https://www.scmp.com/rss/523390/feed The latest news and top stories on Zhang Yun, a Professor at Nanjing University. He previously served as an Associate Professor at Niigata University Japan and held visiting positions at institutions including MIT and the University of Hong Kong. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao As US President Donald Trump prepares for his first China trip in nearly a decade, Chinese scholars see an opportunity to steer ties away from confrontation and towards a managed coexistence. Speakers at a seminar hosted by the University of Hong Kong’s Centre on Contemporary China and the World last week were cautiously optimistic about prospects for the relationship. That was despite Washington’s strategic pullback, heightened sensitivities over the Taiwan Strait, and intensifying conflict in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346061/love-and-hate-nationalism-can-xi-and-trump-rebalance-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346061/love-and-hate-nationalism-can-xi-and-trump-rebalance-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:00:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Beijing’s top diplomat has issued a stark warning against any attempt to thwart reunification with Taiwan and repeated his country’s criticism of Tokyo, dimming hopes that the diplomatic row sparked by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan would come to an end any time soon. The comments by Foreign Minister Wang Yi, delivered in a press conference on Sunday as part of the “two sessions”, were the latest in a series of strong criticisms by Beijing officials following... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345882/wang-yi-warns-japan-taiwan-red-line-dashing-hopes-ending-diplomatic-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345882/wang-yi-warns-japan-taiwan-red-line-dashing-hopes-ending-diplomatic-row?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 10:31:05 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A new Chinese dating reality show that features a group of single people aged about 50 has become a nationwide hit, sparking discussions about love and desire in the lives of the middle-aged and elderly. The show by tech giant Tencent’s WeTV, Forever by Your Side, was first aired in December 2025, and was branded as “mature singles braving the world of love”. It invites five men and five women around the age of 50 to travel together from Dali in southwestern China’s Yunnan province, a city known... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3342370/why-young-china-viewers-are-increasingly-drawn-dating-shows-featuring-older-contestants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3342370/why-young-china-viewers-are-increasingly-drawn-dating-shows-featuring-older-contestants?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 10:00:26 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is said to be weighing up an early election, a move that could put her in a stronger position with both China and the United States if she secures a decisive win, according to observers. But a diplomatic thaw between Japan and China is not expected any time soon. Media reports in recent days have suggested that Takaichi may call a snap general election to capitalise on her high approval ratings. Citing government sources, the Yomiuri Shinbun reported on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339685/how-snap-election-japan-could-put-sanae-takaichi-stronger-position-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339685/how-snap-election-japan-could-put-sanae-takaichi-stronger-position-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 07:00:10 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Japan’s unstable political landscape is expected to cast doubt over its diplomatic commitments and could hinder progress in its trilateral summit with China and South Korea, analysts have observed. Uncertainties are mounting as the path to the Japanese premiership for recently elected Liberal Democratic Party leader Sanae Takaichi has been complicated by the abrupt exit of the LDP’s junior coalition partner, Komeito. Takaichi, aiming to be Japan’s first female prime minister, remains short of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3329281/turbulent-japanese-politics-could-stall-progress-china-and-south-korea-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3329281/turbulent-japanese-politics-could-stall-progress-china-and-south-korea-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2025 05:00:09 +0000 Fan Chen,Vanessa Cai Fan Chen,Vanessa Cai Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s resignation after less than a year in the job might not be surprising, but it will add to uncertainty over relations with China. “Now is the time for me to resign as the negotiations on US tariffs have come to an end,” Ishiba said on Sunday, citing a trade deal reached with the United States on Thursday that cuts tariffs on Japanese car imports from 27.5 to 15 per cent. Ishiba’s announcement came a day before his Liberal Democratic Party was to decide... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324828/will-japans-new-leader-bring-more-pressure-relations-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324828/will-japans-new-leader-bring-more-pressure-relations-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 06:00:13 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak According to ancient Chinese legend, the Hungry Ghost Festival – which falls on September 6 this year – is when the gate to the underworld opens, allowing ghosts of the deceased to pass through to the realm of the living. But not all ancestors have good intentions, and it is not just human souls that take their once-a-year opportunity to visit the earthly dimension. In Chinese mythology, there are many supernatural beings that inhabit other spiritual spheres. They are usually called yao guai in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3324134/chinese-mythology-how-demons-spirits-ghosts-and-monsters-are-separated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3324134/chinese-mythology-how-demons-spirits-ghosts-and-monsters-are-separated?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 09:15:08 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Even as Washington ramps up pressure on Japan and South Korea to settle trade disputes with the US, diplomatic observers believe tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump are not likely to push its two Asian allies closer to Beijing. However, they suggest that the trade tensions could create an opportunity for China to offer stronger incentives to enhance trilateral cooperation with Tokyo and Seoul. The assessment was made following US announcements that reciprocal tariffs on Japan and South... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317440/will-us-tariff-pressure-japan-and-south-korea-push-them-closer-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317440/will-us-tariff-pressure-japan-and-south-korea-push-them-closer-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jul 2025 14:10:37 +0000