https://www.scmp.com/rss/524650/feed The latest news and top stories on Craig Singleton. A former US diplomat, he is a senior advisor at Beacon Global Strategies and a senior director for China at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies. With over a decade in US government national security roles, his expertise specialises in US-China relations, military-civil fusion and emerging technologies. He advises policymakers, testifies before Congress and frequently contributes to major publications, focusing on China's strategic... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Washington and Beijing have piled on irritants in advance of this week’s summit between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, suggesting that neither side wants to be seen as a deal killer – even as they try to build potential leverage to bargain away, analysts and former US government officials said. Scott Kennedy, senior adviser with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said that both sides had been “picking up some chits which they might be... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3353432/wary-mood-mark-xi-trump-summit-irritants-aplenty-both-sides-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3353432/wary-mood-mark-xi-trump-summit-irritants-aplenty-both-sides-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2026 15:59:04 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao Trump’s threat to postpone his Beijing trip unless China helps break Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has fused two crises Beijing had sought to keep apart: the unravelling of Middle East stability and the fragile thaw in US–China relations. China, the world’s largest buyer of Gulf oil, is now being forced to weigh its economic reliance on stable energy routes against its tradition of non‑interference in diplomacy, according to observers. While Beijing is eager to host Trump for a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346792/china-under-pressure-trump-ties-high-stakes-summit-strait-hormuz-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346792/china-under-pressure-trump-ties-high-stakes-summit-strait-hormuz-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:00:10 +0000 Xinmei Shen,Khushboo Razdan,Vincent Chow Xinmei Shen,Khushboo Razdan,Vincent Chow In a move that escalates tensions between Beijing and Washington just weeks ahead of US President Donald Trump’s anticipated trip to Beijing, the Pentagon added a wide range of Chinese companies to a list of firms with alleged links to the military before withdrawing the document. Giants like Alibaba Group Holding, Baidu and BYD are among the firms added to the list. Alibaba is the parent company of the South China Morning Post. The updated designation also names firms spanning the biotech, AI,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3343540/pentagon-adds-chinese-firms-military-list-then-withdraws-filing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3343540/pentagon-adds-chinese-firms-military-list-then-withdraws-filing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 16:36:23 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Igor Patrick Khushboo Razdan,Igor Patrick Washington on Friday welcomed a Panamanian court ruling cancelling a contract held by a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings to operate two ports along the Panama Canal, a decision seen as a boost to the United States’ efforts to counter Chinese influence in the western hemisphere. The reaction came as Panama’s government sought to reassure workers and investors on the ground that trade and jobs would not be affected. “The United States is encouraged by the recent Panamanian... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3341908/us-hails-panama-high-court-ruling-against-ck-hutchisons-ports-concession?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3341908/us-hails-panama-high-court-ruling-against-ck-hutchisons-ports-concession?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 21:06:42 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the US will allow Nvidia to ship its H200 artificial intelligence chips to approved customers in China, marking the latest lobbying win for the American chip company. The decision follows weeks of deliberations by the Trump administration about whether to grant permission to ship the H200 to China. It comes days after Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang met with Trump in Washington to discuss US export controls. “I have informed President Xi,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3335669/trump-says-us-will-allow-sale-nvidia-h200-ai-chips-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3335669/trump-says-us-will-allow-sale-nvidia-h200-ai-chips-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 22:25:40 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han The US Congress is readying votes on a sprawling bill that would restrict US outbound investment to China in sensitive sectors as well as federal government contracting with Chinese biotechnology companies, two controversial measures that were left out of similar legislation last year. The provisions were included in a compromise defence bill released on Sunday after months of negotiation. Votes on the annual bill, known as the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), could happen this week.... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3335668/us-congress-unveils-defence-bill-curbs-china-tech-investment-biotech-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3335668/us-congress-unveils-defence-bill-curbs-china-tech-investment-biotech-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 22:14:05 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier China is systematically exploiting US weaknesses and inconsistencies to expand its reach in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, but it also faces its own energy, diplomatic and economic vulnerabilities that Washington needs to better exploit, witnesses testified before Congress on Tuesday. The hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy saw unusual bipartisan unanimity in a deeply divided Washington on the need to... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3328169/congress-urged-preserve-stability-indo-pacific-and-curb-chinas-taiwan-game-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3328169/congress-urged-preserve-stability-indo-pacific-and-curb-chinas-taiwan-game-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 23:17:26 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will meet at an upcoming Asia forum as the two countries progress in trade talks, including a deal for TikTok’s US operations. Final approval for the video-app agreement is now “just a formality”, Trump said on Friday following an almost two-hour-long phone conversation with Xi. The US will have “very, very tight control” of the algorithm that decides what content users see, he said. The call was Trump’s second with Xi since taking... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3326385/trump-xi-call-shows-tiktok-more-labubu-unboxing-clips?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3326385/trump-xi-call-shows-tiktok-more-labubu-unboxing-clips?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 09:00:41 +0000 Mark Magnier,Finbarr Bermingham,Khushboo Razdan Mark Magnier,Finbarr Bermingham,Khushboo Razdan US and European leaders reacted with veneration, concern and stiffened resolve on Wednesday to China’s epic military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Over 25 foreign leaders – including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un – joined Chinese President Xi Jinping at the showcase event marked by intimidating weaponry and choreographed troop manoeuvres. “I thought it was very, very impressive, but I understood the reason they were doing... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3324250/western-leaders-parse-china-military-parade-displaying-authoritarian-strength?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3324250/western-leaders-parse-china-military-parade-displaying-authoritarian-strength?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 20:21:26 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Orange Wang,Frank Chen Khushboo Razdan,Orange Wang,Frank Chen US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that any incentives he might offer his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to halt Moscow’s war against Ukraine should not be construed as a reward, and dodged questions about what carrots he might dangle, such as access to American rare earth resources or Nato troop reductions. “No, I don’t think it’s a reward. I think that what we have is a situation that should never have started,” Trump told reporters, when asked whether incentives for peace could... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3321791/trump-prepares-meet-putin-peace-prospects-ukraine-war-seem-slim-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3321791/trump-prepares-meet-putin-peace-prospects-ukraine-war-seem-slim-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2025 05:00:09 +0000