https://www.scmp.com/rss/522234/feed The latest news and top stories on Council on Foreign Relations. A prominent New York City based independent nonpartisan think tank, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is dedicated to informing US engagement with the world and helping understand foreign policy choices. Its main areas of focus include conducting research, publishing the influential journal *Foreign Affairs*, and convening discussions with global leaders. Recognised for its significant influence on US foreign policy and... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen US artificial intelligence and robotics firms have urged lawmakers to take action against Chinese robot manufacturers – singling out Unitree Robotics – citing increased competition and national security risks, in a sign that humanoid robots may emerge as a new battleground in the widening US-China tech rivalry. China’s speed of advancement in humanoid robots is alarming, and the US government should formulate coordinated policies and strategies to counter Chinese firms’ dominance in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3346942/us-sounds-alarm-over-chinas-humanoid-robots-amid-security-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3346942/us-sounds-alarm-over-chinas-humanoid-robots-amid-security-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 22:00:19 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Potential US innovation in recycling electronic waste, combined with refining and processing, will allow the US to leapfrog China in critical minerals, an official at the Department of Energy said on Monday amid Washington’s aggressive attempts to counter China’s dominance in the industry. Recycling metals, materials and magnets within the US is one of the fastest ways the country can impact the critical minerals supply chain, and entrepreneurs across the US are “pioneering” new techniques that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346024/us-counter-beijings-critical-minerals-dominance-game-changing-innovations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346024/us-counter-beijings-critical-minerals-dominance-game-changing-innovations?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 22:29:00 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan’s parliament is set to prioritise review of a disputed NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defence budget bill when its new session begins on Tuesday, as pressure mounts from Washington. But US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about consulting Chinese President Xi Jinping on arms sales could complicate the debate, potentially giving Taipei’s opposition parties greater room to manoeuvre and reshape the final version of the bill, according to analysts. The renewed push follows... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3344220/how-trumps-beijing-bargaining-could-derail-taiwans-multibillion-dollar-defence-budget?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3344220/how-trumps-beijing-bargaining-could-derail-taiwans-multibillion-dollar-defence-budget?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 10:00:26 +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 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan A senior US official on Thursday defended Washington’s new critical minerals push, telling the South China Morning Post that supply chain diversification is a national security measure, not an attempt to form an exclusive bloc as Beijing has claimed. Deputy State Department spokeswoman Mignon Houston, speaking a day after the launch of the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement, or Forge, described the US-led global coordination of strategic minerals as a “prudent step”. She sidestepped... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3342574/us-defends-new-minerals-alliance-rejecting-claims-it-targets-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3342574/us-defends-new-minerals-alliance-rejecting-claims-it-targets-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 23:15:54 +0000 Nicholas Spiro Nicholas Spiro It’s been one year since US President Donald Trump began his second term. Few analysts and investors doubted Trump 2.0 would be more confrontational and disruptive. Still, the ferocity of Trump’s attacks on the rule of law, institutions and US allies have far exceeded the worst fears of his sternest critics. That a supposed ally is using economic coercion to seize the sovereign territory of a fellow member of Nato shows how fast the unthinkable has become real. At the World Economic Forum in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340784/why-europe-struggles-stand-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340784/why-europe-struggles-stand-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 08:30:12 +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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump has deployed thousands of US troops to the Caribbean and warned of strikes on Venezuelan soil. On Wednesday, Trump announced the seizure of an oil tanker in enforcement of unilateral US sanctions. How far could Trump go, and what would be the result? What is the motivation? Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a leftist nemesis of the United States, successfully resisted an attempt during Trump’s first term to oust him through sanctions and diplomatic pressure. Days... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3336009/us-venezuela-tensions-how-far-will-trump-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3336009/us-venezuela-tensions-how-far-will-trump-go?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 05:52:02 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the US will allow Nvidia to ship its H200 artificial intelligence chips to approved customers in China, marking the latest lobbying win for the American chip company. The decision follows weeks of deliberations by the Trump administration about whether to grant permission to ship the H200 to China. It comes days after Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang met with Trump in Washington to discuss US export controls. “I have informed President Xi,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3335669/trump-says-us-will-allow-sale-nvidia-h200-ai-chips-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3335669/trump-says-us-will-allow-sale-nvidia-h200-ai-chips-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 22:25:40 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han Washington needs to accelerate arms sales to Taiwan and help establish a regional contingency stockpile for its defence, the US Senate heard on Thursday. Such steps would help implement provisions in a landmark 2022 law – the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act (TERA) – that have not yet been fully realised, as well as boost morale on the self-governed island, witnesses said at a hearing hosted by the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Despite last week’s approval of a sale of aircraft... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3333609/us-should-speed-arms-deliveries-taiwan-create-regional-stockpile-senate-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3333609/us-should-speed-arms-deliveries-taiwan-create-regional-stockpile-senate-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 23:05:02 +0000 Frank Tang Frank Tang Washington should tighten its export controls by adding inspection staff and plugging loopholes to slow Beijing’s chipmaking advances and curb evasion efforts with support from allies such as the Netherlands and Japan, US lawmakers and experts said on Thursday. Such actions should be deployed, including empowering the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) to close trade loopholes and also targeting China’s national champion firms in the semiconductor sector as well as their US subsidiaries,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3333608/us-officials-call-tougher-chip-rules-limit-chinas-gains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3333608/us-officials-call-tougher-chip-rules-limit-chinas-gains?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 22:41:13 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun The administration of US President Donald Trump hopes to confirm a deal to secure rare earth supplies from China by Thanksgiving, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview, framing the agreement as vital to shoring up America’s supply chains. The remarks came as the Council on Foreign Relations, a US-based think tank, warned in a new report that the US’ reliance on Chinese critical minerals remained a major strategic vulnerability that Washington needed to address. A rare earths deal... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3333113/us-races-secure-china-rare-earths-deal-worries-over-chokeholds-linger?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3333113/us-races-secure-china-rare-earths-deal-worries-over-chokeholds-linger?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 13:00:17 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han Long-simmering debates in Washington about the benefits of increased investment from China were revived in recent weeks after Beijing reportedly pushed US President Donald Trump’s administration to roll back national security restrictions on Chinese deals in America. But despite signs of high-level political warming to the idea, analysts say the path forward for Chinese firms remains steep given federal and state restrictions and the realities of congressional and local politics. China’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3331336/can-chinese-investment-still-find-home-america?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3331336/can-chinese-investment-still-find-home-america?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 17:00:09 +0000 Meredith Chen,Zhao Ziwen,Fan Chen Meredith Chen,Zhao Ziwen,Fan Chen US President Donald Trump hailed his high-stakes meeting on Thursday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a “great success”, marked by progress on thorny trade issues. Trump agreed to reduce America’s fentanyl-related tariffs on China by 10 percentage points and cut the overall tariff rate on Chinese imports from 57 per cent to 47 per cent. For its part, Beijing will resume buying US farm products, including soybeans, and delay by one year the implementation of its most sweeping export controls on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331093/how-are-leading-western-think-tanks-unboxing-xi-trump-summit-breakthroughs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331093/how-are-leading-western-think-tanks-unboxing-xi-trump-summit-breakthroughs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 10:40:56 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier As US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping attempt to stabilise US-China trade relations on Thursday, a major problem unlikely to go away, no matter what the outcome, is the disjointed signalling and mixed messaging coming out of Washington, undercutting trust and confidence that any deal will even be implemented, say analysts and former officials. While governments worldwide face coordination problems, experts say the Trump administration is particularly prone to this. Also... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3330690/will-trumps-love-unpredictability-and-contradictions-hinder-negotiations-xi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3330690/will-trumps-love-unpredictability-and-contradictions-hinder-negotiations-xi?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2025 21:43:29 +0000 Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan Blame games, tit-for-tat threats, off-again on-again meetings between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and wild tariff swings seem to be the recent order of the day. According to former government officials and analysts, however, this should come as no surprise – it’s just the price you pay when diplomatic norms are brushed off. In the latest twist in the saga, Trump on Friday swung from tough to conciliatory, appearing to reverse threats made a week earlier to cancel... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3329484/will-trump-and-xis-shock-tactics-ruin-any-chances-ending-us-china-trade-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3329484/will-trump-and-xis-shock-tactics-ruin-any-chances-ending-us-china-trade-war?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2025 22:26:31 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg As Ukraine and its allies absorbed the surprise from US President Donald Trump’s newly upbeat view of Kyiv’s prospects in its war against Russia’s invasion, there were signs of a familiar move by the US president – upping the pressure not on Russia but on Europe. Trump’s social media post on Tuesday reversed his past claims that Ukraine had “no cards to play” in the fight. But he did not offer any new US steps to support Kyiv, leaving that up to allies in Europe. The post made no mention of new... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3326752/trumps-sudden-ukraine-shift-raises-pressure-europe-end-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3326752/trumps-sudden-ukraine-shift-raises-pressure-europe-end-war?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Sep 2025 01:47:44 +0000 Dewey Sim,Fan Chen Dewey Sim,Fan Chen In a speech laced with threats against Russia and with little about China, US President Donald Trump’s address at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday may have given Beijing some reason for optimism. According to observers, the American leader’s attacks on Russia over the war in Ukraine signalled his frustration and revealed cracks in ties between Washington and Moscow, a relationship that earlier showed signs of deepening, something Beijing has been wary about. Trump’s comparatively soft rhetoric... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326724/did-trumps-russia-rant-un-give-china-reason-optimism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326724/did-trumps-russia-rant-un-give-china-reason-optimism?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 14:00:11 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han Jerome Cohen, a pioneering scholar of Chinese law who shaped global debates on the country’s legal system, trade, and human rights for over six decades, has died at 95. Cohen, who died on Monday, was professor emeritus at New York University’s School of Law and the founder of its US-Asia Law Institute, as well as a senior fellow for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank. The author and editor of over a dozen books and dozens of journal articles, Cohen began his career in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326607/jerome-cohen-respected-china-law-expert-and-regular-critic-dies-95?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326607/jerome-cohen-respected-china-law-expert-and-regular-critic-dies-95?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 22:21:18 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Over his nearly two-decade career as an environmental researcher, Ma Jun has witnessed arguably the fastest environmental improvement in the world. In 2006, he founded the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) – a non-profit environmental research organisation based in Beijing. At the time, data collected by his organisation showed around 28 per cent of monitored water sources nationwide were severely polluted and rendered unusable, leaving nearly 300 million people without... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3324409/more-factories-less-pollution-how-chinas-green-tech-revolution-works?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3324409/more-factories-less-pollution-how-chinas-green-tech-revolution-works?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 22:00:09 +0000 Mark Magnier,Finbarr Bermingham,Khushboo Razdan Mark Magnier,Finbarr Bermingham,Khushboo Razdan US and European leaders reacted with veneration, concern and stiffened resolve on Wednesday to China’s epic military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Over 25 foreign leaders – including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un – joined Chinese President Xi Jinping at the showcase event marked by intimidating weaponry and choreographed troop manoeuvres. “I thought it was very, very impressive, but I understood the reason they were doing... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3324250/western-leaders-parse-china-military-parade-displaying-authoritarian-strength?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3324250/western-leaders-parse-china-military-parade-displaying-authoritarian-strength?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 20:21:26 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham European leaders left Washington on Monday with a palpable sense of relief, having avoided a breakdown with Donald Trump over Ukraine – but in the cold light of day, doubts are growing over the substance of the “breakthroughs” they claimed. After meetings with Trump that bordered on the obsequious, eight European leaders – including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – trumpeted the trip as a success. “This was the best of our meetings,” Zelensky said. “I was able to show many things, even... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322395/european-leaders-breathe-sigh-relief-doubts-linger-over-trumps-pledges-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322395/european-leaders-breathe-sigh-relief-doubts-linger-over-trumps-pledges-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 10:28:43 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen The “uneasy alliance” between America’s tech elite and Donald Trump’s populist right base could undermine the country’s competitiveness against China in the long run by cutting off talent and global markets, according to analysts. They also pointed to growing ties between the tech sector and the defence industry – including a new initiative enlisting senior tech executives to the Army Reserve – saying the “tech hawks” could step up threats against China. The political influence of tech leaders... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317851/why-uneasy-alliance-between-us-tech-titans-and-maga-may-backfire-china-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317851/why-uneasy-alliance-between-us-tech-titans-and-maga-may-backfire-china-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jul 2025 04:00:07 +0000 Yujie Xue,Victoria Bela,Dannie Peng Yujie Xue,Victoria Bela,Dannie Peng China, the biggest maker of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage, is in a leading position in the new race to develop two new technologies – sodium-ion batteries and solid-state. The new technologies hold out the promise of lower costs, higher capacity and less fire risk than traditional lithium-ion batteries, which could boost adoption of EVs and renewable energy sources. Energy-storage batteries are vital in managing fluctuating power supplies from weather-dependent solar... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3317638/china-plugs-next-generation-batteries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3317638/china-plugs-next-generation-batteries?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jul 2025 07:00:07 +0000