department on Thursday urged Beijing to end intimidating military moves in the area around Taiwan that it said create needless anxiety and stress. Washington’s New Year’s Day message followed a two-day live-fire exercise that Beijing wrapped up on Tuesday, dubbed Justice Mission 2025, that played out on a more extensive scale than its predecessors. “China’s military activities and rhetoric towards Taiwan and others in the region increase tensions unnecessarily,” said Tommy Pigott,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3338442/us-urges-beijing-end-military-pressure-against-taiwan-engage-meaningful-dialogue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3338442/us-urges-beijing-end-military-pressure-against-taiwan-engage-meaningful-dialogue?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 21:33:03 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan In a pointed display of diplomatic unity, the US ambassador to China announced that the envoys of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) nations – the United States, Australia, India, and Japan – had met in Beijing, just as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted live-fire exercises during its large-scale military drills around Taiwan. “The Quad is a force for good, working to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific. It is always great to meet with the Quad Ambassadors here in Beijing,” said... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3338218/us-envoy-backs-free-open-indo-pacific-quad-meeting-beijing-amid-pla-taiwan-drills?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3338218/us-envoy-backs-free-open-indo-pacific-quad-meeting-beijing-amid-pla-taiwan-drills?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 21:31:31 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump on Monday described Beijing’s large-scale military exercises around Taiwan as routine activities that have occurred “for 20-25 years”, expressing no concern over the escalation and instead citing his personal rapport with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “I have a great relationship with President Xi, and he hasn’t told me anything about it,” Trump said in remarks to reporters during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3338082/trump-not-worried-about-beijings-military-drills-around-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3338082/trump-not-worried-about-beijings-military-drills-around-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 23:28:15 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a sweeping defence bill that would restrict US outbound investment in Chinese technology and curb federal contracts with Chinese biotechnology companies, amid an uneasy trade truce between Washington and Beijing. The bill, known as the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), cleared both the House of Representatives and Senate earlier this month after months of negotiation. The Senate passed the bill on Wednesday in a 77-20 vote, following its... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3336981/trump-signs-defence-bill-restricting-investment-chinese-tech-military-firms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3336981/trump-signs-defence-bill-restricting-investment-chinese-tech-military-firms?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 23:54:12 +0000 Josephine Ma Josephine Ma George Yeo was Singapore’s foreign minister for seven years, ending in 2011, after earlier holding ministerial portfolios related to technology, health and trade. Before entering politics, he served in the city state’s military. He is now a visiting scholar at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. He was also vice-chairman of Kerry Group in Hong Kong from 2012 to 2021 and chairman and executive director of its logistics arm from 2012 to 2019. SCMP Plus... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336863/yeo-how-trump-wants-avoid-taiwan-upending-china-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336863/yeo-how-trump-wants-avoid-taiwan-upending-china-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 04:28:08 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han Senior US and Chinese defence officials met in Washington this week in the latest sign of renewed military-to-military communication as the two countries seek to stabilise ties. Alvaro Smith, a deputy assistant secretary of defence for China, Taiwan and Mongolia at the Pentagon, met with China’s Major General Ye Jiang, Deputy Director of the Central Military Commission Office for International Military Cooperation, for the 19th annual US-China Defence Policy Coordination Talks from December 15... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3336686/senior-us-and-chinese-defence-officials-meet-military-military-dialogue-continues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3336686/senior-us-and-chinese-defence-officials-meet-military-military-dialogue-continues?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 22:58:15 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Washington’s latest national security blueprint may be one of its most consequential in years, yet it barely mentions Southeast Asia. Analysts say that absence speaks volumes, signalling a narrowing of American priorities that risks turning the region into a “bargaining chip” in the US-China rivalry. The National Security Strategy published by the White House on December 4 presents the Trump administration’s vision for restoring “American economic independence”, alongside preventing conflict in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336256/southeast-asia-barely-features-americas-new-security-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336256/southeast-asia-barely-features-americas-new-security-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 04:00:10 +0000 Sylvia Ma,Frank Chen Sylvia Ma,Frank Chen After witnessing the effects of a tumultuous trade war with the United States this year, China’s top leaders have issued a directive to fortify the domestic economy against persistent or even heightened trade frictions. Following the annual central economic work conference, which concluded on Thursday and set the agenda for 2026, officials emphasised “better coordinating domestic economic work and international economic and trade struggles”, anchoring a pro-growth strategy for the start of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336271/china-digs-trade-struggles-beijing-eyes-dual-strategy-growth-and-resilience?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336271/china-digs-trade-struggles-beijing-eyes-dual-strategy-growth-and-resilience?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 14:00:09 +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 Ralph Jennings,Kandy Wong Ralph Jennings,Kandy Wong Mexico’s move to place tariffs of up to 50 per cent on Chinese and other Asian goods underscores US efforts to pressure other countries to take action against China – and Beijing may well retaliate, analysts said. The Mexican Senate on Wednesday approved duties between 5 and 50 per cent on 1,463 product categories – including auto parts, textiles and plastics – starting from January 2026. President Claudia Sheinbaum had proposed the tariffs in the name of protecting local industries, subject to... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336059/mexicos-tariffs-china-aim-placate-us-could-backfire-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336059/mexicos-tariffs-china-aim-placate-us-could-backfire-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s characterisation of US-China relations as a “G2” partnership is “deeply problematic”, a Democratic lawmaker has warned in a letter to the Pentagon chief. Such a description sidelines Washington’s allies and partners in the region, House Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi said in his letter sent on Monday. Krishnamoorthi, a ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, also expressed “profound concern” about such a label being used... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336018/hegseths-g2-description-us-china-relations-deeply-problematic-lawmaker-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336018/hegseths-g2-description-us-china-relations-deeply-problematic-lawmaker-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 06:25:24 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han Witnesses at a US trade agency hearing are pushing officials to put economic security high on the agenda to counter China ahead of a high-stakes review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The hearing convened by the Office of the US Trade Representative on Wednesday – the first public session before next July’s joint review of the free trade deal – kicks off three days of testimony from more than 140 representatives from business, think tanks, academia and advocacy groups. “One... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3335121/usmca-partners-urged-form-joint-economic-security-mechanism-address-china-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3335121/usmca-partners-urged-form-joint-economic-security-mechanism-address-china-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 23:42:29 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday described the United States as an ally to both mainland China and Taiwan, while at the same time asserting that its relationships have not shifted, hours after US President Donald Trump enacted legislation deepening US ties with the self-governed island. Asked about concerns among some in Washington about the Trump administration’s approach to the long-held policy of strategic ambiguity on the Taiwan issue at The New York Times DealBook Summit,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3335117/bessent-moves-placate-beijing-after-trump-signs-bill-deepening-ties-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3335117/bessent-moves-placate-beijing-after-trump-signs-bill-deepening-ties-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 20:58:55 +0000