https://www.scmp.com/rss/508783/feed Yun Sun is a Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the East Asia Programme and Director of the China Programme at the Stimson Center. Her expertise is in Chinese foreign policy, US-China relations and China’s relations with neighbouring countries and authoritarian regimes. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Chinese policy in the Middle East is shaped by two factors: China’s threat perceptions and its strategic calculus regarding its great-power competition with the United States. And when it comes to dealing with the US, China’s approach comes down to three “noes”: no cooperation, no support and no confrontation. This credo underlies China’s decision not to push back against the Iran-backed Houthis as they carry out drone and missile attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes. The Red Sea attacks – a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3251355/houthi-red-sea-crisis-serves-chinas-main-goal-undermining-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3251355/houthi-red-sea-crisis-serves-chinas-main-goal-undermining-us?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Feb 2024 06:30:13 +0000 President Xi Jinping’s report to the 20th party congress did not raise many new concepts on the Taiwan issue. But the emphasis, one could argue, has definitely shifted. While “peaceful reunification” and “one country, two systems” are still hailed as the best options for Taiwan, the call to fight against “interference by external forces” has gained significantly more prominence. For most observers, the question of Beijing’s use of force on Taiwan is still the most critical. Xi’s report maintains... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3198152/next-taiwan-strait-flashpoint-beijing-sees-coercive-force-peaceful-nudging-us-does-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3198152/next-taiwan-strait-flashpoint-beijing-sees-coercive-force-peaceful-nudging-us-does-not?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Nov 2022 17:00:20 +0000 More than a year has passed since the Taliban took over Kabul. No country has formally recognised the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan as the government, including China. And Afghanistan’s relationship with its neighbours, such as Tajikistan and Pakistan, remains problematic. Despite domestic enthusiasm and foreign speculation a year ago about Afghanistan’s strategic utility and commercial value for China, Beijing has remained extremely cautious in its engagement. Diplomatic recognition and major... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3194817/why-china-hesitates-invest-afghanistan-or-recognise-taliban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3194817/why-china-hesitates-invest-afghanistan-or-recognise-taliban?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Oct 2022 17:00:11 +0000 Beijing’s military reaction to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last month, including the unprecedented show of force around the island, has triggered many different interpretations. Many see the actions as “premeditated”. Some even see them as the result of a decision to abandon peaceful unification before Pelosi’s visit, which merely provided a trigger. The new Taiwan white paper further reinforced the belief that Beijing’s priority has shifted from deterring independence to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3190973/us-china-suspicion-grows-taiwan-strait-instability-could-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3190973/us-china-suspicion-grows-taiwan-strait-instability-could-be?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Sep 2022 17:30:20 +0000 Despite the severe sabre-rattling by the Chinese media and interlocutors before US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, Beijing’s reaction has been more moderate than its early threats suggested. People can debate the extent to which the Chinese military exercises have changed the status quo on the ground. However, the US and China have been able to avoid a high-intensity, high-stakes military confrontation this time. And that should leave the world much to ponder. Since reports... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3188000/major-crisis-averted-taiwan-strait-time-what-happens-next?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3188000/major-crisis-averted-taiwan-strait-time-what-happens-next?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Aug 2022 01:15:27 +0000 Events in Myanmar this week have shocked the world. Yet while the West has moved rapidly to designate the military takeover as a coup, China has made no such determination – maintaining instead a neutral and non-committal position on the neighbouring country’s internal turmoil, and rejecting any political or moral judgments on it. While this position is neither new nor surprising, it has a fully justified internal logic. However, Myanmar’s unexpected political developments will inevitably... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3120586/why-china-sees-difficult-choices-myanmars-political-realities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3120586/why-china-sees-difficult-choices-myanmars-political-realities?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Feb 2021 14:00:09 +0000