https://www.scmp.com/rss/515546/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham China’s close ties with Russia should be a “disqualifying factor” in Beijing’s bid to launch talks on a free-trade agreement with the European Union, Finland’s foreign minister has said. In meetings with European leaders, Beijing has been floating the prospect of a trade or investment deal, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz last month said a pact could be possible in the future. In an exclusive interview in Helsinki on Wednesday, however, Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen poured cold water on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351183/chinas-russia-ties-mean-eu-trade-deal-table-finland-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351183/chinas-russia-ties-mean-eu-trade-deal-table-finland-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:12:42 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang China is expanding its agricultural trade with Ukraine with further opening of its wheat flour market, a move that underscores its pragmatism and balanced diplomacy as it also increases energy imports from Russia. On Monday, China’s ambassador to Ukraine, Ma Shengkun, signed a protocol with Ukrainian officials regarding inspection, quarantine and sanitary requirements for the export of Ukrainian wheat flour to China, the embassy in Kyiv said in a social media post . The agreement would broaden... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3349256/beyond-russian-oil-china-also-increases-appetite-ukrainian-wheat-flour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3349256/beyond-russian-oil-china-also-increases-appetite-ukrainian-wheat-flour?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:00:12 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham After eight years in the deep freeze, the European Parliament is sending an official delegation to China next week in the clearest sign yet that Beijing’s targeted lobbying blitz of its members is paying off. Seven members from the parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) will travel to Beijing and Shanghai alongside Engin Eroglu, head of its China delegation. They will meet officials, customs and port authorities, lawmakers and companies, including Shein and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348098/european-parliament-heads-china-after-8-years-members-say-its-no-sign-giving?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348098/european-parliament-heads-china-after-8-years-members-say-its-no-sign-giving?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 05:55:21 +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 Xiaofei Xu,Ji Siqi Xiaofei Xu,Ji Siqi Across Europe, demand for Chinese goods is soaring as consumers seek quality products at a lower cost. Some goods – particularly electric vehicles, batteries and solar panels – have been shipped from China at a large enough scale that the continent’s lawmakers have begun taking action against an “overcapacity” they feel could throttle domestic industries. But in one European country where multi-day blackouts are commonplace, buyers are rushing to secure a piece of that excess supply, desperate... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3342654/beijing-and-moscow-tout-ties-chinas-companies-keep-ukraines-lights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3342654/beijing-and-moscow-tout-ties-chinas-companies-keep-ukraines-lights?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 22:00:29 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan China’s leader Xi Jinping spoke with US President Donald Trump by phone on Wednesday, just hours after a video call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the Chinese readout, Xi told Trump that the Taiwan question was the “most important” issue in China-US relations, stressing that the island was Chinese territory and that Beijing would never allow it to be separated. Xi said China must safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and urged Washington to handle... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342409/hours-after-call-vladimir-putin-xi-jinping-talks-donald-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342409/hours-after-call-vladimir-putin-xi-jinping-talks-donald-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 13:46:59 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng Chinese cross-border e-commerce entrepreneur Andy Guo has just opened two warehouses covering a total of 5,000 square metres (53,820 sq ft) on the outskirts of Moscow. He said the move was not about addressing logistical bottlenecks, but preparing his business for a potential geopolitical shift that could reshape his fastest-growing yet most uncertain overseas market if Russia and Ukraine reach a peace deal. US President Donald Trump has continued to push for the end of hostilities between... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335521/chinese-firms-prepare-reopening-russian-market-amid-talks-aimed-peace-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335521/chinese-firms-prepare-reopening-russian-market-amid-talks-aimed-peace-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 12:57:35 +0000 Mark Magnier,Frank Tang Mark Magnier,Frank Tang Washington initiated the phone call between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Monday, Beijing has clarified, describing the conversation as “positive”. “According to my understanding, the call was initiated by the US side, and the atmosphere of the conversation was positive, friendly and constructive,” Mao Ning, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, told a regular press conference on Tuesday. Communication between the two heads of state on issues of shared concern... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333998/xi-trump-hold-rare-call-taiwan-tensions-flare-after-japans-warning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333998/xi-trump-hold-rare-call-taiwan-tensions-flare-after-japans-warning?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:18:39 +0000 Wang Huiyao Wang Huiyao The now-delayed meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary, could have been a turning point towards peace in Ukraine. Instead, it has revealed a deeper fault line. However, it is one that can be overcome. Even the Kremlin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, believes that the parties are close to an end to the war. The global community should offer an off-ramp and seek a middle ground amenable to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3330630/only-multipolar-coalition-can-secure-ukraine-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3330630/only-multipolar-coalition-can-secure-ukraine-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Oct 2025 12:30:13 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham European Union leaders still want to collaborate with the United States on China policy – even as Washington’s envoys continue to slam the bloc’s digital laws. The dynamic played out at a forum in Brussels on Tuesday, where American diplomats bashed Europe’s green, digital and economic policies, insisting that the EU would need to change if it wanted to stay in US President Donald Trump’s good graces. “I’ve been told I can’t say deregulation because it makes everybody upset, but simplification.... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327488/europe-us-continue-seek-common-ground-china-despite-other-policy-differences?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327488/europe-us-continue-seek-common-ground-china-despite-other-policy-differences?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 09:00:18 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao As Washington continues to retreat from its traditional leadership role in the post-war international order, particularly under the “America first” doctrine, Beijing has stepped in with a calculated response to the widening vacuum in global governance, unveiling what observers call a “master plan” for reform. China’s newly unveiled Global Governance Initiative (GGI), launched this month to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, represents its most comprehensive and structured... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325746/us-retreats-can-xi-jinpings-new-initiative-shape-future-world-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325746/us-retreats-can-xi-jinpings-new-initiative-shape-future-world-order?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:00:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump urged European countries on Thursday to put economic pressure on China because of its support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the White House said. Speaking by video conference with European leaders gathered in Paris, Trump also said “Europe must stop purchasing Russian oil that is funding the war”, a senior White House official said on condition of anonymity. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who also took part in the meeting, said earlier that Trump was “very... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3324399/trump-tells-europe-put-economic-pressure-china-over-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3324399/trump-tells-europe-put-economic-pressure-china-over-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 19:55:47 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma China agreed to build a new gas pipeline with Russia, and signed a 30-year supply deal, giving the country cheap and secure energy supplies in return for boosting its sanctions-hit neighbour’s economy. The Power of Siberia 2 pipeline will be capable of delivering 50 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year from western Siberia to China’s Xinjiang region via Mongolia, Gazprom head Alexei Miller told Russian media, according to Reuters. Few other details were released about the 2,600-kilometre... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3324048/russia-wins-china-gas-deal-trump-fails-divide-no-limits-partners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3324048/russia-wins-china-gas-deal-trump-fails-divide-no-limits-partners?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 09:01:17 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao The protracted war in Ukraine has emerged as a global watershed, redrawing alignments and shifting geopolitical alliances across continents. For China, it is also a moment of reckoning – a revealing lens that highlights the tensions within Beijing’s foreign policy, where strategic pragmatism often clashes with its declared principles. As Ukraine marked its Independence Day on Sunday, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to his counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, in a highly unusual... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323233/has-ukraine-war-left-china-facing-strategic-foreign-policy-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323233/has-ukraine-war-left-china-facing-strategic-foreign-policy-test?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Aug 2025 12:58:30 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen Chinese President Xi Jinping sent his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky a message to mark the country’s independence day on Sunday – the first public congratulations sent by Beijing since the Russian invasion of February 2022. Xi’s message, which Zelensky posted on social media, said: “Over the past 33 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China-Ukraine relations have developed steadily, and cooperation in various fields has yielded remarkable results. “I stand ready to work... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323048/chinese-president-xi-jinping-sends-independence-day-greetings-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323048/chinese-president-xi-jinping-sends-independence-day-greetings-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Aug 2025 10:00:21 +0000 Connor Mycroft,Edith Lin Connor Mycroft,Edith Lin Hong Kong’s alleged transshipment of Western-sanctioned dual-use goods for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine remains a “major concern” for the European Union, the bloc’s top envoy in the city has said. At an event on Friday to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day, Harvey Rouse, the head of the EU office in Hong Kong, said he had continued to raise the issue with city authorities and hoped there could be “progress together”. “It remains a major concern that Russia keeps receiving dual-use goods for its... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3322835/top-eu-envoy-hong-kong-says-alleged-russian-transshipments-major-concern?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3322835/top-eu-envoy-hong-kong-says-alleged-russian-transshipments-major-concern?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 10:00:44 +0000 Wang Huiyao Wang Huiyao The International Organisation for Mediation launched in Hong Kong late last month, counting 32 countries as founding signatories. An institution designed to supplement and actualise Article 33 of the United Nations Charter is something the world increasingly needs as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drags into its fourth year. Recent peace talks in Istanbul produced no appreciable progress, while swings on the battlefield have long since given way to a grinding impasse. Neither side appears capable... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3313842/why-china-remains-worlds-best-chance-peace-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3313842/why-china-remains-worlds-best-chance-peace-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Jun 2025 21:30:07 +0000 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Chinese citizens were working at a drone production site in Russia and suggested that Moscow may have “stolen” drone technology from China. The Ukrainian leader made the comment at a news conference in Kyiv days after he said China was supplying weapons and gunpowder to Russia, the first time he has accused Beijing of direct military aid to Moscow, something China staunchly denies. Ukraine’s foreign ministry said it had summoned Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3307513/ukraines-zelensky-says-chinese-citizens-working-drone-production-site-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3307513/ukraines-zelensky-says-chinese-citizens-working-drone-production-site-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Apr 2025 18:26:00 +0000 Ukraine has intelligence that shows China is supplying artillery and gunpowder to Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday. “We have finally received information that China is supplying weapons to the Russian Federation,” Zelensky said at a press conference in Kyiv. “We believe that Chinese representatives are engaged in the production of some weapons on the territory of Russia,” he said. He did not specify whether he meant artillery systems or shells. The allegation is... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3306986/ukraine-has-evidence-china-supplying-russia-weapons-zelensky-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3306986/ukraine-has-evidence-china-supplying-russia-weapons-zelensky-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Apr 2025 16:41:32 +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 Leung Chai-yan was our friend before she became a public figure. We knew her as our boarding school dorm mate and, later, neighbour with a unique sense of humour, a mercurial energy and a brilliance... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3306553/friends-who-loved-her-leung-chai-yan-was-kind-brilliant-and-brave?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3306553/friends-who-loved-her-leung-chai-yan-was-kind-brilliant-and-brave?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Apr 2025 03:30:07 +0000 Beijing would like to participate in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, China’s foreign aid and international development agency announced on Monday. The country would help “in accordance with the wishes of the parties”, Li Ming, a spokesman for the China International Development Cooperation Agency, also known as China Aid, told reporters. “China is willing to continue to provide assistance to the best of our ability, which also includes participation in the future reconstruction of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3302742/china-seeks-role-ukraines-post-war-reconstruction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3302742/china-seeks-role-ukraines-post-war-reconstruction?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Mar 2025 15:30:41 +0000 If there was any doubt about where the US stands on Ukraine after its UN vote against a resolution condemning Russia on February 24, it was dispelled by the stand-off between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House just days later, further confirmed by the suspension of military aid and intelligence support. Now that the US has disqualified itself, the role of peacemaker has fallen on the shoulders of a European “coalition of the willing” –... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3301658/ukraine-must-look-beyond-us-chart-its-own-course-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3301658/ukraine-must-look-beyond-us-chart-its-own-course-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Mar 2025 08:30:08 +0000 China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke to media on the sidelines of the annual “two sessions” meetings on Friday, taking swipes at Donald Trump without naming the US president while reinforcing China’s narrative that it seeks to nurture the development of a multipolar world. Responding to a question about how China will engage with Trump in his second term, Wang didn’t mince words: “No country should fantasise that it can suppress China and maintain good relations with China,” he said. “Such... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3301445/two-sessions-panama-ports-february-inflation-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3301445/two-sessions-panama-ports-february-inflation-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Mar 2025 09:06:58 +0000 During dark times in Europe, which are arriving with alarming frequency these days, optimists like to say that the continent was “forged in crisis”. The quote from one of the European Union’s founding fathers, Jean Monnet, has been wheeled out during banking crashes and sovereign debt crises, the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to show that the notoriously divided bloc comes together at moments of true cataclysm. In the cafes of Brussels, it has been heard more than ever... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3301266/next-level-urgency-eu-leaders-spring-action-reality-us-pivot-russia-hits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3301266/next-level-urgency-eu-leaders-spring-action-reality-us-pivot-russia-hits?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Mar 2025 06:40:09 +0000 China’s special envoy for European affairs Lu Shaye said he was “appalled” by the way President Donald Trump had treated American allies in Europe, adding that a peace deal for Ukraine should not be determined only by the US and Russia. “When you look at how the Trump administration has implemented a brazen and domineering policy towards Europe, treating its allies in this way, honestly, from a European perspective, it’s quite appalling,” he said on Wednesday. “I believe European friends should... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3301233/chinas-envoy-eu-lu-shaye-appalled-trumps-treatment-europe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3301233/chinas-envoy-eu-lu-shaye-appalled-trumps-treatment-europe?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Mar 2025 04:06:17 +0000 China will be “the main beneficiary” of US President Donald Trump’s foreign policies, including his decision to align with Russia over Ukraine, Kyiv’s former foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has said. Speaking days after a blistering on-camera argument between Trump and Ukrainian Presidency Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House, Kuleba said “everyone saw that the United States do not consider themselves as an ally of Ukraine and Europe any more”. “I’m not surprised by the fact, but I’m surprised... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3300962/ex-ukraine-foreign-minister-predicts-china-main-beneficiary-trump-foreign-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3300962/ex-ukraine-foreign-minister-predicts-china-main-beneficiary-trump-foreign-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Mar 2025 07:00:17 +0000 There has been a sudden thaw in relations between Russia and the United States with the return to office of President Donald Trump. The US leader has spoken to his counterpart Vladimir Putin by telephone, sent his Secretary of State to Saudi Arabia for the first high-level talks between the powers since Russia invaded Ukraine, and started preparing for a summit, as early as this month. The rapid shift in direction, and Trump’s embracing of Kremlin talking points while feuding with Ukraine and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3300751/stable-china-russia-relations-can-only-help-end-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3300751/stable-china-russia-relations-can-only-help-end-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Mar 2025 22:15:27 +0000 This year’s Munich Security Conference has become a watershed moment, marking a new era in transatlantic relations. The growing rift between the United States and Europe is fundamentally reshaping the trajectory of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war settlement. At the same time, the Trump administration’s approach is altering the role that other countries, including China, could play in resolving the war. The White House has all but ruled out additional players at the negotiating table so far,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3300225/how-trumps-ukraine-policy-cracks-open-door-china-europe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3300225/how-trumps-ukraine-policy-cracks-open-door-china-europe?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Mar 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been on a whirlwind tour this past week, carrying a message of multilateralism that contrasts sharply with the approach to foreign policy taken by US President Donald Trump. After Wang’s return to his old portfolio in 2023, China’s diplomacy has pivoted from the combative “wolf warrior” style associated with his disgraced predecessor, Qin Gang. Under Wang, Beijing has sought to play the role of peacemaker, with notable efforts to promote resolutions to... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3299244/chinas-wang-yi-touts-multilateralism-face-us-rejection-globalist-model?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3299244/chinas-wang-yi-touts-multilateralism-face-us-rejection-globalist-model?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Feb 2025 09:02:15 +0000 The leaders of China and Russia chose the day after US President Donald Trump’s inauguration to have a virtual get together, speaking for about an hour and 35 minutes during which they emphasised the two countries’ close ties. The video call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin comes at a time of rising geopolitical uncertainty, with Trump taking office and wasting little time in displaying his penchant for sowing confusion. As speculation swirled about... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3295783/china-and-russia-speak-trump-20-fuels-uncertainty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3295783/china-and-russia-speak-trump-20-fuels-uncertainty?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jan 2025 09:01:49 +0000 Hayley Wong Hayley Wong The second Donald Trump administration is expected to spur increased competition with China to develop and produce dual-use drones, which have proved a low-cost but effective weapon on the modern battlefield. Drones could be a central plank of the president-elect’s “America first” agenda, but some observers have said that US commercial drones would be too expensive to compete with those made in China. Others have said further trade restrictions would have a limited impact on China’s dominance in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3295040/could-trumps-return-mark-start-new-race-china-over-drones-military?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3295040/could-trumps-return-mark-start-new-race-china-over-drones-military?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Jan 2025 15:00:08 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia next year as the neighbours seek to put up a “double resistance” to pressure from the US-led West, Igor Morgulov the Russian ambassador to China said on Friday. Russia has pledged to further work together with China on economic and security issues to counter the “double containment” campaign from the West, Morgulov told Russian state news agency RIA. “In the international arena, our countries will have to continue to respond with ‘double resistance’... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3292494/chinas-xi-visit-russia-2025-amid-double-resistance-west-envoy-beijing-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3292494/chinas-xi-visit-russia-2025-amid-double-resistance-west-envoy-beijing-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:02:37 +0000 Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election has introduced significant uncertainty for Ukraine. The president-elect’s assertion that he can end the war within 24 hours – a claim perceived by many as a potential withdrawal of American support for Ukraine – has raised concerns about a push for negotiations that might favour Russian interests. Ukraine, whose resilience has been bolstered by the solidarity of the democratic world, now faces the ominous possibility of abandonment by its... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3289266/which-model-peace-ukraine-will-win-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3289266/which-model-peace-ukraine-will-win-out?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Dec 2024 12:30:08 +0000 A former senior diplomat in US president-elect Donald Trump’s first administration has called for increased pressure on Russian leader Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiating table over the war in Ukraine. Former deputy secretary of state Stephen Biegun said conditions were “present” for Trump to bridge negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, but added that the president-elect could face a big challenge to engage Putin in talks. “We expect that this will proceed relatively soon in the new... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3289429/trumps-ukraine-challenge-will-be-bringing-putin-negotiating-table-experts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3289429/trumps-ukraine-challenge-will-be-bringing-putin-negotiating-table-experts?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Dec 2024 02:53:51 +0000 As the world hurtles towards four more years of geopolitical chaos, it is often said in EU capitals that Europe is at a crossroads. The facts at hand suggest that the intersection is much more complicated, and Europe is on a slip road towards a spaghetti junction. At a moment of intense geopolitical upheaval and economic stagnation, the bloc is being squeezed from all sides, and from within. To the west, incoming US president Donald Trump vows to pummel the EU with tariffs in a return to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3288797/walking-eggshells-europe-getting-squeezed-all-sides-trump-20-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3288797/walking-eggshells-europe-getting-squeezed-all-sides-trump-20-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Nov 2024 22:00:14 +0000 China’s new ambassador to Kyiv has voiced “full confidence” in deeper bilateral ties, as the Ukraine war escalates and US support to the former Soviet state becomes uncertain under Donald Trump. Ma Shengkun, former deputy director general of the Chinese foreign ministry’s arms control department, assumed his post on Wednesday, according to the embassy. He replaces Fan Xianrong, who held the role since February 2020. China and Ukraine established diplomatic ties in 1992, a year after the collapse... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3287576/chinas-new-ukraine-envoy-ma-shengkun-full-confidence-about-deeper-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3287576/chinas-new-ukraine-envoy-ma-shengkun-full-confidence-about-deeper-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Nov 2024 11:09:02 +0000 The presidential race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris comes at a time of rising geopolitical tensions on multiple fronts. In the 12th report of an in-depth series, Orange Wang looks at Russia’s impact on the race and US-China relations. Russia is one of the most divisive topics in the 2024 United States election, with many observers questioning whether Washington would continue to support Ukraine if Donald Trump wins. The Republican candidate has repeatedly claimed that Russia would not... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3284178/will-next-us-president-be-able-drive-wedge-between-russia-and-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3284178/will-next-us-president-be-able-drive-wedge-between-russia-and-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Oct 2024 22:00:07 +0000 The addition of six Chinese companies to a US export blacklist on Monday is the latest move by the US to use its influence and role as a source of key components to weaken Chinese companies it sees as threatening its national security. The six companies were added to the US Department of Commerce’s Entity List for supporting the development of Iran’s weapons of mass destruction as well as the modernisation of the Chinese military. Following are more details from the overnight news as well as... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3283357/us-turns-heat-chinese-firms-citing-transactions-russia-and-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3283357/us-turns-heat-chinese-firms-citing-transactions-russia-and-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Oct 2024 09:00:28 +0000 China’s top diplomat Wang Yi called for “joint resistance” to decoupling in the face of US-led restrictions while also urging “extraterritorial nations” not to “incite confrontation” in the Asia region. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, the Chinese foreign minister issued a strong rebuke of hegemony and trade protectionism as he championed an equal and just global order. Wang also called for a ceasefire in the Middle East after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3280386/chinas-foreign-minister-wang-yi-calls-mideast-ceasefire-hits-trade-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3280386/chinas-foreign-minister-wang-yi-calls-mideast-ceasefire-hits-trade-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Sep 2024 16:38:20 +0000 China and Brazil on Friday sought to advance their long-standing bid to mediate peace between Russia and Ukraine on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, a diplomatic effort marked by broad objectives yet few specifics. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi voiced hope that the international community would convene a peace conference with a “fair discussion” of all proposals, without offering a date or location. Wang added that “we oppose using the crisis as an excuse” to pile on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3280333/china-and-brazil-hold-peace-plan-meeting-un-aim-be-partners-russia-and-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3280333/china-and-brazil-hold-peace-plan-meeting-un-aim-be-partners-russia-and-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Sep 2024 19:55:38 +0000 A meeting of Brics foreign ministers in New York on Thursday ended without a joint statement for the first time since the group’s founding, reflecting difficulties reaching a consensus with the addition of new members last year. The meeting convened on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly and was expected to produce a 52-paragraph text on several issues, including the Middle East conflict, plans for a common currency and preliminary talks on the accession of more Brics countries... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3280120/brics-impasse-un-egypt-and-ethiopia-reject-joint-statement-over-security-council-bid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3280120/brics-impasse-un-egypt-and-ethiopia-reject-joint-statement-over-security-council-bid?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Sep 2024 20:07:51 +0000 The foreign ministers of China and Ukraine discussed the possibility of “highest-level” talks between their two countries, just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky again dismissed Beijing’s peace proposal. On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York on Wednesday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi discussed “the perspective of further contacts at the highest level”, indicating the potential for talks... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3280098/china-and-ukraine-mull-top-tier-talks-zelensky-still-cool-beijings-peace-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3280098/china-and-ukraine-mull-top-tier-talks-zelensky-still-cool-beijings-peace-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Sep 2024 12:02:07 +0000 China will “continue to act as a mediator and promote the political resolution of hotspot issues”, including the Ukraine war, a senior Chinese diplomat has said. The remarks from Chinese foreign vice-minister Chen Xiaodong at a premier annual security forum in Beijing came as a noted analyst voiced optimism about the next direct contact between the leaders of China and Ukraine. Addressing the 11th Xiangshan Forum on Saturday, Chen said: “On the Ukraine crisis, we will continue in-depth... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3278539/china-committed-peacemaker-role-including-ukraine-xiangshan-defence-forum-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3278539/china-committed-peacemaker-role-including-ukraine-xiangshan-defence-forum-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Sep 2024 10:00:25 +0000 Ukraine’s ambassador to Japan has been criticised on social media in China for visiting the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo in what some commenters called an insult to the Chinese people. Sergiy Korsunsky’s visit on Tuesday coincided with commemorations in China of the 79th anniversary of the end of what Beijing calls the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. China’s foreign ministry has not yet commented on Korsunsky’s visit to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3277434/ukraine-envoy-disrespects-china-yasukuni-shrine-visit-sets-social-media-storm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3277434/ukraine-envoy-disrespects-china-yasukuni-shrine-visit-sets-social-media-storm?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Sep 2024 05:59:40 +0000 After Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on August 23 in Kyiv, the media played up photographs of Modi giving Zelensky his traditional bear hug. Zelensky said on X (formerly Twitter) that with Modi’s first visit to Ukraine as prime minister “history was made”, and that India supports “Ukraine’s independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty”. While this might suggest Modi’s visit to Kyiv was a case of India supporting Ukraine in the festering war... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3276059/india-and-china-continue-walk-fine-line-over-russias-war-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3276059/india-and-china-continue-walk-fine-line-over-russias-war-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Aug 2024 21:30:11 +0000 A senior Russian diplomat vowed to promote “global peace and security” during a visit to China as Ukraine continues its incursion into Russia and Beijing pushes for more engagement with both Moscow and Kyiv. Russian deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov met his Chinese counterpart Ma Zhaoxu in Beijing on Friday, a month after the leaders of the two countries met at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kazakhstan. “The two sides said that they will take the important consensus of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274936/china-visiting-russian-diplomat-pushes-peace-and-security-amid-ukraine-incursion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274936/china-visiting-russian-diplomat-pushes-peace-and-security-amid-ukraine-incursion?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Aug 2024 12:00:14 +0000 China held talks with the Vatican about its peace plan for Ukraine on Wednesday as the latest offensive continued to push into Russian territory. The call between Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Vatican’s special peace envoy, and his Chinese counterpart Li Hui was a relatively rare occurrence because the Holy See does not have formal diplomatic ties with Beijing. “Li Hui appreciates the Vatican’s constant efforts to mediate the Ukraine crisis and provide humanitarian assistance. He stressed that the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274649/china-and-vatican-discuss-ukraine-peace-plan-russia-continues-lose-ground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274649/china-and-vatican-discuss-ukraine-peace-plan-russia-continues-lose-ground?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Aug 2024 14:00:08 +0000 China is carefully stepping up a diplomatic charm offensive to woo countries in the Balkans and Central Europe, but observers say it will not be easy for Beijing to revive its stalled cooperation mechanism with central and eastern Europe. Days after a government reshuffle in Montenegro, Chinese ambassador Fan Kun paid a call to the country’s newly named foreign minister Ervin Ibrahimovic, during which he reaffirmed China’s willingness to cooperate with the young Balkan nation. “China is willing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274147/can-chinas-charm-offensive-breathe-new-life-ties-central-and-eastern-europe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274147/can-chinas-charm-offensive-breathe-new-life-ties-central-and-eastern-europe?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Aug 2024 15:55:08 +0000 A Ukrainian film festival will begin in Beijing this weekend in the latest sign of more engagement between China and the war-torn nation. The festival, titled “Memory and Future: A Century of the Ukrainian Cinema”, will run until March next year. It was organised by the Ukrainian embassy in Beijing, the Goethe-Institute and the French Cultural Centre. It aims to “provide the audience with a close look at the unique cinematic language, aesthetics and historical development of Ukrainian cinema”,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3273934/ukrainian-film-festival-about-start-beijing-just-russias-ends?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3273934/ukrainian-film-festival-about-start-beijing-just-russias-ends?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Aug 2024 12:00:14 +0000 History is mostly made up of the mundane but remembered for the remarkable. For historians of Chinese diplomacy, China’s success in restoring diplomatic ties between arch-rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia might well be remembered as a turning point. The signing of the Beijing Declaration for unity by 14 Palestinian factions should have raised eyebrows further – in a most volatile region, China has succeeded in herding the cats, at least for a while. Can China build on these to become a global... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3273570/ukraine-and-gaza-chinas-great-power-comes-great-responsibility?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3273570/ukraine-and-gaza-chinas-great-power-comes-great-responsibility?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Aug 2024 21:30:10 +0000