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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

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

US-China rivalry doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: Jessica Chen Weiss

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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

videocam
5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

videocam
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

US-China rivalry doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: Jessica Chen Weiss

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29
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
Security volunteers patrol a village in Thailand’s Buriram province on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
Thailand

Trump to call Thailand, Cambodia leaders and ‘stop war’ along border

More than half a million people have fled the border region since the renewed clashes erupted over the weekend.

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South Korea

Why South Korea is powerless to revive Trump-Kim nuclear talks

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China-Latin America relations

US senators warn of China-cartel links forming a global ‘Silk Road of crime’

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Britain

UK sanctions Russian and Chinese firms, warns of cyber threats, hybrid warfare

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says dangers range from disinformation campaigns to physical attacks and sabotage.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper speaks at an event marking the 100th anniversary of the Locarno Treaties in London on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
Ukraine war

Member of UK armed forces killed in Ukraine ‘accident’, Britain says

It marked the first time a member of the UK military had been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.

Donald Trump

Trump blasts ‘decaying’ and ‘weak’ Europe, pushes Ukraine on elections

US president doubles down on criticism of key allies over immigration and said that Russia has the ‘upper hand’ in the Ukraine war.

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European Union

Opinion | How to preserve Europe’s liberty in the Trump 2.0 era

If Europe truly values liberty, it must build the means to defend it and start finally seeing the world as it is, not as it remembers it.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Indonesia

Video | Indonesia sends home Dutch death row convict

Two Dutch nationals convicted of drug offences returned home after more than a decade in prison a week after Indonesia and the Netherlands signed a repatriation deal.

European Union

Trump ally Babis returns as Czech PM amid fraud trial and EU concerns

His return raises concerns that his Eurosceptic coalition could restrict aid to Ukraine.

United States

‘A threat to Europe’s political life’: EU reels from new US security strategy

Brussels warns Washington against interference as Trump’s outline accuses Europe of decline and backs far-right movements across the bloc.

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European Council President Antonio Costa speaks during a press conference in September. Photo: AFP
Ukraine war

European allies back Ukraine’s Zelensky after Trump criticism

Ukrainian president met leaders in London and Brussels, declaring that ceding territory to Russia - a central point of the US proposal - was impossible.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in London. Photo: AP
US-China trade war

‘A slap in the face’: some US farmers unhappy with Trump’s US$12 billion bailout

US soybean growers, who were hit hardest by tariff disputes, have voiced frustration that overdue funding falls well short of what they need.

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US-China relations

US Congress unveils bill with curbs on China tech investment and biotech ties

NDAA package revives stalled measures on US outbound investment and biotech, signalling Capitol Hill’s hardened stance towards Beijing.

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United States

Rubio and Hegseth discuss Indo-Pacific security with Australian counterparts

At the talks, Rubio hailed cooperation between the US and Canberra on critical minerals, defence production and troop deployments.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the State Department in Washington on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Britain

‘Follow me’: UK’s Starmer launches TikTok account despite security ban

Prime minister’s office insists ‘security mitigations’ are in place as he turns to the popular Chinese-owned app for greater outreach.

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer taking part in a Q&A session last month on youth employment and the cost of living. Photo: Reuters
China-EU relations

China leans on German carmakers to help break Brussels tariff deadlock

Commerce vice-minister urges German industry leaders to leverage their clout to push the European Commission towards a compromise on the anti-subsidy probe.

Middle East

A year after Assad’s fall, can Syria’s new leader deliver lasting peace?

Despite progress, sectarian violence and Kurdish tensions persist as President Ahmed al-Sharaa pushes toward future elections.

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Cambodia

Video | Thai-Cambodian border sees renewed clashes

The neighbouring countries’ fragile peace deal is on the verge of collapse amid fresh violence.

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China-EU relations

Macron’s trade ultimatum to China goes public: fix surplus or face tariffs

French president says EU could copy American protectionism, warning that a lopsided flow of goods results in China ‘effectively killing their own customers’.

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North Korea

Trump drops North Korea denuclearisation goal, hinting at talks with Kim

Trump strategy omits North Korea denuclearistation; Pyongyang calls goal meaningless, demands US drop ‘absurd pursuit’ of its nuclear weapons.

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European Union

Editorial | Macron’s visit to China a counterpoint to rising tensions

Agreements signed during the trip reflect evolving trade and economic relations, with France now in the market for Chinese technology.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron greet children waving Chinese and French flags and holding up flowers, during a welcome ceremony for Macron at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on December 4. Photo: Reuters
China-Russia relations

Opinion | Despite their strong ties, Russia and China are emotional opposites

Moscow is haunted by a longing for Western approval in contrast to Beijing, which focuses on borrowing what works and changing what doesn’t.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Israel-Gaza war

Trump UN envoy, EU chief in Jordan to discuss Gaza aid as Israel eyes next phase

Diplomatic visits to Jordan came as Israeli PM Netanyahu says the second phase of the US-sponsored ceasefire could begin soon.

China-Africa relations

Opinion | How China can ensure Tazara rail deal in Africa is a win-win

The Chinese-funded rail upgrade benefits Tanzania and Zambia while securing China a trade corridor and access to critical African minerals.

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Japan

Japan’s Takaichi resurrects frozen dispute over islands lost to Russia

Analysts warn there’s ‘no chance’ of visits to the islands resuming while Tokyo continues to back Kyiv in the Russia-Ukraine war.

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A Japanese student prays at a grave of a former islander on Iturup, also known as Etorofu, in 2007. Photo: AFP
Ukraine war

Hungary’s Orban to send team to Russia, expecting end of Ukraine war

The PM is anticipating a post-war landscape in which sanctions are lifted and Russia becomes reintegrated with the Western economy.

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Hungarian Prime Minister addresses supporters in Kecskemet on Saturday. Photo: AFP
Ukraine war

Ukraine’s Zelensky holds ‘very substantive’ call with Trump envoys

The president’s negotiators are in Florida for talks on a US-led plan to end the war with Russia.

Donald Trump

Trump talks trade with Canada, Mexico leaders at World Cup draw

The three nations are preparing for a review of their trade pact amid rising US tariffs and threats by Washington to withdraw from the USMCA.

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