https://www.scmp.com/rss/511923/feed Lucy Quaggin is a New York City-based correspondent for the Post. She joined the Post as a digital production editor in 2021. Prior to this, she was a front page editor at Australia’s 7NEWS.com.au, and has worked across a number of newsrooms including HuffPost Australia, Sky News and ABC News 24 in Sydney, and Global Radio in London. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin China has emerged as a focal point in the debate over US birthright citizenship, as the nation’s Supreme Court appeared sceptical of oral arguments on Wednesday in a landmark case driven by President Donald Trump’s push to restrict the practice. Birthright citizenship “has spawned a sprawling industry of birth tourism”, said Solicitor General D. John Sauer, Trump’s top litigator, in his opening remarks before the highest court in the country. “Uncounted thousands of foreigners from potentially... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348722/china-targeted-birthright-citizenship-debate-supreme-court-justices-sceptical?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348722/china-targeted-birthright-citizenship-debate-supreme-court-justices-sceptical?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:21:48 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin The US Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday on birthright citizenship, with Chinese nationals at the centre of disputed claims of abuse amplified by US President Donald Trump’s immigration campaign. “Birthright Citizenship is not about rich people from China, and the rest of the World, who want their children, and hundreds of thousands more, FOR PAY, to ridiculously become citizens of the United States of America. It is about the BABIES OF SLAVES!” Trump wrote on social media on... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3348460/born-usa-china-targeted-americas-birthright-citizenship-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3348460/born-usa-china-targeted-americas-birthright-citizenship-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:55:09 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin In two different cases on Wednesday, United States authorities charged Chinese nationals with offences ranging from conspiring to smuggle advanced AI chips to China to drug trafficking and money laundering. The cases came on the same day US President Donald Trump announced new mid-May dates for his highly anticipated summit with China. The developments come as the two countries continue to compete over global leadership in artificial intelligence, and as Washington continues to accuse Beijing of... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3347923/chinese-nationals-companies-charged-us-smuggling-ai-chips-and-drug-trafficking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3347923/chinese-nationals-companies-charged-us-smuggling-ai-chips-and-drug-trafficking?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 23:50:59 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin Washington’s China policy lacks strategy, coherence and a clear framework in US President Donald Trump’s second term, mirroring his first, according to a former senior official in the Joe Biden administration. Former Biden officials, speaking at a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace event on Tuesday, said there was little evidence of systemic policy when they assumed power in early 2021, after Trump’s first term, a pattern that appeared to be repeating itself. “There were themes about how... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3347772/trumps-china-policy-lacks-strategy-and-coherence-former-biden-officials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3347772/trumps-china-policy-lacks-strategy-and-coherence-former-biden-officials?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 22:00:13 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin China’s strategy of promoting open artificial intelligence (AI) models and leveraging manufacturing dominance is “mutually reinforcing”, forming a feedback loop that could challenge US dominance in AI, according to a new report by a US congressional advisory body. “It is the intersection of these two loops – one digital, one physical – that gives China’s open strategy its compounding force and poses the most serious long-term challenge to US AI leadership,” the United States-China Economic and... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3347645/us-panel-credits-chinas-ai-edge-open-source-models-manufacturing-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3347645/us-panel-credits-chinas-ai-edge-open-source-models-manufacturing-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 22:34:03 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin In 2012, American Jesse Appell stepped off a plane in China on a Fulbright scholarship to study an unusual subject: the art of Chinese comedy. Over the next few years, Appell, then in his 20s, found himself telling jokes in clubs across China, studying traditional comedy under a master, and even appearing on television. The country’s comedy scene and cultural footprint expanded in ways he could not have predicted – and Appell was along for the ride. “There were so many opportunities to be a part... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3347393/fulbright-scholar-xiangsheng-comic-how-jesse-appell-found-his-voice-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3347393/fulbright-scholar-xiangsheng-comic-how-jesse-appell-found-his-voice-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 18:56:37 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin Beijing’s global pharmaceutical push is following a playbook seen in rare earths, semiconductors and electric vehicles, US lawmakers said on Wednesday, as concerns grow over the United States’ reliance on Chinese drug ingredients. “China is cornering the market on our medicines – from the supply of generic drugs that Americans depend on every day, to the cutting-edge biotech pipeline that will determine who leads medicine in the years and decades ahead,” said John Moolenaar, the chair of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347087/fears-grow-over-us-drug-supplys-rising-dependence-chinese-ingredients?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347087/fears-grow-over-us-drug-supplys-rising-dependence-chinese-ingredients?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 21:33:43 +0000 Lucy Quaggin,Fan Chen Lucy Quaggin,Fan Chen US President Donald Trump has said a planned meeting with his counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing would be delayed by at least “five or six weeks”, as China noted the two sides would remain in communication about the visit. “We’re working with China. They were fine with it … I look forward to seeing President Xi. He looks forward to seeing me, I think,” the American leader told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not confirm Trump’s timeline. “China and... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3346937/trump-confirms-delay-beijing-meeting-xi-amid-iran-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3346937/trump-confirms-delay-beijing-meeting-xi-amid-iran-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 19:19:15 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged other nations, including China, to deploy ships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil supplies disrupted by the war in the Middle East. “Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346628/iran-war-trump-urges-china-other-nations-send-warships-secure-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346628/iran-war-trump-urges-china-other-nations-send-warships-secure-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 16:37:02 +0000 Lucy Quaggin,Xinmei Shen Lucy Quaggin,Xinmei Shen Iran’s new supreme leader has vowed to keep blocking the Strait of Hormuz, attack US bases and avenge the blood of its martyrs in his first statement since succeeding his father. US President Donald Trump responded with an insult and threat soon after. “The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely be used,” Mojtaba Khamenei said about the strategic waterway, which carries about a fifth of global oil shipments. Khamenei urged Iran’s Gulf neighbours to close US military bases in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346408/irans-mojtaba-khamenei-tells-gulf-nations-close-us-bases-war-rages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346408/irans-mojtaba-khamenei-tells-gulf-nations-close-us-bases-war-rages?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 14:05:21 +0000 Xinmei Shen,Lucy Quaggin,Teresa Elena Frontado Xinmei Shen,Lucy Quaggin,Teresa Elena Frontado US Central Command (CENTCOM) has urged civilians to keep clear of all port facilities in Iran, an announcement that drew a warning from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of Gulf-wide retaliatory strikes if those sites are targeted. On Wednesday, CENTCOM said that the Iran was using civilian ports along the Strait of Hormuz to conduct military operations, which would make the ports legitimate military targets under international law. Civilians should immediately avoid all port facilities, and Iranian... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3346273/us-military-warns-civilians-avoid-port-facilities-used-iranian-navy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3346273/us-military-warns-civilians-avoid-port-facilities-used-iranian-navy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:42:52 +0000 Lucy Quaggin,Xinmei Shen Lucy Quaggin,Xinmei Shen US President Donald Trump warned Iran against laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday as the US unleashed some of the heaviest strikes of the war so far. Tensions over the critical shipping lane continued to escalate amid soaring global oil prices, with the US claiming it had destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels. Trump said that the US was using the same technology and missile capabilities deployed against drug traffickers in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean to “permanently... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3346147/hegseth-says-tuesday-will-be-most-intense-us-war-iran-trump-considers-endgame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3346147/hegseth-says-tuesday-will-be-most-intense-us-war-iran-trump-considers-endgame?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:51:47 +0000 Lucy Quaggin,Teresa Elena Frontado Lucy Quaggin,Teresa Elena Frontado US President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that American military objectives in Iran were nearly complete and the conflict could be nearing an end - a declaration met with a defiant vow from Tehran that the war would end on its own terms. Speaking at a news conference in Florida on the same day he discussed the war in a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump claimed the US was “achieving major strides towards completing our military objective”, adding that “some people could say... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346023/trump-and-putin-discuss-quick-ending-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346023/trump-and-putin-discuss-quick-ending-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 20:21:18 +0000 Lucy Quaggin,Mark Magnier,Xinmei Shen Lucy Quaggin,Mark Magnier,Xinmei Shen US President Donald Trump called on Iran’s armed forces on Thursday to surrender or face the consequences and urged the nation’s diplomats to request asylum at their postings around the world. “I’m once again calling on all members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the military and the police, to lay down their arms,” Trump said. “So you’ll be perfectly safe with total immunity, or you’ll face absolutely guaranteed death, and I don’t want to see that.” Speaking at the White House at a sports... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345628/trump-says-he-must-be-involved-picking-irans-new-leader-khameneis-son-unacceptable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345628/trump-says-he-must-be-involved-picking-irans-new-leader-khameneis-son-unacceptable?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:14:18 +0000 Xinmei Shen,Lucy Quaggin Xinmei Shen,Lucy Quaggin A bipartisan resolution that would block US President Donald Trump from launching further strikes on Iran failed to pass the Senate floor on Wednesday, as the Pentagon pledged to “accelerate” its actions in a war that’s “just getting started”. In a 52-47 procedural vote on Wednesday, the Republican-controlled Senate blocked a war powers resolution aimed at curbing Trump’s ability to escalate military action against Iran, preventing the measure from reaching the floor for debate. The resolution... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3345487/us-senate-rejects-bid-curb-trumps-iran-war-powers-pentagon-set-increase-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3345487/us-senate-rejects-bid-curb-trumps-iran-war-powers-pentagon-set-increase-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 23:42:10 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin As China and the United States compete to shape the future of artificial intelligence, Africa’s rapidly expanding digital landscape is emerging as a new arena for their rivalry, far from the technology hubs of Silicon Valley or Shenzhen. With a growing population, expanding internet access and linguistic diversity, Africa is increasingly seen as a critical region for AI development, according to analysts. Early infrastructure and platform decisions can shape the future of emerging technology... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3345483/africa-emerges-new-arena-us-china-competition-over-artificial-intelligence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3345483/africa-emerges-new-arena-us-china-competition-over-artificial-intelligence?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 20:10:11 +0000 Mark Magnier,Xinmei Shen,Finbarr Bermingham,Lucy Quaggin Mark Magnier,Xinmei Shen,Finbarr Bermingham,Lucy Quaggin US President Donald Trump used a White House meeting with the German Chancellor on Tuesday to blast European allies, praise China, waffle on tariffs and argue that the attack he launched against Iran prevented a nuclear war. Attended by Vice-President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House, Trump told reporters during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that his order to attack Iran even as negotiations were under way was justified. “If we didn’t do what... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3345327/trump-says-hell-cut-trade-spain-over-iran-war-stance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3345327/trump-says-hell-cut-trade-spain-over-iran-war-stance?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 20:25:20 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin US President Donald Trump’s 2026 Trade Policy Agenda sharpens and, in some ways, reshapes Washington’s approach to Beijing, blending enforcement with a new emphasis on “managed” trade between the world’s two largest economies. United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer delivered the 2026 Trade Policy Agenda and 2025 Annual Report to Congress on Monday, highlighting a significant shift in the US-China trade relationship. Managing trade with China for “reciprocity and balance” is one... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3345191/trumps-2026-trade-agenda-sharpens-push-managed-us-china-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3345191/trumps-2026-trade-agenda-sharpens-push-managed-us-china-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 20:45:28 +0000 Lucy Quaggin,Teresa Elena Frontado,Mark Magnier Lucy Quaggin,Teresa Elena Frontado,Mark Magnier US President Donald Trump said on Monday that US forces would press ahead with “ferocious, unyielding resolve” to “eliminate the intolerable threat posed by this sick and sinister regime” in Iran, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that “the hardest hits are yet to come”. “We projected for four to five weeks, but we have the capability to go longer than that,” Trump said, adding: “We’re already substantially ahead of our time projection”. In his speech on Monday at a White House... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3345185/iran-strikes-day-3-trump-says-iran-operation-will-continue-5-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3345185/iran-strikes-day-3-trump-says-iran-operation-will-continue-5-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 17:29:12 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Lucy Quaggin,Teresa Elena Frontado,Wendy Wu,Laura Zhou,Zhuang Pinghui Khushboo Razdan,Lucy Quaggin,Teresa Elena Frontado,Wendy Wu,Laura Zhou,Zhuang Pinghui Iran has confirmed the death of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in US and Israeli air strikes on the weekend, raising questions for the next leader of a country in a region bracing for further attacks. US President Donald Trump called Khamenei “one of the most evil people in history” and said the strikes delivered justice for Iranians, Americans and others “killed or mutilated” by him. As the US and Israeli attacks on Iran entered a second day, Tehran declared a seven-day public... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3344994/global-powers-divided-china-expresses-deep-concern-over-us-israel-strikes-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3344994/global-powers-divided-china-expresses-deep-concern-over-us-israel-strikes-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 14:48:19 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin United States first lady Melania Trump is set to chair a meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York on Monday, the White House announced, marking the first time a spouse of a serving world leader has done so. “First lady Melania Trump is set to make history at the United Nations, taking the gavel as the United States assumes the Security Council Presidency to emphasise education’s role in advancing tolerance and world peace,” the White House said. The US assumes a monthly... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3344794/melania-trump-preside-over-un-security-council-meeting-white-house-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3344794/melania-trump-preside-over-un-security-council-meeting-white-house-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 23:34:42 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Lucy Quaggin Khushboo Razdan,Lucy Quaggin Just hours apart on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, two congressional hearings laid bare the United States’ calibrated yet deeply sceptical approach to China, with senior officials stressing the pursuit of stable ties without trust and highlighting alleged Chinese efforts to steal or circumvent US technology restrictions. The officials’ appearances before Congress reflected bipartisan concern and underscored persistent tensions over trade and advanced technologies such as semiconductors, ahead of US... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344521/us-seeks-healthy-trade-relations-china-does-not-trust-it-lawmakers-clarify?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344521/us-seeks-healthy-trade-relations-china-does-not-trust-it-lawmakers-clarify?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 00:00:40 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Bochen Han,Xinmei Shen,Lucy Quaggin,Mark Magnier Khushboo Razdan,Bochen Han,Xinmei Shen,Lucy Quaggin,Mark Magnier In a consequential decision with billions of dollars on the line, the US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a lower-court ruling striking down President Donald Trump’s tariffs, coming just as the White House confirmed his visit to Beijing from March 31 to April 2. The South China Morning Post had exclusively reported the trip dates last week. By invalidating tariffs imposed under emergency presidential powers, the decision removes a powerful tool the White House had used to pressure Beijing,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3344180/us-supreme-court-rules-trumps-tariffs-unlawful?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3344180/us-supreme-court-rules-trumps-tariffs-unlawful?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 15:06:49 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin They are young, intensely competitive, and unapologetic about 80-hour work weeks. Welcome to the United States’ new generation of tech founders. Gen Z’s start-up class is reframing “millennial hustle culture” by shifting from side gigs and personal branding to a more rigid office grind, while looking to China for inspiration. It’s for this reason that US artificial intelligence start-ups are openly embracing 996, the controversial 9am to 9pm, six-day-a-week schedule popularised by Chinese tech... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344052/996-goes-west-us-ai-start-ups-adopt-china-techs-controversial-work-schedule-get-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344052/996-goes-west-us-ai-start-ups-adopt-china-techs-controversial-work-schedule-get-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 14:00:07 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin Lunar New Year wasn’t always on LuLu Grant’s radar. Adopted at two from Fuzhou, China and raised in the US state of Washington, Grant decided to cut her birth country out of her life at a young age. Decades later, she would celebrate Spring Festival alongside her birth family with a complex array of feelings about her two worlds. “People think that finding your birth family is so joyous, and part of it is, but it’s also very sad and very difficult,” she said, adding that “it’s not how I wish it... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344038/born-china-raised-us-adoptees-explore-meaning-identity-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344038/born-china-raised-us-adoptees-explore-meaning-identity-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:03:35 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin US President Donald Trump’s administration announced on Wednesday that it would rescind a rule rewarding electric vehicle production – eliminating the so-called “fuel content factor” – the latest in a series of actions rolling back federal support for EVs that analysts say could leave the US further behind in a global race increasingly shifting in China’s favour. The move comes as the US struggles to compete with China’s rapid growth in the EV sector, marking another setback for America’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343942/does-trumps-retreat-electric-vehicle-policy-risk-ceding-ground-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343942/does-trumps-retreat-electric-vehicle-policy-risk-ceding-ground-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 19:12:50 +0000 Lucy Quaggin,Xinmei Shen Lucy Quaggin,Xinmei Shen The CIA released a provocative recruitment video on Thursday targeting Chinese military officers, a move that exposes the underlying tensions threatening a fragile calm in US-China relations ahead of April’s highly anticipated meeting between the two countries’ leaders. The release of the recruitment video comes on the same day US President Donald Trump boasted about his “very good relationship” with China. It is likely to draw the ire of Beijing in the lead-up to the key diplomatic meeting with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343381/cia-post-new-video-recruit-chinese-military-officers-informants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343381/cia-post-new-video-recruit-chinese-military-officers-informants?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 19:39:09 +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 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin Countries having cautious reliance on China while maintaining constructive engagement is essential to the future of globalisation in a world where trade is increasingly used as a weapon, according to Canada’s former deputy prime minister. “In a world where the weaponisation of trade is real, we need to be thoughtful about where we’re building economic dependencies,” Chrystia Freeland told the Peterson Institute for International Economics during a discussion about the securitisation of trade and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342437/future-globalisation-less-economic-dependency-china-freeland-hopes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342437/future-globalisation-less-economic-dependency-china-freeland-hopes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:02:35 +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 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin Dressed like 1970s rock stars evoking bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Velvet Sundown look the part of a real band – with one key difference: despite millions of listeners, they do not exist. The group is generated by artificial intelligence. AI-generated music is exploding, with the rapid expansion of platforms like the United States’ Suno and Udio, as well as China’s Mureka. From creation to copyright, the technology is making waves globally. But the US and China are approaching it... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3341893/future-ai-music-us-and-china-strike-different-chords?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3341893/future-ai-music-us-and-china-strike-different-chords?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin Republicans in the United States increasingly oppose friendly cooperation with China, according to a new survey released on Wednesday, marking a major break with past decades. The report titled “The Growing Partisan Divide on US Foreign Policy”, published by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and drawing on 50 years of comparative data, found that respondents in the increasingly partisan US are sharply split on how Washington should deal with Beijing. Bipartisan agreement on the topic has... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341601/rise-republicans-wary-china-bipartisan-agreement-lessens-says-new-survey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341601/rise-republicans-wary-china-bipartisan-agreement-lessens-says-new-survey?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 22:51:15 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin Ongoing tariff wars and a dependence on China are two of the top emerging risks for the global defence sector, according to a report released this week by the UK-based consultancy WTW (Willis Towers Watson). The defence sector is facing several new challenges in an increasingly volatile geopolitical environment, framed by the industry’s dependence on China’s materials and ongoing uncertainty amid a tariff dispute between Beijing and Washington. “The defence sector’s reliance on Chinese materials... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3340911/china-reliance-and-tariff-wars-emerge-top-risks-global-defence-industry-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3340911/china-reliance-and-tariff-wars-emerge-top-risks-global-defence-industry-report?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 22:33:31 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin Beijing and Ottawa reached a “landmark” trade agreement last week, slashing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, in a move analysts said further cements China’s dominance and suggests the US decline in the global EV market. The deal will open Canada up to Chinese EVs, signalling a thaw in diplomatic relations and a major break from the US. The bilateral partnership marks a shift in direction for Canada’s automotive industry, coming during a month that saw China’s BYD topple Tesla as the world’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340746/beijing-ottawa-deal-reinforces-chinas-dominance-ev-industry-expense-us-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340746/beijing-ottawa-deal-reinforces-chinas-dominance-ev-industry-expense-us-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 20:11:32 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin United States President Donald Trump’s “America first” agenda is helping to make China great again and ushering in a “truly multipolar world”, according to a survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations. “A year on from Trump’s return, in countries across the globe, many people believe China is on the verge of becoming even more powerful,” the think tank said after surveying 25,949 people from 21 countries, including the US, China, Russia, Britain and Brazil. Most respondents thought... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340086/trumps-america-first-agenda-driving-countries-closer-china-survey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340086/trumps-america-first-agenda-driving-countries-closer-china-survey?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 02:28:28 +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 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin After years of competing head-to-head with China in electric vehicles, the United States is now widely seen as falling behind – a reality increasingly acknowledged even within Detroit. When asked about the topic recently on a podcast, US carmaker Ford’s own CEO said: “There’s no real competition from Tesla, GM or Ford with what we’ve seen from China. It is completely dominating the EV landscape globally and more outside China.” For much of the past decade, the global electric vehicle market was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3339104/byds-win-teslas-defeat-fords-pivot-widening-gap-us-china-ev-markets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3339104/byds-win-teslas-defeat-fords-pivot-widening-gap-us-china-ev-markets?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jan 2026 19:49:15 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin From the Michelin-starred Gramercy Tavern to popular cosy wine bar Cellar 36, a variety of Chinese wine is now on the menu for New York’s drinkers. Never before seen in the city, these wines are being introduced to bars, restaurants and retailers by Camden Hauge, an American entrepreneur and the person behind the China Wine Club. Hauge’s initiative aims to “bring the wildest, brightest and best of modern Chinese winemaking to the US”. China Wine Club officially launched its first portfolio of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3320123/how-chinese-wines-are-finding-new-fans-new-yorks-drinking-hotspots?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3320123/how-chinese-wines-are-finding-new-fans-new-yorks-drinking-hotspots?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jul 2025 04:15:11 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin On a Saturday morning in April, readers gathered in a park in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta for a monthly book club. Around 260 strangers sat on the grass, heads down, captivated by what they were reading. It almost looked like a regular book club, but there was a twist. Everyone here was reading something different: from fantasy, romance and religion to business and self-help books. Titles read included Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie, The Vegetarian by Nobel laureate Han Kang, and The... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3311163/how-silent-book-clubs-are-rising-around-world-readers-enjoy-no-pressure-events?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3311163/how-silent-book-clubs-are-rising-around-world-readers-enjoy-no-pressure-events?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 May 2025 23:15:08 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3296208/man-sentenced-over-murder-rape-doctor-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3296208/man-sentenced-over-murder-rape-doctor-india?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3272098/kamala-harris-kicks-us-presidential-bid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3272098/kamala-harris-kicks-us-presidential-bid?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jul 2024 19:07:54 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3265396/sexism-problem-plaguing-australias-schools?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3265396/sexism-problem-plaguing-australias-schools?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 May 2024 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3261087/australias-gender-based-violence-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3261087/australias-gender-based-violence-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Apr 2024 09:00:00 +0000 A more centralised power structure in China and political changes in the US that have put concerns about Beijing at the centre of national discourse will make it difficult for Chinese President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart Joe Biden to carry out the agreements they reached last month, a leading China analyst has concluded. Changes in China’s domestic politics “create and sustain incentives to see the United States as a long-term strategic and ideological adversary”, Evan Medeiros, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3244478/us-china-relationship-increasingly-driven-domestic-concerns-both-nations-analyst-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3244478/us-china-relationship-increasingly-driven-domestic-concerns-both-nations-analyst-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Dec 2023 22:06:38 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3237495/australias-historic-voice-vote?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3237495/australias-historic-voice-vote?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Oct 2023 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3281560/women-behind-indias-moon-landing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3281560/women-behind-indias-moon-landing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Sep 2023 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3225230/indias-acid-attack-survivors-fight-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3225230/indias-acid-attack-survivors-fight-change?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jun 2023 17:28:21 +0000 Global Impact is a weekly curated newsletter featuring a news topic originating in China with a significant macro impact for our newsreaders around the world. Sign up now! Last month saw the world mark International Women’s Day. The United Nations’ general secretary painted a sobering picture in the lead-up to the day, warning that gender equality would not be achieved for another 300 years if the world continues on the same track. Antonio Guterres said women’s rights are being “abused,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3215799/global-impact-300-years-achieve-gender-equality-un-chief-issues-warning-international-womens-day?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3215799/global-impact-300-years-achieve-gender-equality-un-chief-issues-warning-international-womens-day?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Apr 2023 06:00:16 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3213107/women-our-time-2023?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3213107/women-our-time-2023?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Mar 2023 08:30:00 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3192108/queen-elizabeth-ii-complex-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3192108/queen-elizabeth-ii-complex-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Sep 2022 01:00:29 +0000