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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

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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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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

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

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
Illustration: Craig Stephens
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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Indonesia

Video | Indonesia sends home Dutch death row convict

European Union

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

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.

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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Lawmakers in both the US House of Representatives and Senate have two weeks left before they go out of session until January. Photo: Reuters
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.

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.

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.

Labourers work on an assembly line at a factory in Chongqing, China, in May. Beijing has pressed German carmakers to help resolve disputes over the European Union’s anti-subsidy tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Photo: EPA-EFE
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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People gather as they celebrate the first anniversary of Bashar al-Assad’s fall, at Ummayad Square in Damascus, Syria on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Cambodia

Video | Thai-Cambodian border sees renewed clashes

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

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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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (right) and US President Donald Trump inside the demilitarized zone separating South and North Korea in June 2019. Photo: TNS
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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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.

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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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The Tanzania-Zambia railway in the Tanzania Mbeya region. Photo: Shutterstock
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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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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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.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is seen in Kyiv on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
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.

US President Donald Trump speaks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum after the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup in Washington on Friday. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Trump recasts US allies as tools to counter China in security playbook: analysts

Plan urges wealthier partners to boost defence roles, align export controls and shoulder more regional responsibility.

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US-China relations

Why China may be better placed than US in tussle for rare earths

While Beijing has long engaged with resource-rich nations, Trump’s Washington is seen as more ‘aggressive’ and reactive.

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War and conflict

Opinion | Welcome to a world where wars don’t end and sanctions don’t work

The age of ‘distributed multipolarity’ shows that superpowers alone can no longer dictate international affairs.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China-Latin America relations

Trump’s national security blueprint aims to combat China’s rise in Latin America

Framework pledges to stop competitors from threatening the stability and political alignment of neighbouring countries in the region.

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US President Donald Trump unveiled a new national security blueprint on Friday, prioritising US dominance in the Western Hemisphere. Photo: EPA
US-China relations

US confirms Chinese boy Yuanxin, 6, is in federal custody. But where is he?

Separated from his father during an ICE check-in, the 6-year-old never appeared in federal detainee records, leaving advocates searching.

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US-China trade war

China’s vice-premier has ‘constructive’ call with US officials Bessent and Greer

Both sides agree to promote the development of bilateral trade ties to ‘expand the list for cooperation and shorten the list of problems’.

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