https://www.scmp.com/rss/500365/feed Brian P. Klein (@brianpklein) is a geopolitical and economic strategist and former US diplomat. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Brian P. Klein Brian P. Klein Warning signs are flashing from experts, entrepreneurs and workers concerned that automation is coming for a wide range of information-oriented jobs. What ordinarily would be just another boom-bust cycle fuelled by computer-generated efficiency, a typewriter to keyboard type of evolution, is this time threatening to overturn the basic social contract between employers and employees. Unless and until this is taken seriously by policymakers, the modern middle class risks becoming a relic of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3333190/will-ai-kill-middle-class?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3333190/will-ai-kill-middle-class?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 01:30:10 +0000 Brian P. Klein Brian P. Klein Export-oriented countries in Asia are about to bear the brunt of the US trade war. Early August tariffs are starting to rack up costs for importers and consumers, along with disrupted trade flows, rising prices for goods and ultimately falling demand. Amid this pain lies an opportunity to pivot towards a consumer-led economy. Countries in Asia that rely too heavily on US markets can create a path towards more sustainable growth and insulate their economies against the vicissitudes of capricious... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3322236/trumps-trade-war-could-push-asia-pivot-more-towards-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3322236/trumps-trade-war-could-push-asia-pivot-more-towards-home?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 08:30:10 +0000 Brian P. Klein Brian P. Klein Southeast Asia finds itself stuck again between the world’s trade heavyweights – the United States and China. The region’s countries cannot economically afford to side with one over the other even as tariffs, sanctions and the spectre of conflict begin to affect their economies. Enter Europe, which has not been especially active in improving trading relations with the region. Reversing years of stalled efforts at Europe-Southeast Asia economic partnerships is among the shrinking number of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3313689/how-europe-can-be-southeast-asias-hedge-against-us-china-trade-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3313689/how-europe-can-be-southeast-asias-hedge-against-us-china-trade-war?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Jun 2025 21:30:07 +0000 The United States is waging war on global trade and Southeast Asia is likely to be its next target. Yet the recently concluded Asean Economic Ministers’ Retreat in Malaysia showed little sign of a coordinated strategy to counter the potential US pressure. Absent a unified front to deter US President Donald Trump’s trade policies, each nation will stand or fall on its own – posing serious trouble for the utility of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the region’s economic growth. In... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3300897/trump-bringing-trade-war-southeast-asia-asean-must-act?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3300897/trump-bringing-trade-war-southeast-asia-asean-must-act?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Mar 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Political promises are easy to make and hard to keep. US president-elect Donald Trump once said that if he won a second term he would end the Ukraine war in a day. So far, Ukraine and Russia disagree: even with the possibility of the incoming administration halting US weapons supply to Kyiv or its dangling of sanctions relief for Moscow, neither side looks ready for a ceasefire. A negotiated settlement is even farther over the horizon. And Europe is doubling down on support for Ukrainian... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3290061/why-lasting-peace-russia-and-ukraine-will-elude-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3290061/why-lasting-peace-russia-and-ukraine-will-elude-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Dec 2024 12:30:06 +0000 Few are expecting any meaningful breakthroughs from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to China this week. The visit won’t reverse US positions on intellectual property, chip security, the South China Sea or Taiwan, but that’s beside the point. The mere fact that the two sides are meeting at this high level is a sign the dangerously negative trend in the relationship has at least a chance of being repaired. Since US President Joe Biden met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bali,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3224148/blinkens-visit-may-not-deliver-breakthrough-us-china-relations-watch-positive-ripple-effects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3224148/blinkens-visit-may-not-deliver-breakthrough-us-china-relations-watch-positive-ripple-effects?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jun 2023 00:15:16 +0000 The United Nations has issued a stark new warning about global climate change – at current rates, our rapidly warming planet is on track for disaster. Avoiding a temperature rise of beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius now requires even more drastic action by the major greenhouse gas polluters. Unfortunately, multilateral approaches have achieved only modest emissions reductions. The UN has convened 27 high-level climate change conferences that have “called on” and “urged” nations to do more. These... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3215034/if-we-cant-have-cooperation-fighting-climate-change-lets-compete?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3215034/if-we-cant-have-cooperation-fighting-climate-change-lets-compete?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Mar 2023 19:30:14 +0000 You’d be hard pressed to find evidence of US and China cooperation these days, considering the intense economic competition and even military rivalry growing between the two. And yet, there are signs that rationality is returning. Recent events in finance and trade highlight an approach based on mutual interests that endures despite obvious disagreements in other parts of the bilateral relationship. They point towards potentially more cooperation in the future. For Chinese-listed companies in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3204118/us-china-business-cooperation-prevailing-despite-tensions-elsewhere?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3204118/us-china-business-cooperation-prevailing-despite-tensions-elsewhere?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Dec 2022 17:00:13 +0000 Vote counting for the US midterm elections is finally coming to an end. The usually staid event defied the pundits and pollsters yet again. A Republican “red wave” never materialised and election deniers did not take over. Donald Trump’s ambitions for another run at the White House were weakened after major candidates he backed lost. The net result of the vote is a split Congress, with Republicans taking control of the House of Representatives with a slim majority and Democrats holding the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3199815/bidens-asia-agenda-unlikely-change-even-midterm-election-gives-house-republicans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3199815/bidens-asia-agenda-unlikely-change-even-midterm-election-gives-house-republicans?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Nov 2022 17:00:08 +0000 The United States recently issued a comprehensive explanation of its national security policy. Despite the clang and clamour over the White House targeting Beijing, nowhere in the publicly available 48-page document is China characterised as an enemy. This policy signals a willingness on the part of the Biden administration to not demonise China, and keeps the door open for cooperation, albeit with crash barriers, and scrutiny, and often competing and seemingly contradictory policies. There is... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197100/bidens-new-national-security-policy-suggests-willingness-engage-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197100/bidens-new-national-security-policy-suggests-willingness-engage-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Oct 2022 19:30:09 +0000 It has been a long, hot summer in the northern hemisphere. While much of the world’s population is sweltering in historic heat, a new study shows that the Antarctica ice shelf is also melting far faster than previously thought. That should come as no surprise, considering the devastating effects atmospheric carbon is having on the planet. The trapped heat is wreaking havoc, from changing weather patterns and heatwaves to collapsing ice sheets. The solution has been clear for some time – stop... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3189150/how-circular-economy-will-let-world-fight-climate-change-and-ensure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3189150/how-circular-economy-will-let-world-fight-climate-change-and-ensure?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Aug 2022 19:30:20 +0000 Every other day or so, someone is posting about their exit from China on social media. What started as a trickle a few years back has now turned into an exodus of foreigners. They are heading to their home countries after years, sometimes decades, abroad. By many accounts, they won’t be going back. From exasperation at Beijing’s onerous zero-Covid policies that force people to remain inside for weeks on end, to corporate closures over supply chain issues, the outflow is real. Add to these... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3183826/foreigners-are-leaving-china-droves-does-nation-want-or-need-them?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3183826/foreigners-are-leaving-china-droves-does-nation-want-or-need-them?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Jul 2022 16:30:15 +0000 India is on a diplomatic roll. New Delhi has been signing agreements left and right with a host of major international partners in what appears to be Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s calculated attempt to secure a place among global power brokers. By all accounts, it’s working. In Tokyo last month, members of the Quad – the United States, Japan, India and Australia – met and agreed to greater cooperation across a range of issues, including major potential geopolitical flashpoints. Their joint... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3180144/how-rising-indias-quad-role-helping-it-find-its-place-among-global?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3180144/how-rising-indias-quad-role-helping-it-find-its-place-among-global?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Jun 2022 01:15:16 +0000 Brian P. Klein Brian P. Klein A global paradigm shift towards decentralisation is under way. What started in the world of finance is becoming increasingly relevant to how businesses become more resilient as well as to the broader world of geopolitics. With decentralisation comes resilience, a much-needed characteristic that avoids the danger of relying too much on single points of failure or control. The previously underground, alternative cryptocurrency world was among the first to embrace this new system, introducing the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3175960/what-decentralised-finance-can-teach-world-business-and-geopolitics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3175960/what-decentralised-finance-can-teach-world-business-and-geopolitics?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 May 2022 17:30:12 +0000 Russia has been cut off from the global financial system for more than a month now as its war on Ukraine continues. That has led to calls by Moscow to de-dollarise global trade so it can continue selling oil, gas, wheat and other commodities. It would take rupees, yuan or maybe even barter. The result was speculation about the death of the US dollar as China and India considered their now-increasing purchasing power over a declining rouble. Avoiding the US currency, however, will turn out to be... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3172094/why-russia-and-chinas-move-shift-world-away-us-dollar-doomed-fail?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3172094/why-russia-and-chinas-move-shift-world-away-us-dollar-doomed-fail?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Mar 2022 20:45:13 +0000 There are many ways to lose a war, but few fail as soon as they start. While Russian troops attempt to take Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has galvanised near global opposition to his aims of rebuilding an empire and cementing his place in the pantheon of great Russian leaders. No matter what the short-term outcome, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s resolve is stronger than ever. The very countries Putin sought to bring under Moscow’s influence have even more incentive to join the collective... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3169069/putin-has-doomed-russia-war-cant-be-won?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3169069/putin-has-doomed-russia-war-cant-be-won?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Mar 2022 17:00:23 +0000 The global economy has had a pretty good run lately, with 5.5 per cent growth in 2021 after bouncing back from a brief recession two years ago. However, that growth is about to slow dramatically. There is a Covid-19 pandemic that will not go away. Supply chains are snarled throughout the world. There is a potential military confrontation if Russia invades Ukraine. And now there is the threat of inflation, that insidious destroyer of wealth. But where will growth come from when the United States... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3165569/how-india-and-southeast-asia-can-save-global-growth-us-and-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3165569/how-india-and-southeast-asia-can-save-global-growth-us-and-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Feb 2022 19:30:19 +0000 New tensions are piling up in the already fraught US-China relationship. Principal among them is a reshoring trend that has moved well beyond the political catchphrase featured by both the Joe Biden and Donald Trump administrations. A rare bipartisan approach in Washington continues to call for returning production from overseas and expanding domestic operations. These voices will grow louder throughout 2022. This marks a significant shift in the US-China relationship that has managed to sustain... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3161666/what-will-sustain-us-china-relations-if-economic-gains-no-longer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3161666/what-will-sustain-us-china-relations-if-economic-gains-no-longer?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Jan 2022 17:30:24 +0000 US-China trade relations are about to hit a brick wall, and no amount of spin-doctoring can change that. By December 31, China needs to complete its commitment to increase imports of US goods, an agreement made between former US president Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping in the phase one trade deal signed two years ago. Based on available data, it is almost certain that China is not going to meet those commitments. What comes next, as both countries enter a politically sensitive year, is... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3157329/what-happens-if-us-china-phase-one-trade-deal-fails?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3157329/what-happens-if-us-china-phase-one-trade-deal-fails?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Nov 2021 17:30:20 +0000 It would be a better world if nations tackled the potential devastation of climate change the way they averted nuclear war over half a century ago – as if their very existence depended on it. Back then, it was known as mutually assured destruction, which led to the nuclear weapons treaties. The world needs that level of fear again to take action against climate change. Unfortunately, it is not the world we live in today. There is much to fear for the world on a pathway to catastrophic ends, not... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3153155/climate-change-must-make-activists-us-all-not-just-nations-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3153155/climate-change-must-make-activists-us-all-not-just-nations-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Oct 2021 19:30:15 +0000 China made new strides in regional trade last week when Beijing announced that it intends to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP). That news barely made headlines in the United States. When asked, the White House deflected concerns that Washington was falling behind its main economic rival. That’s a real problem for the Biden administration, which after nine months in office has failed to articulate a clear trade policy. Domestic... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3149469/america-needs-clear-trade-policy-amid-chinas-cptpp-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3149469/america-needs-clear-trade-policy-amid-chinas-cptpp-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Sep 2021 17:00:24 +0000 US troops and a small cadre of diplomats are mired in a hasty, ill-planned departure from Kabul. That’s a massive problem for China. For the past 20 years, extremism has been kept at bay despite a losing war over nation-building. When the last cargo plane leaves, extremists will be in charge. This poses a unique challenge for Beijing, one that will not be easily solved by lavishing development and reconstruction funds on the Taliban. The US spent at least US$30 billion on reconstruction efforts,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3145895/afghanistan-and-its-extremist-elements-are-chinas-problem-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3145895/afghanistan-and-its-extremist-elements-are-chinas-problem-now?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Aug 2021 17:00:27 +0000 Last week in Geneva, US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first face-to-face meeting. By many accounts, the gathering lived up to its anticipated low expectations. After all, there is so little to build on. The relationship is marked by world views and geostrategic rivalry that separates Moscow and Washington on everything from the Middle East to human rights to acts of cyber sabotage and election meddling.  Still, the meeting sent a signal that both sides, at... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3138406/us-china-relations-biden-xi-meeting-still-worthwhile-despite-rising?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3138406/us-china-relations-biden-xi-meeting-still-worthwhile-despite-rising?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jun 2021 17:00:06 +0000 It’s been less than a week since the United States and China met in Anchorage, Alaska, their first high-level meeting after Joe Biden became president. Reports of a testy exchange quickly swept the media circuit, with implications that the relationship was deteriorating right in front of everyone’s eyes. This was no ordinary diplomatic tête-à-tête. There was strong language instead of a banquet. No agreements were hammered out and there was nothing to sign or announce. Despite the media blitz,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126772/behind-drama-alaska-us-china-relations-are-really-same-old-story?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126772/behind-drama-alaska-us-china-relations-are-really-same-old-story?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Mar 2021 19:30:07 +0000 Beijing and Washington will have an opportunity to improve relations when US President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on January 20. After four years of acrimony, it won’t take much. The inflammatory White House rhetoric will surely cease, including the litany of “China virus” barbs. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs might even end their “wolf warrior” Twitter campaigns of maximum insult. There is little reason to think a dramatic shift lies beyond a return to diplomatic formalities, though. The... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3116657/us-china-relations-door-open-biden-and-xi-move-beyond-trump-era?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3116657/us-china-relations-door-open-biden-and-xi-move-beyond-trump-era?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Jan 2021 17:30:09 +0000 The US presidential election is finally over, but even as President-elect Joe Biden readies to assume the duties of the White House on January 20, strained relations with Beijing are expected to deepen. In one area, however, cooperation remains essential – fighting climate change. This single issue is an existential threat to both countries. Unless the United States and China – the two largest emitters of global greenhouse gas emissions – find a way to work together, a disaster scenario is... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3115250/us-china-relations-climate-change-crisis-can-unite-squabbling-great?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3115250/us-china-relations-climate-change-crisis-can-unite-squabbling-great?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Dec 2020 19:30:09 +0000 With only days left before the US presidential election, fears are growing of voter intimidation, drawn-out legal challenges to vote counts, and even the potential for political violence. These concerns are usually reserved for struggling democracies around the world, not a country long considered the leader of the free world. That leadership position has been thrown into question as the US has withdrawn from a number of multilateral engagements and favoured a myopic nationalism rather than the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3107830/great-american-experiment-democracy-will-survive-trumps-best?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3107830/great-american-experiment-democracy-will-survive-trumps-best?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Nov 2020 17:30:18 +0000 In the past few weeks, China’s decades-long relationship with Europe has taken a significant hit as negotiations stalled over investment and human rights issues. Chinese fighter jets have flown dangerously close to Taiwan. And talks with India over their border dispute have reached a stalemate after the deaths of soldiers on both sides. Add to this the continued trade war with the United States and a clear trend emerges. At no time since China’s reform and opening up that began over four decades... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3103072/how-chinas-growing-power-and-ambitions-are-burning-bridges-global?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3103072/how-chinas-growing-power-and-ambitions-are-burning-bridges-global?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Sep 2020 17:00:17 +0000 It’s not every day that the US Postal Service becomes national, even international, news. Mail delivery has never been a major global foreign policy issue. But in the pandemic year of Covid-19, delivery of mail-in ballots for the November US presidential election has turned into a serious concern. With social distancing still a priority, many voters are expected to avoid going to polling stations and instead rely on mailing their ballots. The consequences of a botched election go well beyond... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3099313/right-vote-us-must-lead-example-presidential-election-showcase-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3099313/right-vote-us-must-lead-example-presidential-election-showcase-its?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Aug 2020 17:30:12 +0000 The United States finally said what the world already knew: China’s claims in the South China Sea have no legal basis. It took four years after an international tribunal ruled on the issue. This raises the question why, with only six months left in the current administration, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made this declaration now? Two reasons stand out – US President Donald Trump campaign’s attempt to bolster its tough-on-China credibility ahead of the upcoming presidential election, and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3093657/us-tougher-stance-south-china-sea-part-trumps-re-election-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3093657/us-tougher-stance-south-china-sea-part-trumps-re-election-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jul 2020 01:00:12 +0000 As social restrictions from months of coronavirus isolation ease around the world, there’s growing optimism that perhaps the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic is over. Maybe all this talk of a dreaded global recession was just the fever dream of pessimistic economists. Hope springs eternal, but it doesn’t pay the bills. If the United States and other countries had actually taken steps to stem the spread of the virus, perhaps employers could resume hiring and consumers would get back to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3090204/why-dreams-easy-coronavirus-recovery-crumble-face-reality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3090204/why-dreams-easy-coronavirus-recovery-crumble-face-reality?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jun 2020 21:00:17 +0000 With about five months until the election, US President Donald Trump faces stagnant approval ratings, a persistent coronavirus and an economic recovery at risk. Instead of focusing on pressing domestic issues, he is painting a Chinese target both on Joe Biden’s back and as a stand-alone straw man in an effort to distract the public. This won’t work. Americans want their jobs back without another surge in cases and months of new self-quarantine more than a foreign policy “win”. Federal Reserve... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3085959/trumps-bluster-over-coronavirus-and-china-fails-do-his-re-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3085959/trumps-bluster-over-coronavirus-and-china-fails-do-his-re-election?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2020 19:00:11 +0000 A looming crisis in the developing world has caught the attention of major international lenders, including the Group of Seven, Paris Club and the World Bank, with a notable addition – China. For years, Beijing has resisted efforts to coordinate its lending with international financial institutions. And yet consensus has formed that temporary financial relief is essential for developing countries facing a mountain of debt, the spreading Covid-19 pandemic, and an impending global recession. The... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3080470/how-coronavirus-pandemic-has-trapped-chinas-belt-and-road?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3080470/how-coronavirus-pandemic-has-trapped-chinas-belt-and-road?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2020 19:00:09 +0000 This is where we are in the United States of America. The novel coronavirus is wreaking havoc on major cities across the country. No one knows if it’s too late to stop the worst of the tsunami-like wave to come. By the end of March, if current rates of growth do not drop significantly, the US will have more than double China’s official total. US President Donald Trump has now called himself a “wartime president”. He signed into force the Defence Production Act, which gives him broad authority to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3076704/bungled-chaotic-white-house-response-coronavirus-discredits-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3076704/bungled-chaotic-white-house-response-coronavirus-discredits-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2020 19:00:20 +0000 There are now over 400 confirmed cases of coronavirus infections identified in the United States and the numbers are climbing quickly. Cities across the country are scrambling to prepare their emergency services and are questioning when the federal government will get its act together. The White House response has mainly been to reassure everyone that all is fine and, in meeting after meeting, US President Donald Trump’s team praise him for his expert leadership. That praise has been directed at... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3073972/coronavirus-vs-trump-us-presidents-authoritarian-bluster-has-hit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3073972/coronavirus-vs-trump-us-presidents-authoritarian-bluster-has-hit?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2020 17:00:17 +0000 As the number of reported coronavirus cases in China has slowed, many have been wondering whether the worst may be over. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it seemed? Perhaps the world and the media have overreacted to an outbreak no more threatening than a new flu strain. That’s the message coming out of Beijing in a public relations offensive meant to assuage the fears of an increasingly sceptical world. Serious doubts about the veracity of official Chinese public health data are making it nearly... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3051719/how-china-losing-global-trust-and-goodwill-over-its-handling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3051719/how-china-losing-global-trust-and-goodwill-over-its-handling?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Feb 2020 19:00:14 +0000 Nature has never respected human-made geographic boundaries. Despite a lockdown of some 60 million people at the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak in Hubei, China, the epidemic has already spread to at least 17 other countries and territories in the course of only a few weeks. For all the talk of decoupling, the virus outbreak reminds us yet again how interconnected the world really is. Ten years ago, most people would not have known about or visited Wuhan, and certainly so many people... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3048276/if-china-fails-contain-coronavirus-outbreak-price-will-be-paid-all?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3048276/if-china-fails-contain-coronavirus-outbreak-price-will-be-paid-all?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Jan 2020 19:00:16 +0000 A drone targeted and destroyed a vehicle travelling near Baghdad airport last week. Inside was Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite Quds Force and architect of terrorist attacks throughout the Middle East. The United States claimed responsibility for the targeted assassination, sparking fears of reprisals and an ordered evacuation of US personnel from the country. The embassy in Baghdad closed with a warning to Americans – diplomats cannot help you now. Almost immediately,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3045020/trumps-impulsive-strike-irans-qassem-soleimani-lays-bare-americas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3045020/trumps-impulsive-strike-irans-qassem-soleimani-lays-bare-americas?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Jan 2020 17:00:15 +0000 The trade world waited with bated breath as the December 15 deadline for a deal between the United States and China approached. US tariffs were set to increase yet again on Chinese goods. China would certainly retaliate. Stock markets hovered in anticipation. If the two largest global economies could get trade back on track, then the business world could finally get back to business. A win-win all around. Two days before the deadline, the Trump administration claimed success, announcing a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3042479/trumps-historic-trade-deal-china-poor-bargain-us-businesses-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3042479/trumps-historic-trade-deal-china-poor-bargain-us-businesses-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Dec 2019 17:00:13 +0000 Celebrations began almost immediately as word spread that United States President Donald Trump had signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. In a rare display of bipartisanship, US Congress voted for the legislation with near unanimous support. Hundreds gathered in Hong Kong’s Chater Garden, waving American flags to thank the US government for its support. Now that Trump has signed the legislation, protesters might wonder what comes next? Unfortunately, the answer is nothing. At... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3040840/truth-hong-kong-human-rights-and-democracy-act-changes-nothing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3040840/truth-hong-kong-human-rights-and-democracy-act-changes-nothing?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Dec 2019 14:00:09 +0000 Sixteen nations met recently at a trade summit in Bangkok, Thailand, hoping to iron out the terms of a regional trade deal covering nearly half the world’s population. Then India, after seven years of negotiations, decided to pull out. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) included all 10 countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well six other partner countries: China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India. As India’s economy continues to slow,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3037455/indias-shock-rcep-exit-makes-domestic-economic-reforms-more-urgent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3037455/indias-shock-rcep-exit-makes-domestic-economic-reforms-more-urgent?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Nov 2019 04:00:10 +0000 The scene inside the White House Cabinet Room, by the look of the photo released by President Donald Trump via Twitter, was fraught with tension. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was on her feet and pointing at an incredulous looking Trump, mouth agape, chair pushed back from the table. His advisers, many with their heads down looking at their hands, could feel the storm. Pelosi reportedly said “all roads seem to lead to Putin”. Sometime thereafter, the Democratic representatives stormed out of the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3034146/donald-trumps-unhinged-presidency-has-had-severe-consequences?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3034146/donald-trumps-unhinged-presidency-has-had-severe-consequences?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Oct 2019 19:00:14 +0000 In a low-energy and sometimes directionless speech this week to the UN General Assembly in New York, US President Donald Trump could not hide his disdain for international organisations and multilateral cooperation. The globalist-bashing ideological focus marks a new low in Trump’s quickly unravelling presidency. Any bold ideas and stronger US global engagement that might have reached their zenith are quickly fading. The White House will only sink deeper into empty rhetoric as domestic political... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3030501/us-exits-world-stage-now-trump-fights-impeachment-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3030501/us-exits-world-stage-now-trump-fights-impeachment-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Sep 2019 17:00:07 +0000 Every social movement needs its symbols. They rally people to a shared cause and challenge the status quo. During recent Hong Kong protests, the umbrella and gas mask, immortalised in a modern version of Tiananmen Square’s Lady Liberty statue, have served that purpose well.  As thousands of demonstrators converged on the US consulate in Hong Kong recently, a new symbol rose as protesters waved the US flag and held signs that called on President Donald Trump to “liberate” Hong Kong from China’s... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3026885/hong-kongs-protesters-cant-count-donald-trump-he-wants-asia-solve?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3026885/hong-kongs-protesters-cant-count-donald-trump-he-wants-asia-solve?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Sep 2019 19:00:14 +0000 First he says he will, then he says he won’t, though in the end he might. Welcome to another dizzying episode of Trumplandia, featuring an array of contradictory policy announcements from the mercurial US president. First he raised China tariffs, then had second thoughts which morphed into wishing he’d raised them even more, all the while calling Chinese President Xi Jinping an “enemy”, and then wanting a deal. After 2½ difficult years, world leaders appear increasingly weary of Donald Trump’s... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3024982/trumps-policy-mood-swings-and-trade-chaos-are-making-world-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3024982/trumps-policy-mood-swings-and-trade-chaos-are-making-world-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Sep 2019 17:00:08 +0000 Where in the world has the United States gone? The Trump administration’s retreat from constructive global engagement is like matter at the edge of a black hole – only accelerating. President Donald Trump, in just the past week or so, has suggested that US-South Korea military exercises were “ridiculous and expensive”, while praising a letter from North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, to whom he gave another free pass on continued missile tests. He has largely ignored the chaos that is enveloping Hong... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3022980/china-ready-burdens-global-leadership-us-becomes-increasingly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3022980/china-ready-burdens-global-leadership-us-becomes-increasingly?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Aug 2019 19:00:10 +0000 Last Sunday, US President Donald Trump crossed the guarded border in Panmunjom, a village in the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea. He smiled and shook hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as photographers rushed to capture the history-making moment. This was, after all, the first time a sitting US president had set foot in reclusive North Korea. What could have been a breakthrough meeting between the last cold war rivals instead devolved into yet another photo-op for the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3017288/donald-trump-diplomatic-reality-show-becoming-global-menace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3017288/donald-trump-diplomatic-reality-show-becoming-global-menace?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jul 2019 14:05:05 +0000 Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have finally agreed to meet at the upcoming G20 Summit. The news was confirmed last Tuesday by the White House, not through a briefing, media gaggle or press release, but with a tweet from Trump that “extended” talks will happen at the end of the month when world leaders gather in Osaka, Japan. For those hoping that a resolution to trade tensions is near at hand, however, it is best to lower expectations now. Neither side is itching for a compromise that... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3015396/no-trade-war-breakthrough-no-problem-xi-and-trump-are-meeting-g20?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3015396/no-trade-war-breakthrough-no-problem-xi-and-trump-are-meeting-g20?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Jun 2019 17:00:08 +0000 People like stretching historical analogies over present-day problems, even when they don’t quite fit. It’s no wonder that the United States’ competition with China in trade and technology has been widely dubbed the “new cold war”, though it bears only a superficial resemblance to that period of ideological conflict. What the world faces now is much more complicated than that. We’re entering a chaotic period of shifting, unprincipled relationships. It’s not a competition between the “free world”... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3013986/hyping-us-china-trade-war-cold-war-misleading-its-more-complicated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3013986/hyping-us-china-trade-war-cold-war-misleading-its-more-complicated?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Jun 2019 13:30:08 +0000 China’s position as top US trade partner and largest source of American imports may be over as other economies gain from Beijing’s tariff troubles. Mexico and countries across Southeast Asia have already seen their percentage of US imports rise as China’s declines. This change will only accelerate as the trade war continues, and as of now there’s little reason to think it won’t go on for an extended period. If US President Donald Trump raises tariffs on all Chinese imports, as he’s threatened to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/3010685/chinas-pain-trade-us-will-fast-become-mexico-india-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/3010685/chinas-pain-trade-us-will-fast-become-mexico-india-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 May 2019 19:00:13 +0000