https://www.scmp.com/rss/522571/feed The Institute for China-America Studies (ICAS) is an independent, non-profit research institute and think tank based in Washington, D.C.. Its primary mission is to strengthen understanding and promote greater collaboration in U.S.-China relations through objective analysis and practical policy solutions. ICAS focuses on key areas such as maritime security, trade and technology, and climate change, providing insights into the complex bilateral relationship. Funded by the Hainan Nanhai Research... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan When Marco Rubio was confirmed as US Secretary of State last year, fireworks of optimism went off in New Delhi. Given his years as a senator championing a pro-India, staunchly anti-China posture, policymakers anticipated an unprecedented alignment. However, as Rubio arrives in India on Saturday for a four-day visit spanning Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi, he enters a relationship strained by transactional politics, structural deadlock and mounting strategic unease over Washington’s recent... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354590/rubio-expected-brief-new-delhi-xi-trump-summit-during-india-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354590/rubio-expected-brief-new-delhi-xi-trump-summit-during-india-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 19:41:40 +0000 Shi Jiangtao,Kandy Wong Shi Jiangtao,Kandy Wong US President Donald Trump’s landmark visit to China comes as the US-Iran war disrupts global energy supplies, fuels economic uncertainty and adds fresh strain to Washington-Beijing ties. In the latest instalment of a series examining how rivalry, interdependence and geopolitical crises are reshaping the relationship between the two powers, we look at the likely outcomes from Trump’s trip. As Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday night for the first US presidential visit in nearly a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3353422/transactional-pivotal-how-xi-trump-talks-could-redefine-us-china-fault-lines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3353422/transactional-pivotal-how-xi-trump-talks-could-redefine-us-china-fault-lines?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2026 22:00:06 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier US President Donald Trump filed an appeal on Friday after the latest legal setback to his signature tariff policy, piling on more chaos and global uncertainty and setting up a new tussle over billions of US dollars in refunds. The appeal follows a decision on Thursday by the US Court of International Trade that invalidated his use of a Section 122 trade provision that saw him slap 10 per cent import taxes on nearly every country on earth. In its ruling, the court found that he failed to meet the... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3352965/trump-appeals-latest-court-loss-tariffs-chaos-and-uncertainty-amp?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3352965/trump-appeals-latest-court-loss-tariffs-chaos-and-uncertainty-amp?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 22:29:53 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump’s close ally, Senator Steve Daines, will lead a bipartisan delegation to China next week, according to sources, even as Washington steps up pressure on Beijing over trade, technological competition, and its ties to Iran, ahead of a closely watched leaders’ summit on May 14-15. According to people familiar who requested anonymity, the five-member delegation led by Daines, a Republican from Montana, will begin its visit on May 1, with stops in Shanghai and Beijing. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351219/trump-ally-visit-china-us-turns-pressure-may-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351219/trump-ally-visit-china-us-turns-pressure-may-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:18:18 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan A stretch of awkward diplomacy is unfolding in the Indo-Pacific. After India’s 2025 term as the Quad’s rotating chair ended without a summit, New Delhi is planning to host a foreign ministers’ meeting that could be framed as a leaders-level discussion, even if the top leaders do not attend, according to two people familiar with the matter. The move is seen as a way to smooth India’s ruffled feathers on several counts. “It’s akin to putting lipstick on a pig,” said Sourabh Gupta of the Institute... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350230/quad-summit-plan-turns-uneasy-india-pushes-ahead-without-top-leaders-sources?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350230/quad-summit-plan-turns-uneasy-india-pushes-ahead-without-top-leaders-sources?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:17:13 +0000 Cao Jiaxuan Cao Jiaxuan Negotiating teams from America and Iran could return to Islamabad as early as the end of this week, days after 21 hours of talks in the Pakistani capital ended without a deal, Reuters reported. US President Donald Trump on Monday said that “we’ve been called by the other side” and “they want to work a deal”. A limited or temporary settlement remained possible as the two sides were cautiously approaching a de-escalation despite a total deficit of trust, according to analysts. But they warned that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350077/will-next-round-us-iran-talks-bring-peace-or-more-confrontation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350077/will-next-round-us-iran-talks-bring-peace-or-more-confrontation?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:00:21 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao A temporary but fragile ceasefire is in place after US President Donald Trump pulled back from the brink of a wider Iran war. For Beijing, as it prepares for Trump’s high-stakes visit planned for next month, the key question is what the Iran crisis reveals about Trump’s governing style, and whether it has left him emboldened or simply more unpredictable and volatile. The episode is the latest example of what Chinese observers call Trump’s “split” style: abrupt swings between conciliatory talk of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349519/how-can-beijing-prepare-trumps-drunken-boxing-style-his-china-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349519/how-can-beijing-prepare-trumps-drunken-boxing-style-his-china-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 14:00:08 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Washington’s top trade negotiator suggested on Tuesday that, in a break from usual practice, members of US President Donald Trump’s cabinet will not visit Beijing ahead of the expected mid-May summit with President Xi Jinping to prepare or discuss deliverables. “I don’t think we’re going to need to do that,” Jamieson Greer, US Trade Representative, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television when asked about meeting his Chinese counterparts soon, ahead of the much-anticipated leaders’... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3348590/trump-xi-summit-us-trade-chief-casts-doubt-pre-meeting-beijing-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3348590/trump-xi-summit-us-trade-chief-casts-doubt-pre-meeting-beijing-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 20:19:16 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen US President Donald Trump’s focus on short-term deliverables and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s bid for bilateral stability are likely to mean an exceptionally amicable summit when they finally sit down, despite “unusual” circumstances brought by the Iran conflict, former senior US diplomat Kurt Campbell said. Trump and Xi’s upcoming high-stakes meeting in Beijing, which was postponed for at least five weeks from its original March 31 date, will see both leaders be “extraordinarily polite and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347642/former-biden-official-says-trump-xi-summit-will-go-well-amid-unusual-circumstances?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347642/former-biden-official-says-trump-xi-summit-will-go-well-amid-unusual-circumstances?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 21:01:23 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Mark Magnier,Dewey Sim Khushboo Razdan,Mark Magnier,Dewey Sim The official line is straightforward: US President Donald Trump asked for a delay to his long-anticipated summit in Beijing with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and it has been pushed back by “a month or so”. According to the White House, moving the meeting allows Trump to remain in the US and manage the escalating war with Iran, including urgent efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But beneath the surface, a more complex story emerges: months of growing frustrations, mismatched expectations,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347008/what-are-real-reasons-behind-change-date-trumps-china-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347008/what-are-real-reasons-behind-change-date-trumps-china-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 22:00:08 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan After a bruising 2025 that pushed him to the brink of bankruptcy, Arkansas soybean farmer Randall Shelby starts the new year worried that US farmers could once again be caught in the crossfire as tensions between Washington and Beijing threaten to escalate anew. This comes as US President Donald Trump addressed farmers on Tuesday in Iowa, the United States’ second-largest soybean producer, to try to convince them that he has their best interests at heart in advance of the November midterm... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3341313/us-soybean-farmers-fear-china-trade-blowback-trump-ramps-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3341313/us-soybean-farmers-fear-china-trade-blowback-trump-ramps-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000 Jane Cai Jane Cai A little over a decade ago, a diplomatic row with Japan would have been enough to bring people out into the streets in China or at least stir a patriotic retail boycott. In 2012, for instance, tensions boiled over after Tokyo bought and then nationalised three of the Diaoyu Islands, a group of eight uninhabited islands in the East China Sea that Japan calls the Senkakus. China and Japan have a long-running territorial dispute over the islands and authorities appeared to tolerate the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338502/why-china-turning-down-nationalist-heat-its-row-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338502/why-china-turning-down-nationalist-heat-its-row-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jan 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Vanessa Cai Khushboo Razdan,Vanessa Cai As 2025 draws to a close amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing over new arms sales to Taiwan, analysts warn that the worsening atmosphere could weigh on the substance – if not the scheduling – of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China next year to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Washington’s announcement last week of a US$11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan, the largest to date, has sharpened frictions at a sensitive moment, making it less likely that Beijing will... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3337856/record-taiwan-arms-deal-casts-shadow-over-trumps-2026-beijing-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3337856/record-taiwan-arms-deal-casts-shadow-over-trumps-2026-beijing-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 18:46:59 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier It has been a turbulent year for the fraught US-China relationship. In the fourth part of a series looking back at the events of 2025, we examine the impacts of Trump’s foreign policy on global geopolitics. As the administration of US President Donald Trump ends its first year, expect the unabashed disrupter to continue applying a wrecking ball to long-standing US national security architecture, threatening global stability and jolting long-time allies, with China a major beneficiary, say... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3336954/trump-upends-us-foreign-policy-analysts-see-fresh-openings-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3336954/trump-upends-us-foreign-policy-analysts-see-fresh-openings-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 15:00:10 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao It has been a turbulent year for the fraught US-China relationship. In a new series, we look back at the events of 2025, starting with the geopolitical struggle between the two rival superpowers. In a year marked by domestic crises and global turmoil, Washington and Beijing are set to end 2025 with a fragile truce after they stepped back from the brink of full-blown tariff warfare – but deeper antagonisms remain. The downward spiral of rhetoric and retaliation started with US President Donald... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336495/why-relative-stability-us-china-ties-unlikely-last?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336495/why-relative-stability-us-china-ties-unlikely-last?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 22:00:13 +0000 Jane Cai,Sylvie Zhuang Jane Cai,Sylvie Zhuang Computer science graduate Alain Saas is hoping a fourth time would be the charm to make his China dream come true. As a youngster growing up in a small town in eastern France, the distant Asian country seemed a magical place. But trying to land a job in China has proved anything but enchanting. Over the past 15 years, Saas has tried three times to find a suitable tech job in China, but in vain. The reasons ranged from low pay offers, visa issues or simply poor geopolitical timing. But he has... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3333714/china-betting-k-visa-magnet-top-tech-talent-will-it-be-enough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3333714/china-betting-k-visa-magnet-top-tech-talent-will-it-be-enough?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 10:24:47 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao The first in-person summit between Chinese and American leaders since US President Donald Trump’s return to office marked a symbolic reset in the balance of power between the two rivals, yielding a time-bound agreement to pause escalation in their intensifying trade conflict. From freezing new tariffs and rare earth export controls to resuming key US agricultural exports and pledging cooperation on Ukraine, both sides achieved tactical de-escalation in the Thursday meeting, allowing each to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3330960/xi-trump-summit-yields-wins-both-china-and-us-despite-lack-breakthroughs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3330960/xi-trump-summit-yields-wins-both-china-and-us-despite-lack-breakthroughs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Oct 2025 14:37:21 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Beneath the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean lie small, black, potato-sized treasures – polymetallic nodules rich in valuable metals and rare earth elements – waiting to be unearthed. Strewn across the sea floor of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, the coveted nodules and other forms of ocean deposits are gaining widespread attention. Yet for all their vast potential, deep-sea mining remains off-limits for now. The obstacle is not merely technological feasibility but a lack of legal... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327260/why-china-struggles-us-plunges-deep-sea-mining-valuable-metals-and-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327260/why-china-struggles-us-plunges-deep-sea-mining-valuable-metals-and-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 22:00:10 +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 Igor Patrick,Khushboo Razdan Igor Patrick,Khushboo Razdan Members of the Brics nations logged into a virtual summit on Monday, convened by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, intending to take a defiant stand against US President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war. Instead, the quickly assembled outing became an exercise in caution, as the bloc’s heavyweights, Brazil and India, sought to steer clear of further enraging the “America-first” leader. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a founding Brics leader, skipped the meeting, sending... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3324806/brics-virtual-rally-falters-members-appear-leery-exacerbating-us-trade-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3324806/brics-virtual-rally-falters-members-appear-leery-exacerbating-us-trade-war?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 21:33:43 +0000 Jane Cai Jane Cai Ahead of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, marking the end of the Sino-Japanese war and the global fight against fascism, we look at the profound changes of the post-war period and how they continue to affect China’s place in the world. Part one of this series examines how the Chinese sacrifices of the conflict underpin Beijing’s determination to uphold global norms. An estimated 35 million Chinese soldiers and civilians died as part of their country’s sacrifice as a key Allied power, yet 80... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323368/80-years-wwii-has-china-become-main-guarantor-post-war-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323368/80-years-wwii-has-china-become-main-guarantor-post-war-order?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 22:00:07 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan The world’s two most-populous countries made significant progress on the diplomatic front recently, and those championing such moves may have Washington to thank. India has agreed to a long-standing Chinese proposal to ease border tensions while also resuming direct flights and business links, as both sides explore trade cooperation – particularly in strategic sectors like rare earths – in a bid to reset their strained ties. Experts highlight that even as deep mistrust lingers, the Asian powers... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322436/india-china-thaw-rare-earths-border-headway-trump-turns-tariff-heat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322436/india-china-thaw-rare-earths-border-headway-trump-turns-tariff-heat?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Aug 2025 02:00:19 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han China is ramping up its science and technology outreach to the Global South while its collaboration with the US on the same front is receding, analysts said on Tuesday at an event hosted by the Institute for China-America Studies, a Washington think tank. “China is very heavily engaging with those countries,” said Caroline Wagner of the Ohio State University, noting Beijing has signed science and technology agreements with “dozens and dozens of countries”. That development marks a “critical... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3316563/china-boosts-science-tech-outreach-global-south-its-us-collaboration-dips-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3316563/china-boosts-science-tech-outreach-global-south-its-us-collaboration-dips-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Jul 2025 21:44:14 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier After months of chest-thumping, accusations and threats, look for US-China trade relations to weather an uneasy pause as the giants retreat from extremist positions, guard against backtracking and alter the negotiating dynamic toward an eventual agreement, analysts and former US officials say. The breather follows this month’s London sit-down after the two engaged in a high-stakes tariff battle then went for each other’s jugulars, with China blocking rare earth exports and Washington choking off... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3315924/pause-refreshes-whats-ahead-us-china-tariffs-and-trade-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3315924/pause-refreshes-whats-ahead-us-china-tariffs-and-trade-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jun 2025 15:00:09 +0000