https://www.scmp.com/rss/513985/feed Minghao Zhao is a professor at and deputy director of the Centre for American Studies, Fudan University, and a China Forum expert. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Zhao Minghao Zhao Minghao The US military strike against Iran is, by most accounts, a war of choice. Most policy analysts believe Iran poses no imminent threat to the United States. President Donald Trump’s decision appears partly intended to offset the political fallout from setbacks in his tariff policies and reinforce his image as a strongman president. Trump is believed to have been encouraged by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to wage war. US military preparations for the operation appear limited and there... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3346798/us-war-iran-presents-complex-strategic-challenge-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3346798/us-war-iran-presents-complex-strategic-challenge-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:30:09 +0000 Zhao Minghao Zhao Minghao Chinese President Xi Jinping’s high-level meeting with US President Donald Trump in Busan, South Korea, sends a positive signal for China-US relations. Before the meeting, Trump posted on social media: “THE G2 WILL BE CONVENING SHORTLY!” The concept of a Group of Two (G2) refers to China and the United States collaborating to address global challenges. This idea was proposed in the 2000s by economist Fred Bergsten and touted by former US national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski. Over the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3331281/following-xi-trump-summit-g2-back-track?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3331281/following-xi-trump-summit-g2-back-track?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 21:30:08 +0000 More than anything else, the message from the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was one of continuity. Xi Jinping continues to serve as the party’s top leader, and his signature concepts such as “Chinese modernisation”, “high-quality development”, “common prosperity” and “community with a shared future” remain prominent in the 20th national congress report. Washington has already cast Xi’s China as the most serious geopolitical challenge the United States is facing. The... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197044/us-and-china-must-avoid-tragedy-armed-conflict-over-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197044/us-and-china-must-avoid-tragedy-armed-conflict-over-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Oct 2022 22:45:07 +0000