https://www.scmp.com/rss/514920/feed Russian forces invaded Ukraine in late February 2022, turning Moscow into a global pariah in the worlds of finance, diplomacy, sports and culture, as the West punished it with sanctions. President Vladimir Putin called Russia’s actions - which have triggered the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II - a “special military operation”. Nuclear-armed Russia has warned of consequences if Nato interferes in Ukraine, while strategic ally China urges a peaceful, diplomatic solution. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com With the election of a staunch MAGA Republican to take the gavel of the House of Representatives in Washington, the end game of Ukraine counteroffensive might have come. House Speaker Mike Johnson is against continued aid to Ukraine, and the Republican-controlled House could simply kill US President Joe Biden’s demand for aid both to Israel and Ukraine. The Western alliance’s military aid is the only lifeline for Ukrainian efforts to continue the war. If the United States drops out, it is hardly... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3239380/ukraine-war-stalemate-makes-ceasefire-only-realistic-option?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3239380/ukraine-war-stalemate-makes-ceasefire-only-realistic-option?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Oct 2023 21:30:20 +0000 China was shocked by the Ukraine war and is worried about the situation as it tries to find a peaceful solution, a People’s Liberation Army strategist has said. Speaking on the sidelines of the recently concluded Shangri-La defence dialogue in Singapore, Lieutenant General He Lei stressed that Beijing had not been expecting the war, which began when Russia invaded its neighbour in February last year. “China is very anxious and regretful because so far we have not seen the dawn of peace,” He... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3223980/china-anxious-and-regretful-over-ukraine-war-says-pla-strategist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3223980/china-anxious-and-regretful-over-ukraine-war-says-pla-strategist?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jun 2023 22:00:10 +0000 China has only moderately expanded its energy ties with Russia since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, in a cautious approach that jars with the “no limits” partnership proclaimed by Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin before the war began, according to a new analysis. Russian oil and gas as a share of China’s overall imports of those products rose from 14 per cent to 16 per cent in value terms in 2022 from a year earlier. It ticked up to 16.9 per cent over the first four... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3222493/despite-no-limits-ties-china-has-moved-carefully-russian-energy-ukraine-invasion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3222493/despite-no-limits-ties-china-has-moved-carefully-russian-energy-ukraine-invasion?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jun 2023 07:00:11 +0000 Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin will visit China next week and meet President Xi Jinping in Beijing, Russian media reported on Friday. The visit, which will also include a stop in Shanghai for a bilateral business forum, comes as the two nations step up diplomatic efforts for talks over the war in Ukraine. Chinese special envoy Li Hui is continuing a European tour this week after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv to discuss conditions for peace talks. The Ukrainian... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3221190/russian-pm-lead-china-business-delegation-west-ramps-sanctions-over-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3221190/russian-pm-lead-china-business-delegation-west-ramps-sanctions-over-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 May 2023 14:00:13 +0000 The European Union is weighing sanctions on Chinese companies accused of providing help to Russia’s military in its invasion of Ukraine, diplomatic sources have confirmed. Ambassadors from the bloc’s 27 member states will hold initial discussions on Wednesday on a fresh package of sanctions proposed by the European Commission. Among proposed targets are eight private entities from China, six of which have headquarters in Hong Kong, in what would mark the first time the EU moved to sanction... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3219830/eu-weigh-sanctions-against-chinese-firms-accused-helping-russian-military?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3219830/eu-weigh-sanctions-against-chinese-firms-accused-helping-russian-military?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 May 2023 12:41:28 +0000 A frenzy of excited text messages and tweets greeted the news when Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky last month. It was the first time the two had conversed since Russia invaded Ukraine 14 months ago, and the call fulfilled a request the European Union had been making of Xi since early in the war. Some Brussels officials and Western European diplomats saw the call as a sign that China was not only serious in its efforts to broker peace in Ukraine,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3219594/after-xis-call-zelensky-thrilled-many-europe-now-comes-new-take-calm-down?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3219594/after-xis-call-zelensky-thrilled-many-europe-now-comes-new-take-calm-down?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 May 2023 13:00:17 +0000 Wednesday’s phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Ukraine counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky was a diplomatic coup for Beijing but China still faces formidable challenges in mediating any peace between Ukraine and Russia, analysts said. The hour-long conversation, which was cautiously welcomed by the US and its European allies, signalled that China is willing to take a more active role as a peacemaker in regional conflicts, the analysts said. It also shows that Chinese leaders now... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3218826/xis-phone-call-zelensky-diplomatic-coup-china-faces-hurdles-peace-broker-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3218826/xis-phone-call-zelensky-diplomatic-coup-china-faces-hurdles-peace-broker-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Apr 2023 01:00:21 +0000 An ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the world was probably on the verge of a new world war and the risks of a nuclear confrontation were rising. “The world is sick and quite probably is on the verge of a new world war,” Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Putin’s powerful security council, told a conference in Moscow. He said such a new world war was not inevitable but the risks of a nuclear confrontation were growing and more serious than concerns about climate... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3218301/ukraine-war-putin-ally-indicates-we-are-probably-verge-new-world-war-kyiv-counteroffensive-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3218301/ukraine-war-putin-ally-indicates-we-are-probably-verge-new-world-war-kyiv-counteroffensive-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Apr 2023 09:45:10 +0000 The Group of Seven (G7) economic powers called on Sunday for the “extension, full implementation and expansion” of a critical deal to export Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, the group’s agriculture ministers said in a communique. Brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, the deal was signed in Istanbul last July, allowing Ukraine to export more than 27 million tonnes of grain from several of its Black Sea ports. Russia, which invaded its neighbour in February 2022, has strongly signalled... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3218030/g7-calls-extension-full-implementation-and-expansion-black-sea-grain-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3218030/g7-calls-extension-full-implementation-and-expansion-black-sea-grain-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Apr 2023 04:21:17 +0000 A new study by Chinese military scientists named TikTok as one of several hi-tech companies involved in propaganda campaigns against Russia. TikTok stands out as the only Chinese-owned business on the list, which contains nearly 40 private entities from the internet, space, finance and AI sectors. According to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) investigation, TikTok has joined Facebook, Twitter, Google and other Western tech giants in offering a platform for cognitive war on Russia that has... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3217755/chinese-military-study-names-tiktok-among-tech-companies-involved-cognitive-war-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3217755/chinese-military-study-names-tiktok-among-tech-companies-involved-cognitive-war-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Apr 2023 04:00:13 +0000 As world leaders fly around the world discussing whether or how to bring Russia’s war on Ukraine to an end, a World Bank report has brought us abruptly down to earth. It estimates that it will cost at least US$411 billion to rebuild the country – over twice the size of Ukraine’s war-damaged economy, 12 times more than its reserves and, for perspective, roughly equivalent to Hong Kong’s entire gross domestic product. The Ukraine Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment report, a collaboration between... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3216408/cost-war-ukraines-reconstruction-bill-huge-world-can-afford-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3216408/cost-war-ukraines-reconstruction-bill-huge-world-can-afford-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Apr 2023 17:00:16 +0000 China has emphasised its opposition to the use of nuclear weapons during a United Nations discussion about Russia’s decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus. Geng Shuang, China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, speaking at a Security Council session called to discuss “threats to international peace and security”, described nuclear weapons as a “sword of Damocles hanging over our heads”. How Putin’s Belarus nuke plan tangles China’s Ukraine peace push He said that a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3215679/china-stresses-opposition-nuclear-war-after-russia-announces-plan-send-weapons-belarus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3215679/china-stresses-opposition-nuclear-war-after-russia-announces-plan-send-weapons-belarus?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Apr 2023 10:22:03 +0000 European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has accused China of pursuing a “systemic change of the international order” with Beijing at its centre. In a hotly anticipated speech about EU-China relations in Brussels on Thursday, von der Leyen said the commission would propose a new “economic security strategy later this year”, designed to counter what she described as an “increasingly assertive” Beijing. As part of this, the bloc would consider restricting European companies’ investments in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3215453/eu-chief-calls-muscular-policy-counter-chinas-alternative-world-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3215453/eu-chief-calls-muscular-policy-counter-chinas-alternative-world-order?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Mar 2023 13:04:34 +0000 Moscow’s plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in neighbouring Belarus may complicate Beijing’s efforts to broker peace in the Ukraine war, with observers raising concerns about nuclear proliferation risks. While the White House said there were no signs Moscow planned to use its nuclear weapons, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement on Saturday was seen as a warning to the US-led Nato over its military support for Ukraine. Putin’s announcement to station nuclear weapons abroad for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3214906/how-putins-belarus-nuke-plan-tangles-chinas-ukraine-peace-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3214906/how-putins-belarus-nuke-plan-tangles-chinas-ukraine-peace-push?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Mar 2023 13:00:11 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping’s just-concluded state visit to Moscow loomed large over a European Union leaders’ summit on Thursday, as the bloc fretted over the emergence of a new “world order” with China in the driver’s seat. China was not named on the official agenda but would feature in talks about trade, competitiveness and Ukraine, according to national leaders arriving in Brussels for the two-day European Council meeting, as well as officials and diplomats involved in its planning. Draft... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3214627/chinas-russia-ties-after-xi-visit-moscow-loom-large-eu-leaders-gather-brussels-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3214627/chinas-russia-ties-after-xi-visit-moscow-loom-large-eu-leaders-gather-brussels-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:57:02 +0000 While in office, US secretary of state Madeleine Albright referred to America as an “indispensable nation”, a statement that is still true. Last century, America ensured that Adolf Hitler’s totalitarian barbarism did not turn Europe into a dark place. This century, the United States – and Nato – has been the last line of defence against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s imperialist fantasies, and the primary reason a sovereign Ukraine still exists. US President Joe Biden has enforced his red... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3214199/what-if-america-under-trump-or-desantis-turns-its-back-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3214199/what-if-america-under-trump-or-desantis-turns-its-back-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Mar 2023 19:30:13 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a three-day visit to Russia next week as the world watches to see if Beijing will play a more active role in meditating peace between Ukraine and Russia. The visit had been widely expected but was only officially announced on Friday, days after Beijing brokered a peace deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia and Xi secured a norm-breaking third term as president. Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin described the trip as a “visit of friendship, cooperation and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3213957/china-confirms-xi-jinping-will-make-visit-friendship-cooperation-and-peace-russia-speculation-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3213957/china-confirms-xi-jinping-will-make-visit-friendship-cooperation-and-peace-russia-speculation-over?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Mar 2023 13:34:52 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive in Russia on Monday for a three-day state visit amid signs that Beijing is taking a more proactive role in resolving the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin said in a statement that during the visit, the two nations would discuss further development of their comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction. A number of important bilateral documents would also be signed, it said. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Xi’s trip was also to promote... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3213898/could-chinese-president-xi-jinpings-russia-trip-help-end-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3213898/could-chinese-president-xi-jinpings-russia-trip-help-end-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Mar 2023 08:37:32 +0000 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a 1962 Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical based on a Roman farce by Plautus (254–184 BC), that became a 1966 musical film. It’s about Roman slave Pseudolus who tried to win his freedom by persuading his owner Hero to win the heart of Philia next door, who is promised to soldier Miles Gloriosus. The show became a success when Sondheim changed the opening song, Love is in the Air, to Comedy Tonight, showing how romance is better sold as comedy. The... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3212955/why-global-south-are-falling-out-love-west-and-liberal-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3212955/why-global-south-are-falling-out-love-west-and-liberal-order?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Mar 2023 19:30:11 +0000 China can use its diplomatic, political and economic leverage to play a bigger role in pushing peace talks between Russia and Ukraine to help the two sides reach a ceasefire deal, according to analysts. Ukrainian reserve colonel Kostyantyn Khivrenko said China’s peace plan, released last month, reiterated its opinion on Russia’s invasion and was “not something new”, but the proposal suggested Beijing could have a positive influence on developments in the crisis. “This document should be... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3212848/china-has-tools-play-peacemaker-ukraine-war-it-must-use-them-correctly-and-keep-neutral-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3212848/china-has-tools-play-peacemaker-ukraine-war-it-must-use-them-correctly-and-keep-neutral-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Mar 2023 13:14:19 +0000 While no background factor can excuse Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Western powers are not “uninvolved bystanders who had no role to play” in the situation that led to the ongoing conflict, a top Singapore minister has said. In a keynote address on the war’s implications for Southeast Asia, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam sought to underscore that the background of the conflict was far more complicated than had been portrayed by mainstream news. Amid the complexities of the conflict,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3212847/russian-aggression-ukraine-inexcusable-west-not-uninvolved-bystanders-singapore-minister-k-shanmugam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3212847/russian-aggression-ukraine-inexcusable-west-not-uninvolved-bystanders-singapore-minister-k-shanmugam?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Mar 2023 13:13:58 +0000 Kyiv has opened a criminal investigation into what it said was Russia’s “brutal and brazen shooting of an unarmed person” depicted in a video spread on social media which prompted a public outcry in Ukraine. The 12-second video, which rapidly amassed shares on Twitter, shows an apparently unarmed man in a uniform with a Ukrainian flag insignia on his arm standing and smoking a cigarette in a wooded area. The man says “Slava Ukraini!” - Glory to Ukraine - before multiple shots are heard coming... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3212681/ukraine-investigates-alleged-russia-shooting-prisoner-war-after-he-says-glory-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3212681/ukraine-investigates-alleged-russia-shooting-prisoner-war-after-he-says-glory-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Mar 2023 09:54:36 +0000 As the well-known adage goes, the first casualty of war is the truth. Today, amid contesting narratives over the war in Ukraine, the observation is as true as ever: Russia’s narrative is fantastical, Nato’s is partial and unrealistic – and sceptical observers from the Global South have a different set of priorities. On display is an awkward and unsettling “the West vs the rest” development. As Western allies grouped around Nato converge on a consensus that Russia must be crushed in a titanic... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3212366/west-vs-rest-ukraine-war-rift-grows-peace-must-be-priority?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3212366/west-vs-rest-ukraine-war-rift-grows-peace-must-be-priority?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Mar 2023 13:30:10 +0000 Rhea Taibova, a Philippine migrant mother in Ukraine, shared a photo of her daughter on Facebook in December, along with the caption: “Happy 17 months, our not-so-little Lia”. The dark-eyed toddler peeks out from under her pink bobble hat. Framed against bare trees and a two-storey house in central Ukraine, she stands alone on a snow-covered road. The tranquillity of this photo is in sharp contrast to the graphic images that have come out of the country. Lia was just a baby when Russia invaded... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3212252/philippine-mum-ukraine-tries-give-baby-normal-life-even-war-rages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3212252/philippine-mum-ukraine-tries-give-baby-normal-life-even-war-rages?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Mar 2023 08:00:12 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. In China’s proposal for a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine crisis, the foreign ministry outlines 12 points, including respect for the sovereignty of all countries, abandonment of the Cold War... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3212149/ukraine-war-or-peace-world-should-give-chinas-plan-chance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3212149/ukraine-war-or-peace-world-should-give-chinas-plan-chance?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Mar 2023 06:30:10 +0000 Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida appears reluctant to visit Ukraine because of concerns that doing so may jeopardise the country’s energy supplies from Russia and that it may upset people in Japan who think Tokyo should not take sides in the war, analysts have said. Since US President Joe Biden’s surprise visit to Kyiv last month, international pressure has been growing for Kishida – the last remaining G7 leader not to visit Ukraine – to do the same. Speaking to Japanese media, deputy chief... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3212161/russian-backlash-energy-issues-holding-back-japans-kishida-ukraine-trip-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3212161/russian-backlash-energy-issues-holding-back-japans-kishida-ukraine-trip-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Mar 2023 04:00:22 +0000 Belarus intends to open a consulate in Hong Kong to cover affairs in the city and Macau, according to a 15-point joint declaration signed during President Alexander Lukashenko’s state visit to Beijing. During their meeting on Wednesday, Lukashenko and Chinese President Xi Jinping also agreed to further develop relations between the two countries and pledged to deepen all-round cooperation on issues ranging from trade to defence and technology. The wide-ranging declaration aims to serve as a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3212056/closer-ties-china-belarus-include-minsk-consulate-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3212056/closer-ties-china-belarus-include-minsk-consulate-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Mar 2023 08:09:00 +0000 When European and Chinese officials talk these days, the meetings tend to follow a certain pattern. The Europeans raise Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They ask China to use its influence over Russian President Vladimir Putin to help bring the war to an end, emphasising Beijing’s special responsibilities as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, and urge it not to send military support. The Chinese say the war is not their business, that they have no sway over Putin, and that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3211951/how-eu-china-relationship-became-casualty-russias-war-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3211951/how-eu-china-relationship-became-casualty-russias-war-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Mar 2023 13:30:18 +0000 Ukraine said it had survived a months-long winter onslaught of Russian strikes on water and energy infrastructure, as it marked the first day of spring on Wednesday. But Kyiv was under fierce pressure in the eastern town of Bakhmut while Moscow said it had downed a barrage of Ukrainian drones launched at the Crimean peninsula. Since October Russia has been pummelling key facilities in Ukraine with missiles and drones, disrupting water, heating and electricity supplies to millions of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3211988/ukraine-survives-most-difficult-winter-history-says-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3211988/ukraine-survives-most-difficult-winter-history-says-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Mar 2023 12:50:39 +0000 Belarus endorsed China’s peace proposal for Ukraine on Wednesday as both Beijing and Minsk vowed to strengthen cooperation amid concerns over Beijing’s role in the Ukraine conflict. In talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko offered his country’s support for China’s global security initiatives. Lukashenko said the meeting was taking place at a time that required “new non-standard approaches and responsible political decisions”. “[These... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3211980/belarus-lukashenko-gives-full-support-chinas-global-security-initiatives-despite-western-scepticism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3211980/belarus-lukashenko-gives-full-support-chinas-global-security-initiatives-despite-western-scepticism?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Mar 2023 12:00:10 +0000 The raging war in Ukraine is propelling the growth of South Korea’s defence industry, with buyers such as Malaysia attracted by its trustworthy weapons that can be supplied at good prices in short order, analysts said. One year after Russia invaded Ukraine, South Korean weapons manufacturers are being flooded with orders for missiles, self-propelled howitzers, tanks, aircraft and multiple-rocket launchers from across the globe. South Korea’s defence exports jumped 134 per cent year on year in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3211819/south-korean-weapons-high-demand-malaysia-poland-war-ukraine-rages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3211819/south-korean-weapons-high-demand-malaysia-poland-war-ukraine-rages?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Mar 2023 00:31:42 +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! Around a month after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine, US counterpart Joe Biden declared that the Russian leader was a dangerous man who should not be allowed to remain in power. “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Biden said in an address outside the Royal Castle in Warsaw,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3211786/global-impact-battle-lines-drawn-more-ways-one-ukraine-war-marks-first-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3211786/global-impact-battle-lines-drawn-more-ways-one-ukraine-war-marks-first-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Feb 2023 06:00:15 +0000 China’s proposal on Ukraine deserves “great attention” and Russia will study the ideas in detail, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. At the same time, he said Russia sees “no preconditions at present” for the conflict to shift tack and will continue its military operation. Ukraine and its allies rejected the Chinese initiative as unacceptably biased towards Russia’s interests soon after Beijing announced it last week. China’s plan to end the war in Ukraine urged both sides to agree to a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3211783/ukraine-war-kremlin-study-china-peace-proposal-kyiv-says-no-signs-beijing-arming-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3211783/ukraine-war-kremlin-study-china-peace-proposal-kyiv-says-no-signs-beijing-arming-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Feb 2023 05:13:06 +0000 India appears to have failed in its mission to stop G20 countries from calling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “war”. While hosting financial ministers of the Group of 20 in Bangalore last week, Indian delegates tried to get members to call the Ukraine war a “challenge” or a “crisis” instead, multiple reports said. Russia, which is a member of the G20 and sent a delegation to the meetings, has previously discouraged the use of the word “war” to refer to its military action in Ukraine. To sway... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3211767/indias-bid-rebrand-ukraine-war-challenge-or-crisis-fails-g20-meet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3211767/indias-bid-rebrand-ukraine-war-challenge-or-crisis-fails-g20-meet?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Feb 2023 04:32:07 +0000 The United Nations Human Rights chief Volker Turk warned on Monday that human rights gains made in recent decades were being reined back and even reversed, citing Russia’s “senseless” invasion of Ukraine as a current example of oppression. “Much of the progress made over decades is being reined back and even reversed in some parts,” High Commissioner Turk said in a speech on the opening day of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, attended by more than 100 ministers and heads of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3211658/russia-ukraine-war-looms-large-un-human-rights-council-meets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3211658/russia-ukraine-war-looms-large-un-human-rights-council-meets?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Feb 2023 06:33:19 +0000 India’s greater visibility on the world stage in recent years and its refusal to take sides in the Ukraine war amid a major power rivalry are likely why Southeast Asian countries increasingly view New Delhi as a strategic partner, analysts say. In a survey released this month by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, a growing number of respondents from the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) said they would choose India, after the European Union and Japan,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3211524/why-indias-status-among-asean-nations-rising?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3211524/why-indias-status-among-asean-nations-rising?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Feb 2023 00:30:12 +0000 Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that after Russia suspended its participation in the last arms control agreement with Washington, it would “take into account” the nuclear weapons capabilities not only of the United States but of other Nato countries such as France and Britain. Putin had said in a speech suspending Russia’s role in the 2010 New START treaty last week that France and Britain, not parties to the agreement, had joined the United States in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3211625/russia-will-take-account-natos-nuclear-capability-says-vladimir-putin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3211625/russia-will-take-account-natos-nuclear-capability-says-vladimir-putin?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Feb 2023 23:43:52 +0000 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has led to tens of thousands of deaths on both sides and created Europe’s largest refugee wave since World War II. In this multimedia series marking the one-year anniversary of the conflict, we look at China’s response to what Russian President Vladimir Putin called a “special military operation” and its diplomatic, military, monetary and economic impact. Kyiv and Moscow might be thousands of kilometres from Africa, but the impact of the Russian... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3210689/how-ukraine-war-has-turned-africa-geopolitical-battleground-china-russia-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3210689/how-ukraine-war-has-turned-africa-geopolitical-battleground-china-russia-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Feb 2023 14:30:10 +0000 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated he believes his opponent Vladimir Putin will eventually be toppled by people from within Russia’s political regime. “There will certainly be a moment when the fragility of Putin’s regime is felt in Russia,” Zelensky told Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Komarov in a new documentary. “Then carnivores will eat the carnivore. It is very important, and they will need a reason to justify this”, a “reason” to “kill the killer”. “Will it work? Yes. When?... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3211608/zelensky-predicts-putin-will-be-toppled-his-own-people-theyll-find-reason-kill-killer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3211608/zelensky-predicts-putin-will-be-toppled-his-own-people-theyll-find-reason-kill-killer?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Feb 2023 13:26:26 +0000 Belarusian President and long-time Moscow ally Alexander Lukashenko will arrive in Beijing on Tuesday for a three-day visit amid intense scrutiny of China’s close ties with Russia and its position on the Ukraine war. Belarus was among the first countries to join Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative and it became an “all-weather” strategic partner with China in September. A staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko is expected to voice support for Beijing’s 12-point position... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3211601/belarusian-leader-lukashenko-head-china-critics-question-beijings-ukraine-peace-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3211601/belarusian-leader-lukashenko-head-china-critics-question-beijings-ukraine-peace-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Feb 2023 13:00:12 +0000 The North African country of Algeria relies heavily on Moscow for its military hardware, but that could change if the war in Ukraine drags on, to the benefit of Chinese arms exporters. As the war enters its second year and Russia prioritises its front-line military needs over exports, Algeria and many other African countries that buy most of their arms from Russia could be forced to look for alternative suppliers. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Algeria is the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3211224/will-russias-focus-resupplying-troops-ukraine-open-arms-export-door-china-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3211224/will-russias-focus-resupplying-troops-ukraine-open-arms-export-door-china-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Feb 2023 10:00:13 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. On a recent train journey, I couldn’t help but overhear two men loudly discussing a topic of irritation. It went something like this. First Man: “I really can’t stand it any more. Just when I... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3211258/how-overcome-compassion-fatigue-world-full-refugees?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3211258/how-overcome-compassion-fatigue-world-full-refugees?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Feb 2023 03:30:10 +0000 The Ukraine war has fuelled the already intensive arms race around China over the past year, Chinese experts have warned. China’s neighbours have stepped up their military expansion and preparations since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to researchers from the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of International Relations. In a paper published by Renmin University’s Pacific journal, the researchers said the war in Europe had already significantly altered... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3211415/ukraine-war-1-year-chinas-neighbours-intensify-regional-arms-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3211415/ukraine-war-1-year-chinas-neighbours-intensify-regional-arms-race?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Feb 2023 22:00:12 +0000 The European Union vowed to increase pressure on Moscow “until Ukraine is liberated” as it adopted a tenth package of sanctions on Russia on Saturday, a day after the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. “We now have the most far-reaching sanctions ever – depleting Russia’s war arsenal and biting deep into its economy,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter, adding the bloc was turning up the pressure on those trying to circumvent EU sanctions. I welcome the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3211560/eu-adopts-fresh-sanctions-amid-vow-ramp-pressure-moscow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3211560/eu-adopts-fresh-sanctions-amid-vow-ramp-pressure-moscow?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Feb 2023 18:44:13 +0000 Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said forces of his Wagner group had captured the village of Yahidne, just north of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine on Saturday. Reuters could not independently confirm the claim, which Prigozhin made in a short audio message. “At 1900 on 25th February, storm units of the Wagner private military company secured complete control of the locality of Yagodnoye (Yahidne) to the north of Bakhmut,” Prigozhin said in the clip. A day earlier, he said Wagner had taken... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3211559/wagner-fighters-capture-ukrainian-village-near-bakhmut-claims-russian-mercenary-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3211559/wagner-fighters-capture-ukrainian-village-near-bakhmut-claims-russian-mercenary-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Feb 2023 17:48:18 +0000 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has led to tens of thousands of deaths on both sides and created Europe’s largest refugee wave since World War II. In this multimedia series marking the one-year anniversary of the conflict, we look at China’s response to what Russian President Vladimir Putin called a “special military operation” and its diplomatic, military and economic impact. China has been taking steps toward boosting its own currency overseas and empowering its... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3211474/ukraine-war-1-year-conflict-presents-china-us-financial-decoupling-woes-weigh-both?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3211474/ukraine-war-1-year-conflict-presents-china-us-financial-decoupling-woes-weigh-both?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Feb 2023 14:30:11 +0000 French President Emmanuel Macron plans to visit China in early April in hopes of encouraging Beijing to pressure Russia into ending the war in Ukraine. Macron said in Paris on Saturday that peace was only possible if “the Russian aggression was halted, troops withdrawn and [the] territorial sovereignty of Ukraine and its people was respected”. “The fact that China is engaging in peace efforts is a good thing,” he said. “China must help us put pressure on Russia so that it never uses chemical or... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3211548/french-president-emmanuel-macron-visit-china-april-mission-help-end-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3211548/french-president-emmanuel-macron-visit-china-april-mission-help-end-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Feb 2023 13:32:42 +0000 Chinese and Nato military officials have held talks in Brussels on the war in Ukraine, a move that one Chinese analyst described as a positive sign of a post-Covid return to normal. The talks on Thursday took place a day before Beijing released its 12-point plan for resolving the Ukraine conflict and amid warnings to China from Europe and the United States not to supply weapons to Russia. “[The talks] were focused on developing bilateral relations on defence, exchanging comments on geopolitical... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3211541/ukraine-agenda-china-nato-military-talks-resume-after-covid-induced-break?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3211541/ukraine-agenda-china-nato-military-talks-resume-after-covid-induced-break?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Feb 2023 12:00:11 +0000 US President Joe Biden said on Friday that he did not expect China to supply weapons to Russia in support of Moscow’s war against Ukraine, but that Washington would respond if he turned out to be wrong. “I don’t anticipate – we haven’t seen it yet – but I don’t anticipate a major initiative on the part of China providing weaponry to Russia,” the US leader told ABC News. “We would impose severe sanctions on anyone” who would arm Russia, Biden said, when pressed on the issue. “We would... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3211521/biden-brushes-concerns-about-china-arming-russia-promises-severe-sanctions-if-it-does?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3211521/biden-brushes-concerns-about-china-arming-russia-promises-severe-sanctions-if-it-does?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Feb 2023 03:53:38 +0000 Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other Group of Seven leaders adopted a set of additional sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine at an online G7 summit on Friday to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the invasion. The leaders renewed their commitment to “intensifying our diplomatic, financial and military support for Ukraine, to increasing the costs to Russia and those supporting its war effort,” and countering the negative impact on the rest of the world,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3211518/ukraine-war-japan-other-g7-leaders-step-russia-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3211518/ukraine-war-japan-other-g7-leaders-step-russia-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Feb 2023 03:00:25 +0000