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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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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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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
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
US President Donald Trump (right) greets leaders as he arrives for a Board of Peace charter announcement at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22. Photo: AP
United States

Macroscope | Distracted at Davos, leaders are ignoring one critical issue

More attention needs to be paid to the state of US and global finances.

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Asean

Asian Angle | What a US-China ‘grand bargain’ would mean for Southeast Asia

Ukraine war

Russia and Ukraine sit for tense talks on thorny territorial issue

US-China relations

Trump admin pushes out US official whose unit banned Chinese vehicles

Elizabeth Cannon’s departure comes shortly after the US Commerce Department dropped a plan to restrict Chinese drones.

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Electric cars for export wait to be loaded on a ship at Yantai port in China’s Shandong province in January 2024. Photo: AFP
Donald Trump

UK’s Starmer slams Trump’s ‘insulting’ remarks on allies in Afghanistan

The US president had accused European troops of staying off the front lines, despite 457 British service ⁠personnel being killed in the war.

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Donald Trump

‘Never been more relevant’: did Trump make Davos great again?

The Trump administration brought its ‘America First’ agenda to Davos, challenging the summit’s status quo while drawing record crowds of elites.

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US-China relations

Opinion | As US retreats into ‘sphere of influence’, China looks outwards

By disrupting China’s global initiatives and relying on brute force to achieve its goals, US actions are ultimately self-defeating.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China GDP

China may cut GDP goal, Trump at Davos, Starmer visit

This week: China may lower its economic growth target, Trump shakes up Davos, Chinese births hit record low. Next week: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits China, EU likely to mandate technology transfers, last giant pandas leave Japan, and more.

Indonesia

Indonesia’s defence deal with Bosnia signals Asian middle power’s clout

The deal is in line with Jakarta’s goal to pursue an ‘active and free’ foreign policy beyond its Western partners.

United States

Outside In | Why Trump’s Davos farce may come to be seen as a watershed

Whatever his motivations, he’s alarmed allies and made clear the old order based on a benign US is gone, even as his popularity slips at home.

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US President Donald Trump speaks during a Board of Peace charter announcement at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22. Photo: AP
World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

Newsom, on world stage in Davos, accuses Trump of trying to suppress dissent

After being barred from a Davos event, California’s governor blasts the Trump administration for its ‘authoritarian tendencies’.

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California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks with the media on Wednesday. Photo: EPA
United States

Opinion | From Venezuela to Greenland, Trump is using US power to rewrite the rules

What troubles many is the inconsistency emanating from Washington. When power underwrites rules, principles become negotiable.

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Donald Trump

Video | The real reason Trump wants Greenland

Security and securing alternative natural resources are priorities for the US president’s administration, and the Danish island has a strategic role in his ambitions.

US-China relations

China to ‘quietly track’ Greenland developments amid Arctic ambitions: analysts

Beijing to focus on maintaining its ‘constructive relationship with US’ and does not need to ‘disrupt that over Greenland’, say experts.

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US President Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire for Greenland to become part of the United States, but China is content to keep a close eye on the situation in the short term. Photo: AFP
United States

US walks away from WHO, leaving unpaid tab of US$260 million

Without its top donor, the UN health agency’s work to contain diseases like HIV, polio and Ebola is at risk.

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The World Health Organization logo is seen outside the agency’s headquarters in Geneva in December 2021. Photo: AFP
United States

Editorial | Trump’s antics at Davos further erode trust in US leadership

No exaggeration to say Trump is openly using US power to upend both the world economy and the global order.

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US-Venezuela conflict

US letting China buy Venezuela oil but not at ‘unfair’ Maduro prices: official

The US says it will control the Latin American nation’s oil sales indefinitely after seizing its leader.

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US-China relations

US and Canada drift apart on China as Ottawa rethinks Beijing ties

Policy gaps are emerging after PM Mark Carney struck a wide-ranging deal with Beijing, testing past US-Canada alignment, analysts say.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told Chinese President Xi Jinping last week that “together we can build on the best of what this relationship has been in the past”. Photo: Reuters
China-Latin America relations

Peru’s president refuses to resign over secret meetings with Chinese businessmen

Jose Jeri is under scrutiny for clandestine encounters with Chinese businessmen that triggered a criminal probe and calls for his removal.

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Donald Trump

Greenland PM says he doesn’t know what’s in deal reached with Trump

Locals, meanwhile, are fed up with negotiations done over their heads after the US president’s meeting with Nato’s chief.

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Ukraine war

Ukraine’s Zelensky slams ‘fragmented’ Europe, says it looks lost facing Trump

In a fiery speech at Davos, the president also blasted EU allies for lack of ‘political will’ in countering Russia’s Putin.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday. Photo: Keystone via AP
Ukraine war

Trump sends message to Putin ‘war has to end’ after ‘good’ meeting with Zelensky

Trump’s comments come after crucial Davos talks with Ukraine’s leader, as peace efforts intensify amid fresh strikes and high-stakes diplomacy.

US President Donald Trump attends the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Opinion | China has Trump 2.0 to thank for emerging stronger in tech and trade

As intense US-China competition becomes the new normal, pressure has strengthened China’s capacity to adapt rather than deter it from its long-term ambitions.

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Japan

Video | Japan posts record tourist arrivals despite China row

The number of mainland Chinese tourists visiting Japan had dropped 45 per cent in the month of December amid tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.

World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

‘For the world’: Trump launches his Board of Peace that some see rivalling UN

The US president signed the board’s charter at a ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

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US President Donald Trump holding a signed founding charter with leaders and representatives from other countries. Photo: AFP
Israel-Gaza war

Israeli forces kill Palestinian children, journalists in Gaza despite ceasefire

Eleven Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire on Wednesday, threatening the peace deal as the US tries to push the agreement forward.

Mourners carry the bodies of three journalists through Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Photo: EPA
India

India, EU ramp up push for ‘historic’ free-trade deal amid US tariff tensions

A trade pact with the EU would offer an ‘alternative market’ for Indian goods amid a fraught global environment, analysts say.

World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

Watch Trump showcase his ‘Board of Peace’ in Davos

Donald Trump has extended invitations to dozens of nations and hinted at the board’s future role as conflict mediator - with him as chairman.

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