https://www.scmp.com/rss/523289/feed The latest news and top stories on Zhou Bo. A retired senior colonel in the People’s Liberation Army, he is a senior fellow at the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University. His military career included roles in the Ministry of National Defense’s Foreign Affairs Office and as a defence attaché. He contributes to major international publications and speaks at global security forums, offering insights on geopolitics and China’s strategic posture. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Seong Hyeon Choi,William Zheng Seong Hyeon Choi,William Zheng The rescue of a missing American crew member after Iran shot down an F-15E fighter jet is proof of the United States’ “comprehensive capability” to mount high-risk rescue operations, according to Chinese analysts. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump confirmed that the missing crew member – one of two on the fighter jet shot down over southern Iran on Friday – had been rescued. It was the first manned US aircraft shot down over Iran since the US-Israel war on the country began on February... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3349170/while-trump-hails-daring-airman-rescue-iran-chinese-experts-count-us-wins-and-losses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3349170/while-trump-hails-daring-airman-rescue-iran-chinese-experts-count-us-wins-and-losses?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 10:13:31 +0000 Cao Jiaxuan Cao Jiaxuan China and the United States are trying to navigate their differences to ensure that they maintain a basic level of stability in their relationship, an academic conference in Beijing heard last week. At the forum held by Tsinghua University in Beijing on Friday, academics and former officials discussed the need to prevent open confrontation. US President Donald Trump’s planned visit – now postponed for “five or six weeks” as he focuses on his war with Iran – was seen as a key opportunity by many... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347855/are-us-and-china-looking-minimum-stability-after-going-through-rough-patch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347855/are-us-and-china-looking-minimum-stability-after-going-through-rough-patch?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:00:19 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun Japan’s unilateral decision to release oil from its emergency stockpiles highlights its vulnerability to prolonged supply disruptions and may leave it more exposed to economic pressure from China amid tense bilateral relations, according to analysts. Tokyo announced earlier this week that it planned to release a total of 80 million barrels starting March 16, marking the first time it would independently tap its national reserves. The decision came ahead of a coordinated response by the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3346499/japan-taps-oil-reserves-iran-war-spreads-could-it-give-china-leverage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3346499/japan-taps-oil-reserves-iran-war-spreads-could-it-give-china-leverage?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 10:00:15 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai Tourists, international students and foreign employees of Chinese companies could serve as grass-roots ambassadors, helping China’s story to resonate with audiences worldwide, according to one of the country’s leading political advisers. Zhang Bo, a professor at Beijing Language and Culture University who is also a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, made the suggestion on the sidelines of the annual “two sessions” meeting. Speaking to the South China Morning Post,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346313/how-china-can-win-friends-and-influencers-help-tell-countrys-story-well?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346313/how-china-can-win-friends-and-influencers-help-tell-countrys-story-well?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 08:00:10 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang China and Iran may be strategic partners but, as was the case with America’s special operation in Venezuela in January, China has offered no security support to Iran over the US and Israeli attacks. The decision was based on a consideration of Beijing’s own interests, its ties with the US and other countries, and to minimise military and financial risks to China, according to analysts. Since the large-scale attacks against Iran began over the weekend, Beijing has limited its response to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3345387/why-china-staying-sidelines-us-iran-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3345387/why-china-staying-sidelines-us-iran-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 12:00:08 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham At a Munich Security Conference drinks reception last week, a seasoned Chinese delegate who has been coming to Bavaria for more than a decade said China had long felt like an observer on the periphery. China was mentioned mainly to be blamed, they said – but things flipped last year when, instead of taking Beijing to task, US Vice-President J.D. Vance targeted Europe. Later in the weekend, the event’s CEO Benedikt Franke praised the China Centre for Globalisation – a Beijing think tank – for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343639/transatlantic-divorce-plays-out-munich-china-enjoys-silence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343639/transatlantic-divorce-plays-out-munich-china-enjoys-silence?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 13:11:47 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang China on Tuesday urged the United States to “respond positively” to Russia’s offer to maintain nuclear warhead limits ahead of Thursday’s expected collapse of a major US-Russia agreement to control nuclear build-up. Beijing also reiterated its refusal to join trilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations with Washington and Moscow, despite repeated calls for such talks by US President Donald Trump. China cited the disparity in nuclear stockpile sizes as the reason for its refusal. Absent a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3342278/why-collapse-last-us-russia-nuclear-treaty-matters-china-and-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3342278/why-collapse-last-us-russia-nuclear-treaty-matters-china-and-world?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 13:41:16 +0000 SCMP SCMP Catch up on some 2025 entries in Open Questions, SCMP’s series of in-depth interviews with global opinion leaders. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. ‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended American economist sees China as key to the global energy transition to zero-carbon energy, especially in markets outside US and Europe. 2. Ex-diplomat Kerry Brown on how Trump ‘stunned’ China with his ‘lack of caution’ King’s College, London... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3337325/how-trump-stunned-china-why-western-hegemony-has-ended-12-key-interviews-2025?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3337325/how-trump-stunned-china-why-western-hegemony-has-ended-12-key-interviews-2025?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 07:00:09 +0000 Amber Wang,Seong Hyeon Choi,Yuanyue Dang Amber Wang,Seong Hyeon Choi,Yuanyue Dang US President Donald Trump’s new battleship plan, apparently aimed at deterring China, faces huge implementation hurdles and could cause Beijing to double down on its anti-ship weapons, according to analysts. Trump unveiled a new class of navy battleships on Monday. These “Trump-class” ships will be larger, faster and “100 times more powerful” than any previously built, according to the American leader, forming the centrepiece of what he called an expanded “Golden Fleet” aimed at cementing US... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3337739/golden-fleet-will-trumps-battleship-plan-deter-china-or-it-just-pipe-dream?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3337739/golden-fleet-will-trumps-battleship-plan-deter-china-or-it-just-pipe-dream?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Dec 2025 22:00:16 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng The Chinese and Russian militaries have pledged to deepen cooperation in sensitive areas including missile defence, following high-level talks in Moscow involving China’s top general. General Zhang Youxia, the first-ranked vice-chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, met with his Russian counterpart Andrei Belousov on Thursday, according to China’s defence ministry. The visit – Zhang’s first in two years – signals a continued strengthening of defence ties between the two countries. In a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3333688/china-russia-generals-pledge-deeper-military-ties-eye-missile-defence-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3333688/china-russia-generals-pledge-deeper-military-ties-eye-missile-defence-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 09:28:17 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun The Japanese yen slid to a nine-month low against the US dollar, breaching a closely watched threshold of 155 amid domestic policy uncertainties, fading expectations of a Federal Reserve rate cut in December, and amplified China-Japan tensions over Taiwan. The yen’s exchange rate briefly weakened beyond 155.3 to the dollar on Tuesday before improving slightly, while broader markets also came under pressure. Stocks slumped, bonds were sold off, and long-term yields jumped to multi-decade highs,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3333268/japan-yen-slips-past-155-us-dollar-fiscal-doubts-china-spat-sap-investor-confidence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3333268/japan-yen-slips-past-155-us-dollar-fiscal-doubts-china-spat-sap-investor-confidence?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 09:43:39 +0000 Alcott Wei,Sylvie Zhuang,Seong Hyeon Choi Alcott Wei,Sylvie Zhuang,Seong Hyeon Choi Now that the Chinese navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has entered service there could be a change in the power balance in the western Pacific, the South China Sea and even the Indian Ocean, according to experts. The Fujian – China’s third aircraft carrier – was commissioned last Wednesday in Sanya, Hainan province, in a grand ceremony overseen by President Xi Jinping, state media reported on Friday. It is the first Chinese warship equipped with an electromagnetic catapult... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3332242/will-chinas-new-aircraft-carrier-tilt-power-balance-western-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3332242/will-chinas-new-aircraft-carrier-tilt-power-balance-western-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 14:00:10 +0000 Amber Wang,Seong Hyeon Choi Amber Wang,Seong Hyeon Choi China is expected to expand and modernise its nuclear arsenal to narrow the gap with the US and Russia following Beijing’s fresh pledge to strengthen its “strategic deterrence” to safeguard the global balance, according to analysts. The pledge was part of the proposed 15th five-year plan which was endorsed last week by the Communist Party’s Central Committee and will cover the years 2026-2030. Details of the proposal were released on Tuesday, including a pledge to “strengthen strategic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3330774/chinas-next-5-year-plan-aims-narrow-nuclear-gap-us-and-russia-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3330774/chinas-next-5-year-plan-aims-narrow-nuclear-gap-us-and-russia-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Oct 2025 15:00:19 +0000 Ji Siqi,Luna Sun Ji Siqi,Luna Sun As US President Donald Trump talked up meetings with President Xi Jinping and vowed on Monday to reach a deal with China, analysts said a comprehensive trade agreement was still unlikely in the near term despite the latest in a series of conciliatory signals from the US side. “When we finish our meetings in South Korea,” Trump said, referring to a planned summit with Xi before or during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum this month, “China and I will have a really fair and really... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3329833/fantastic-deal-or-more-tariffs-why-us-china-trade-negotiations-still-face-uncertainty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3329833/fantastic-deal-or-more-tariffs-why-us-china-trade-negotiations-still-face-uncertainty?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 12:04:34 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang The Pentagon’s coming defence strategy report will contain major changes in the US’ plans to counter China’s military and economic strength, according to Chinese defence researchers. The new National Defence Strategy, a road map of defence priorities for each US president’s term, is expected to be released in the coming weeks. According to a Defence Department memo in May, the report will “prioritise defence of the US homeland, including America’s skies and borders, and deterring China in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3328996/will-china-be-lower-us-defence-priority-new-strategy-report-will-soon-tell?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3328996/will-china-be-lower-us-defence-priority-new-strategy-report-will-soon-tell?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:00:08 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim The Pentagon’s reported plans to focus on domestic and regional threats over countering China signals an “inevitable” waning of Washington’s global power, according to a retired People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officer. The shift might be bad news for Taiwan, he warned. US news outlet Politico reported on Friday that Pentagon officials had urged the Department of Defence to prioritise protecting the homeland and western hemisphere, marking a shift in its focus on its adversaries including China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324659/why-pentagons-homeward-shift-may-signal-us-power-decline-bad-news-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324659/why-pentagons-homeward-shift-may-signal-us-power-decline-bad-news-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Sep 2025 11:11:30 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi China’s display of advanced military technology at its Victory Day parade could help it overtake Russia in global arms sales, but geopolitical factors might keep it from entering markets with ties to the US, according to analysts. During the military parade on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II, China showcased its advanced weapon systems. In addition to President Xi Jinping, state leaders of 26 countries attended, including a handful from Southeast Asia... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324377/could-chinas-hi-tech-military-display-help-it-surpass-russia-arms-sales?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324377/could-chinas-hi-tech-military-display-help-it-surpass-russia-arms-sales?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 12:20:54 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi,Amber Wang Seong Hyeon Choi,Amber Wang China put its growing deterrence power on show in Beijing on Wednesday with a slew of new nuclear missiles for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), many of which could reach the United States. Among the weapons appearing in public for the first time was the Jing Lei-1, or JL-1, long-range air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM). ALBMs are typically launched from bombers and are considered to be a pillar of a nuclear triad – a three-pronged military force structure for delivering nuclear weapons... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324235/china-flexes-deterrence-muscle-new-missile-line-military-parade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324235/china-flexes-deterrence-muscle-new-missile-line-military-parade?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 22:00:12 +0000 Josephine Ma Josephine Ma China crowned a busy week of grand diplomacy with a spectacular military parade on Wednesday, sending a message to the world that it has the determination and strength to champion a multipolar global order as geopolitical challenges rise. Flanked by Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and leaders from 26 countries, President Xi Jinping gave a keynote speech on top of the Gate of Heavenly Peace in Beijing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the war against... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3324233/china-parades-statecraft-and-hardware-world-faces-critical-choices?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3324233/china-parades-statecraft-and-hardware-world-faces-critical-choices?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 14:01:03 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang The US appears to be strengthening its allied deterrence against China by deploying its Dark Eagle hypersonic missile, a move that could “further intensify” regional rivalry, Chinese experts have warned. The United States Army Pacific, a service component for America’s Indo-Pacific Command, confirmed on the weekend that it had deployed a Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) system – commonly referred to as Dark Eagle – to Australia’s Northern Territory as part of the three-week Talisman Sabre... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320992/us-debuts-dark-eagle-hypersonic-australia-china-mind?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320992/us-debuts-dark-eagle-hypersonic-australia-china-mind?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Aug 2025 01:30:12 +0000