https://www.scmp.com/rss/523013/feed The latest news and top stories on Zheng Zhihua, a research associate professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Centre for Japanese Studies. He also heads the East Asia Marine Policy Project. He specialises in the law of the sea and marine policy, with a focus on China-Japan relations. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang The diplomatic crisis between Tokyo and Beijing is the result of a years-long fundamental shift to the right in Japan – and part of a “long-term struggle” that China must prepare for, according to analysts. The assessment comes as relations between the two countries nosedive, prompted by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion earlier this month that a hypothetical conflict in the Taiwan Strait would trigger a military response from Tokyo. For Beijing, the comments ventured into a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333837/why-japans-drift-right-means-long-term-struggle-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333837/why-japans-drift-right-means-long-term-struggle-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 13:00:10 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion that Japan could deploy its military in response to a Taiwan contingency has escalated diplomatic tensions and risks further damaging bilateral ties, analysts have warned. According to Beijing, Takaichi “seriously damaged bilateral ties” when she told the Japanese parliament on Friday that use of military force in the Taiwan Strait could be seen as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, a situation that could allow Tokyo to engage in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332537/has-sanae-takaichi-planted-taiwan-time-bomb-tokyos-ties-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332537/has-sanae-takaichi-planted-taiwan-time-bomb-tokyos-ties-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 04:00:12 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai Chinese observers have downplayed Beijing’s reference to Okinawans as “indigenous”, saying the comments were mainly a critique of the militarisation of Japan’s southernmost prefecture – home to dozens of US military bases – rather than a challenge to Tokyo’s sovereignty over Okinawa. On October 9, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Sun Lei, urged Japan to “stop prejudice and discrimination against Okinawans and other indigenous peoples”. Sun made the remarks during a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331110/chinas-okinawa-remarks-challenge-militarisation-not-sovereignty-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331110/chinas-okinawa-remarks-challenge-militarisation-not-sovereignty-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Nov 2025 01:00:23 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu Wheelchair-using Taiwanese singer Zheng Zhihua has complained that staff at an airport in China left him to “roll and climb into a plane”. The entertainer raised a red flag in a bid to boost awareness over a general lack of accessibility for the disabled. Zheng, 63, is famous in the Chinese world after the two songs written and performed by him, Sailor and Star Lighting, became hits in the 1990s. He has used a wheelchair for a lengthy period after being diagnosed with polio at the age of... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3330640/taiwan-wheelchair-user-criticises-airport-making-him-climb-plane?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3330640/taiwan-wheelchair-user-criticises-airport-making-him-climb-plane?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Oct 2025 10:00:09 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng At a conference in December, Wang Xingxing – the robotics guru who founded China’s industry-leading Unitree Robotics – had a sharp critique. “China is at a disadvantage in terms of talent reserves because its education system has decided that knowledge learned in school is often outdated, whereas overseas students study the world’s most cutting-edge technologies,” he told the audience. “The education system fundamentally shapes future development potential and opportunities,” Wang said, adding... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3329310/stem-crisis-chinas-universities-how-outdated-courses-are-wasting-talent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3329310/stem-crisis-chinas-universities-how-outdated-courses-are-wasting-talent?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 22:00:10 +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 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China’s designation of a national nature reserve in the contested Scarborough Shoal – and its punitive measures for unauthorised entry – have prompted strong pushback from the Philippines, with analysts warning the move could escalate tensions in the strategically important waterway. Beijing’s announcement of the decision on Wednesday marked its latest efforts to consolidate its claims in the contested area that is now a focal point of intense confrontations between the two countries and could... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325243/why-chinas-new-plan-bolster-its-south-china-sea-claims-has-manila-worried?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325243/why-chinas-new-plan-bolster-its-south-china-sea-claims-has-manila-worried?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Sep 2025 02:00:22 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen China has extended its maritime presence to rarely patrolled waters, with two Chinese coastguard vessels spotted near the northernmost province of the Philippines last week, close to Taiwan. The Philippine Navy on Monday said the Chinese ships were seen “meandering” in waters off Batanes on August 7, Philippine media reported. Batanes is an archipelago located closer to southern Taiwan than to Manila and sits within the Bashi Channel – a critical maritime chokepoint that would have strategic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321943/beijing-seeks-deter-it-expands-presence-waters-near-philippines-and-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321943/beijing-seeks-deter-it-expands-presence-waters-near-philippines-and-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2025 10:00:12 +0000