https://www.scmp.com/rss/523601/feed The latest news and top stories on the Atlantic Council. A prominent Washington DC-based non-profit think tank, the Atlantic Council is dedicated to promoting constructive leadership and engagement in international affairs, particularly fostering transatlantic cooperation. Established in 1961, its primary mission involves galvanising US leadership and working with allies to address global challenges. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju As the Iran war reshapes West Asian geopolitics, Pakistan has unexpectedly emerged as a backchannel mediator between Tehran and Washington, potentially sidelining India’s efforts to assert itself as a credible global diplomatic actor. India, despite its growing partnerships with the US, Israel and the Gulf states, has been absent from any meaningful conflict-resolution initiative on Iran. Umer Karim, a political science researcher at the University of Birmingham, said India’s strengthening... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347999/pakistan-steps-iran-mediator-while-india-watches-wings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347999/pakistan-steps-iran-mediator-while-india-watches-wings?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:21:12 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran As the Philippines forms partnerships with several countries to harness its potentially huge wealth of critical minerals, analysts have called for a coherent road map to develop the country’s mining industry to globally competitive standards. President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s administration has signed multiple agreements over the past months, including a memorandum of understanding with the United States to cooperate on diversifying global critical mineral supply chains. The accord, signed during... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3347369/why-philippines-struggles-tap-its-us1-trillion-mineral-wealth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3347369/why-philippines-struggles-tap-its-us1-trillion-mineral-wealth?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:30:03 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall For nearly three decades, Washington and Tokyo have pledged to close a controversial US airbase in Okinawa, located in the middle of a densely populated island. But the plan is now facing new uncertainty. The US military would not return its Futenma airbase to Japanese control until Tokyo builds a longer runway than the one being built at a replacement site in the northeast of Okinawa prefecture, according to a report. Japan’s national broadcaster NHK reported on Wednesday that the US Department... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344039/why-plan-us-and-japan-relocate-okinawa-airbase-hitting-turbulence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344039/why-plan-us-and-japan-relocate-okinawa-airbase-hitting-turbulence?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen China may surpass the US as the world’s biggest economy in a decade, and it could attempt to take Taiwan by force even though the US is likely to remain the strongest military power, a Washington-based think tank found in a survey with hundreds of geopolitical forecasters. 58 per cent of surveyed experts believed that China will be the world’s top economic power by 2036, while 33 per cent expected the US to maintain its economic dominance, according to a report published on Tuesday by the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3343116/china-could-overtake-us-economically-and-still-risk-war-taiwan-strait-survey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3343116/china-could-overtake-us-economically-and-still-risk-war-taiwan-strait-survey?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 20:02:32 +0000 Ji Siqi Ji Siqi More than a month after China’s central bank upgraded the digital yuan from a cash equivalent to “digital deposit money” – allowing it to accrue interest like a bank deposit – many residents and merchants in Beijing have yet to notice a major difference. While signs accepting digital yuan – also known as e-CNY – have long been commonplace in department stores and supermarkets, multiple sales staff said the dedicated point-of-sale machines had sat idle for months, if not years. At most wet... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343032/china-takes-gradual-approach-digital-yuan-upgrade-and-expansion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343032/china-takes-gradual-approach-digital-yuan-upgrade-and-expansion?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 07:29:06 +0000 Matteo Giovannini Matteo Giovannini As China prepares its digital yuan for wider domestic and cross-border use, the global debate has turned again to a familiar question: is Beijing trying to challenge the US dollar’s dominance? But this misses the more consequential point. The significance of China’s digital currency push lies not in substitution, but in the transformation of the infrastructure that underpins international payments. Over the past few years, the e-CNY has evolved into one of the world’s most advanced central bank... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3341064/talk-digital-yuan-challenging-dollar-dominance-misses-real-power-shift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3341064/talk-digital-yuan-challenging-dollar-dominance-misses-real-power-shift?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Despite a high-level phone call between US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, 2025 is likely to end without the long-promised US-India trade deal, as the “America first” leader continues to stall the agreement while working to cement improved ties with Beijing. The call came just days after Modi hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin. While the Indian Prime Minister described his conversation with Trump as “warm and engaging” in a social media post,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3336135/trump-and-modi-have-warm-phone-call-2025-unlikely-end-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3336135/trump-and-modi-have-warm-phone-call-2025-unlikely-end-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 23:00:52 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma French President Emmanuel Macron sought to improve relations with Beijing as he started a three-day trip amid Europe-China tensions over trade, rare earth minerals and the Ukraine war. “Sometimes there are differences, but it is our responsibility to overcome them for the greater good,” Macron told Chinese President Xi Jinping during talks in Beijing on Thursday. Xi said China was ready to work with France “to exclude any interference” and “make the comprehensive strategic partnership between... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3335185/macron-bypasses-eu-bid-boost-france-china-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3335185/macron-bypasses-eu-bid-boost-france-china-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 09:00:53 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han A bipartisan group of US lawmakers is urging Donald Trump’s administration to reject Myanmar’s “sham” elections next month, days after the administration cited the country’s electoral progress as grounds to remove legal protections for Myanmar nationals in the US. “Burma’s planned elections this December are proving to be a sham,” said Representatives Brian Mast and Gregory Meeks and Senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen on Wednesday, using the former name for the war-torn country. “Orchestrated... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3334287/us-lawmakers-urge-trump-condemn-myanmars-china-backed-sham-elections-next-month?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3334287/us-lawmakers-urge-trump-condemn-myanmars-china-backed-sham-elections-next-month?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Nov 2025 20:14:04 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service On the face of it, the United States appears closer than ever to mounting a military campaign to remove President Nicolas Maduro from power in Venezuela. US President Donald Trump says he has authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations inside the Caribbean nation, and has massed troops, fighter jets and warships just off its coastline. US service members in the region have been barred from taking Thanksgiving leave. Airlines have cancelled flights to Venezuela after the Federal Aviation... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3334185/us-preparing-invade-venezuela-or-sabre-rattling-make-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3334185/us-preparing-invade-venezuela-or-sabre-rattling-make-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Nov 2025 06:04:20 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press An agreement to supply Ukraine with US liquefied natural gas (LNG) was signed in Athens on Sunday during the official visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Greece. Zelensky and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis attended the signing of the deal between Greece’s gas supplier DEPA and Ukraine’s Naftogas, as did the US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle. The gas will be supplied via pipelines from the northern Greek port of Alexandroupolis to the Ukrainian port of Odesa.... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333012/greece-and-ukraine-sign-us-gas-supply-deal-zelensky-visits-athens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333012/greece-and-ukraine-sign-us-gas-supply-deal-zelensky-visits-athens?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 17:52:42 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Recent moves by the United States – including President Donald Trump’s meeting with leaders of resource-rich Central Asian countries and the expansion of a US government critical minerals list – signal an urgency in Washington to reduce its reliance on rare earths from China before tensions with Beijing flare up again, analysts said. Despite China’s Ministry of Commerce on Sunday suspending export controls on “dual-use items” related to several key minerals for a year as part of the US-China... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3332221/us-stepping-global-rare-earths-hunt-despite-china-trade-agreement-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3332221/us-stepping-global-rare-earths-hunt-despite-china-trade-agreement-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 15:00:10 +0000 Alice Li,Ralph Jennings Alice Li,Ralph Jennings With the US cutting its tariffs on Chinese imports by 10 per cent – halving a duty initially imposed by Washington over allegations of complicity in the fentanyl trade – analysts said the reduction may further strengthen the competitiveness of Chinese exporters, particularly in mass-produced goods. Following a meeting on Thursday between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in South Korea, the world’s two largest economies reached a consensus on the issue, with the US agreeing to... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3331116/cuts-us-fentanyl-tariffs-help-chinese-exporters-close-gap-competition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3331116/cuts-us-fentanyl-tariffs-help-chinese-exporters-close-gap-competition?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 22:00:13 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang The world’s two largest powers signalled at least 14 months of likely stability in US-China relations following a summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump – and hinted they would meet “regularly”, setting the stage for more encounters next year. During talks on Thursday that highlighted the personal connection between the two leaders and struck a conciliatory tone for long-term ties, Beijing and Washington reached a truce on thorny issues ranging from soybeans... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331101/beyond-trade-deal-are-more-xi-trump-summits-pathway-new-era-stability?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331101/beyond-trade-deal-are-more-xi-trump-summits-pathway-new-era-stability?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 11:42:08 +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 Associated Press Associated Press As a tenuous ceasefire took hold in Gaza this month, Israel launched more air strikes on southern Lebanon – 11 months into a ceasefire there. The bombardment of a construction equipment business killed a Syrian passer-by, wounded seven people including two women, and destroyed millions of dollars' worth of bulldozers and excavators. The October 11 strikes would be an anomaly in most countries not at war. But near-daily Israeli attacks have become the new normal in Lebanon, nearly a year after a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3329713/israels-lessfire-truce-lebanon-model-gaza-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3329713/israels-lessfire-truce-lebanon-model-gaza-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Oct 2025 16:07:57 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump has called off US diplomatic engagement with Venezuela, people familiar with the move have said, a decision that favours Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s more hardline approach and may lead to further military escalation. Trump told Richard Grenell, a long-time aide who had been leading diplomacy with Venezuela, that he should stop pursuing a deal with Nicolas Maduro’s administration, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because they were not... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3328194/trump-calls-talks-venezuela-us-considers-cartel-targets-land?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3328194/trump-calls-talks-venezuela-us-considers-cartel-targets-land?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Oct 2025 04:30:35 +0000 Mandy Zuo,Ralph Jennings Mandy Zuo,Ralph Jennings As US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to bring the widely watched TikTok dispute closer to a resolution, the move fuelled expectations of broader US-China trade deals when their leaders are expected to meet next month. The proposed divestiture, meanwhile, has also raised questions about the fate of Chinese and American companies investing and operating in each other’s markets. In the latest development in the saga involving the short-video app, Trump wrote in the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3327024/tiktok-deal-us-china-investments-new-normal-or-reciprocity-risk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3327024/tiktok-deal-us-china-investments-new-normal-or-reciprocity-risk?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 14:00:15 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley The tsunami of liquidity washing through financial markets now threatens to drown us all in a destructive wave. Markets are not directing this excess liquidity in any meaningful way. That much is obvious from their antics in recent days. It seems that stock markets from New York to Tokyo have been going wild in anticipation of increased financial liquidity on the back of the US Federal Reserve’s decision to cut rates slightly, while long-term bond markets are signalling a retreat that could... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3325992/beware-rising-bond-yields-and-falling-markets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3325992/beware-rising-bond-yields-and-falling-markets?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Sep 2025 08:30:10 +0000 Riaz Khokhar Riaz Khokhar On June 22, the US military launched an attack on Iran, striking nuclear sites like the deeply buried Fordow enrichment plant with massive bunker-busting bombs. In tandem with an Israeli air campaign, this was the biggest Western military action against Tehran since 1979. US President Donald Trump immediately hailed the raid as a “spectacular military success”, boasting on national television that Iran’s key enrichment installations had been “completely and totally obliterated”. Some quickly... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3316043/us-attack-iran-shakes-east-asias-faith-non-proliferation-norms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3316043/us-attack-iran-shakes-east-asias-faith-non-proliferation-norms?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jun 2025 21:30:08 +0000