https://www.scmp.com/rss/525330/feed Kong Qingjiang is a professor of law and dean of the Academy for Foreign-related Rule of Law at China University of Political Science and Law. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Kong Qingjiang Kong Qingjiang In international relations, interactions between states are often understood through a transactional lens. A transactional approach treats diplomacy as a series of discrete deals, short-term and conditional exchanges governed by a strict calculus of quid pro quo. Its focus is immediate gain and measurable returns. The turbulence in transatlantic relations over the past year illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of such an approach. At the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, US... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3344449/why-china-steers-clear-wests-transactional-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3344449/why-china-steers-clear-wests-transactional-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 21:30:07 +0000 Kong Qingjiang Kong Qingjiang “I don’t need international law.” In an interview with The New York Times, US President Donald Trump made this strikingly candid declaration, asserting that his authority as commander-in-chief is constrained only by his own moral code. These remarks, in light of the US military action in Venezuela, its territorial ambitions towards Greenland and its decision to withdraw from 66 international organisations, offer a stark portrait of power politics. Taken together, Trump’s words and actions amount... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340847/us-disregard-international-law-must-not-be-tolerated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340847/us-disregard-international-law-must-not-be-tolerated?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 21:30:08 +0000