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Diplomacy

Diplomacy
Latest news, features and analysis on global diplomatic relations, with a focus on China’s international ties – especially with the US, its Asian neighbours and the European Union.
Open Questions series

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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12
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

7
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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93
Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel (left) said his government is not in talks with the US, following Donald Trump’s threats after Washington’s attack on Venezuela. Photo: AFP
United States

‘No conversations’ with US, says Cuban president after Trump threats

Miguel Diaz-Canel rejects Trump’s ‘make a deal’ ultimatum, as US president vows to end Venezuelan oil flows to the island nation.

Asean

Opinion | US precedent in Venezuela raises Asia’s fears of ‘rule of jungle’

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US military

China’s oil risks worsen as Trump threatens Iran

Japan

Japan’s top diplomat heads to Philippines with South China Sea top of mind

The talks are likely to focus on Manila’s push for a South China Sea code with ‘teeth’ as this year’s Asean chair, analysts say.

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Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi looks on during a meeting in Israel on Sunday. He is due in Manila on Thursday. Photo: AP
China-Africa relations

China’s Wang Yi cites ‘severe risks’ after Somalia dropped from Africa itinerary

In a call with the Somali foreign minister, China’s top envoy reiterates Beijing’s support for Somalia’s territorial integrity.

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North Korea

‘Gang of hooligans’: rebuke from North Korea signals icy ties with South

The unusually coarse language from Kim Jong-un’s sister shows that Pyongyang has no intention of reconciling with Seoul, experts say.

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US-Venezuela conflict

Editorial | US raid on Venezuela should push nations to revive collective security

Following Washington’s fragrant breach of international law, responsible member states must restore the UN’s credibility and authority.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz arrives for a Security Council meeting concerning the situation in Venezuela on January 5 in New York. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
Iran

Trump says Iran wants to negotiate after reports of hundreds killed in unrest

Amidst unrest, Trump claims Iran seeks talks, but warns of strong action. Tehran blames the US and Israel, but signals openness to diplomacy.

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Israel-Gaza war

Hamas says will dissolve its Gaza government when Palestinian body takes over

Militant group agrees to cede power to technocratic committee under Trump-brokered plan, but silence remains over disarmament.

Greenland

Britain in talks with Nato allies over Arctic security as US eyes Greenland

UK minister says talks on the Arctic ‘business as usual’, while Trump posits having Greenland ‘one way or the other’.

Donald Trump has said that he would like to make a deal to acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous region of Nato ally Denmark. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

Opinion | How Trump’s ‘Donroe Doctrine’ is escalating US-China rivalry

Maduro’s capture not only challenges China’s influence in Latin America but also signals a bolder US security posture that could reshuffle great-power competition.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
United States

Editorial | What happens next in Venezuela should be of international concern

If the US can take over the running of a country in this way, it could be the beginning of a slippery slope.

Middle East

US says it carried out new ‘large-scale’ strikes against Isis in Syria

The attack is the latest response to a shooting by a lone militant that killed two American soldiers and a US civilian interpreter.

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Canada

Trump’s Venezuela and Greenland threats make Canada fear it’s next

The shock capture of Maduro and talk of seizing the Arctic island are forcing Canadians to take Trump’s 51st state threats seriously.

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In December 2024, US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself standing on mountain with a Canadian flag next to him and the caption “Oh Canada!”. Image: Truth Social/realDonaldTrump
Britain

1 dead in UK, 100,000 French homes without power as storms batter Europe

The man died on Friday after a tree fell onto a caravan in Cornwall, while some rail services in Germany remain affected by the storms.

A fallen tree is cleared from a road in St Stephen, Cornwall, England, on Friday as Storm Goretti continues to batter the United Kingdom. Photo: PA via AP
Middle East

Trump says protest-hit Iran in ‘big trouble’, again threatens military strike

The US president warned that ‘we’ll start shooting too’, if the authorities kill demonstrators.

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US-China relations

US government abandons plan to blacklist Chinese-made drones

Commerce Department, FCC make U-turn after barring imports of new Chinese drone models in December to address national security concerns.

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Donald Trump

Trump says Colombia’s Petro to visit US, in U-turn from threats to diplomacy

Just days ago, Trump had issued a warning to the South American leader for criticising the US attack that removed Venezuela’s Maduro.

US President Donald Trump (right) spoke with Colombian President Gustavo Petro over the phone on Wednesday. Photos: AFP
Donald Trump

Trump says will get Greenland ‘easy way’ or ‘hard way’

The Trump administration has reportedly discussed paying the island’s residents up to US$100,000 each to lure them to join the US.

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US-China relations

Trump-Xi diplomacy put to test thanks to contentious tit-for-tat Covid lawsuits

Unpaid billions of dollars in judgments against China sucks US State Department into escalating legal dispute, but Beijing remains defiant.

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European Union

EU agrees to ‘world’s largest’ free-trade zone with Mercosur pact after 25 years

The EU sealed the historic deal with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to form a 700 million strong bloc, defying fierce farmer opposition.

EU flags waving in front of the European Parliament building in Brussels, Belgium. Photo: Shutterstock
US-Venezuela conflict

US seizes fifth tanker as Washington escalates bid to control Venezuela’s oil

Joint US forces intercept the Olina amid Trump talks with Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips on US$100 billion Venezuela plan.

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Video released by US Southern Command shows the seizure of the tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea. Photo: US Southern Command
Science

China cites Biden’s message to Xi that Japan could build nukes ‘overnight’

Beijing releases 30-page report that includes a call for international community to ‘take concrete and strong measures’ against Japan’s nuclear ambitions.

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2025 Cambodia-Thailand conflict

US pledges millions to bolster Thailand, Cambodia truce amid Trump peace claims

Trump has listed the conflict as one of a number of wars he claims to have solved as he loudly insists he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

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Bangladesh

India-Bangladesh talks over Ganges waters may turn murky over politics, UN pact

Bangladesh’s election, Hasina’s presence in India and Dhaka’s signing of the UN water convention could complicate the 1996 Ganges agreement.

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A boy plays with a football on the banks of the Ganges river in Varanasi, India. Photo: AFP
Legacy of war in Asia

Opinion | Amid historical tensions with Japan, Hong Kong must engage for the future

Remembering the pain of the Nanking massacre does not preclude engagement, but ensures lessons of the past strengthen our shared commitment to peace.

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Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and government officials at the ceremony of the Nanking massacre memorial held at the government’s headquarters on December 13. Photo: Jonathan Wong
China trade

With US focused on Venezuela, China has window to pressure Japan: analysts

Beijing’s trade actions raise stakes with Tokyo, as China’s rare earth power and Japan’s chip dominance are seen as potentially key levers in their bilateral dispute.

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South Korea

Editorial | For South Korea to reset relations with China, it must withstand US pressure

The South Korean president’s visit to China was a sign of a more pragmatic approach that departs from that of his US-leaning predecessor.

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