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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

videocam
15
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
Containers sit at the Balboa terminal, formerly run by CK Hutchison’s Panama Ports, after the Panama government ordered the occupation of the port following a court ruling that the concession was unconstitutional. Photo: AP
China-Latin America relations

Panama encourages dialogue at UN as canal tensions with China simmer

Panama’s foreign minister uses UN speech to help defuse tension after deterioration in Panama-China relations due to canal dispute.

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US-China trade war

US to seek public comment on which Chinese goods qualify for lower tariffs

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US-China relations

Opinion | The 4 trilateral frameworks defining northeast Asia future

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US-China relations

China’s Wang Yi tells UN multilateralism must be protected in swipe at US

Beijing’s top diplomat says ‘world peace and security are in great jeopardy’ and that UN Charter should be safeguarded at all costs.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Quad foreign ministers fight for relevance as leaders’ summit remains elusive

Critical minerals and Indo-Pacific security took centre stage amid doubts over US commitment and a delayed leaders’ summit.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Iran restores partial internet access after record months-long blackout

The shutdown was imposed after US and Israeli air strikes on Iranian leaders and infrastructure began in February.

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United States

As I see it | Trump makes everything worse but he didn’t start it

Essays from over a decade ago show that America’s institutional decay and populist revolt predate the current US president’s rise to power.

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US President Donald Trump delivers a speech about the economy at Rockland Community College Fieldhouse in Suffern, New York, the US, on May 22. Photo: AFP
2026 Xi-Trump summit

Double standards? How North American conservatives viewed 2 China trips

The North American right cast Trump’s Beijing visit as ‘deal-making diplomacy’ while attacking the Canadian leader for ‘hedging with China’.

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Indonesia

How US military aircraft repair hub could threaten Indonesian neutrality

If Indonesia turns Kertajati Airport into a Hercules repair hub, it risks being seen as siding with the US in times of war, analysts say.

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US-China relations

The View | In Beijing, the US and China tiptoed around tech and critical minerals

Summit addressed the top and bottom layers – geopolitical framing and trade mechanics – but left the strategic middle layer largely implicit.

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US President Donald Trump gestures towards Chinese President Xi Jinping while leaving after a visit to the Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing, China, on May 15. Photo: Reuters
India

As Marco Rubio visits New Delhi, what could it mean for US-India ties?

The US secretary of state’s trip aims to mend bilateral relationship, focusing on trade, defence and Quad unity.

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) and India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar during their meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
Cambodia

Video | Cambodia’s Hun Sen pardons detained opposition leader

Many political opponents were convicted during Hun Sen’s time in power while Sam Rainsy, the co-founder of Sokha’s party, CNRP, remains in self-exile in France.

The Philippines

Marcos’ historic Japan trip: what will Philippine leader seek from Takaichi?

Japan is a key counterweight for the Philippines to deal with its maritime challenges in the South China Sea, analysts say.

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Ukraine war

Exiled Belarus opposition leader visits Ukraine as Kyiv warns of escalation

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya meets foreign minister during working trip as Kyiv reels from heavy Russian strikes.

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Kyiv. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

Trump now ties Iran deal to major expansion of Abraham Accords

US president suggests Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and other regional powers normalise ties with Israel to secure peace.

US President Donald Trump speaks on the phone inside his limousine on Monday. Photo: EPA
Cambodia

Hun Sen pardons detained Cambodia opposition leader Kem Sokha

Many political opponents were convicted during Hun Sen’s time in power while Kem Sokha’s CNRP co-founder Sam Rainsy remains in self-exile in France.

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US-China relations

Opinion | How the US and China can ensure their board of trade is effective

Both sides need to learn from past failures, agree on a mandate and appoint officials with the clout to push decisions.

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Middle East

Israeli far-right ministers want ‘return to war in Lebanon’ despite peace talks

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich advocated for strikes on Beirut and cutting off electricity to Lebanon.

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Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir delivers a speech during a gathering by right-wing activists near the border with Gaza on October 21, 2024, calling to establish a new Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip. Photo: AFP
India

India orders new deportation centres days after BJP election victory

The Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has ordered detention centres for undocumented migrants in West Bengal state, sparking fear of arbitrary expulsions.

Pakistan

UAE deports Pakistani Shiites: jobs lost and savings frozen amid Iran war

Over one hundred deported Pakistanis said they were unable to retrieve their luggage or savings before being placed ‌on deportation flights.

China’s military

China boosts peacekeeping budget share amid warnings UN may be sidelined

SIPRI says Beijing’s participation in such UN missions helps ‘project an image of itself as a responsible major power’.

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China's largest peacekeeping deployment last year was to the UN Mission in South Sudan. Photo: Handout
US, Israel war on Iran

Netanyahu increasingly isolated as Trump pursues Iran peace deal

The lack of a decisive victory in the Iran war has led Trump to lose confidence in the Israeli prime minister, analysts say.

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US President Donald Trump points towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on December 29, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Asean

Shock absorber: will Asean’s power grid be up to the task by 2045?

With only eight of 18 links built and a 100-terawatt demand surge looming, analysts say the blueprint may need an overhaul for the AI age.

Mainland China

Opinion | Trump, Putin summits show an Eastward power shift

Beijing is signalling confidence and shaping the tempo of the China-US-Russia triangle – in which it is central.

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Serbia

Opinion | Serbia can help build bridges between Europe and China

Serbia’s experience proves that cooperation with China brings concrete benefits to ordinary people, workers and families.

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The steel mill in the Serbian town of Smederevo, seen on April 4, 2019, was revitalised with the help of Chinese investment. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

US tech supply chain hub tackling China hits Philippine sovereignty wall

Manila pushes back against reports that a US-backed AI industrial hub will come under US laws and diplomatic protections.

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Tugboats assist a container ship as it prepares to dock at the Manila International Container Terminal on April 8. Photo: AP
China’s Communist Party

Video | How a rural French town became the cradle of Chinese communism

Late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping was among the many Chinese students who studied in Montargis in the early 20th century.

India

Rubio renews US ties with India after Trump’s China visit

The US secretary of state called India a natural partner and invited PM Modi to the White House.

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