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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.
Trucks drive past shipping containers at the main port in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Colombo Dockyard is located within the port. Photo: Reuters
India

India’s maritime ambitions expand with Colombo Dockyard acquisition

State-run Mazagon Dock’s takeover of Sri Lanka’s largest shipbuilder signals that India is looking beyond countering China, analysts say.

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Indonesia

Indonesia, Saudi Arabia ink deals worth US$27 billion with eye on clean energy

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Open Questions series

Open Questions | US-China science faltering on ‘political distrust’, Simon says

China-EU relations

Europe has many challenges but none come from China, Wang Yi tells EU

Top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas urges concrete solutions to rebalance economic ties and calls on China to end restrictions on rare earth exports.

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The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to the EU institutions in Brussels on Wednesday. Photo: EPA
SCMP Exclusives

Exclusive | Armenia looks to deepen ties with China for foreign policy beyond Russia

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan says his country’s Crossroads of Peace and China’s belt and road project are interdependent.

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Singapore

New memoir reveals Lee Kuan Yew’s respectful strategy for China relations

Veteran newspaper editor Cheong Yip Seng’s new memoir outlines Lee’s diplomatic skill with China that earned him Beijing’s enduring trust.

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Central Asia

Opinion | Why Central Asia plays a growing role in China’s strategic calculus

Cooperation on trade, infrastructure, energy and more shows that China sees Central Asia as an important trade partner and geopolitical buffer.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) shakes hands with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev before flying back to Beijing after the completion of the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on June 18. Photo: Xinhua
Ukraine war

Ukraine looks to jointly produce weapons with allies amid US arms freeze

The pause on some US shipments could deprive Kyiv of formidable systems such as air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery.

United States

Trump reaches Vietnam trade deal with 20% import tariff

In move aimed at China, transshipped goods from elsewhere would face 40%.

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US-China relations

China must watch out for US-led Quad as tensions fail to dent unity: observers

Cooperation on geopolitical and geostrategic interests seen to be largely unaffected, along with ‘basic strategic choice to counter China’.

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio shakes hands with Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong at the State Department in Washington, DC, on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
China-EU relations

Wang Yi’s Brussels visit lays bare EU-China rifts on Ukraine, trade

Chinese foreign minister, European leaders discuss agenda for planned July 24-25 summit in Beijing and Hefei.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with European Council President Antonio Costa in Brussels on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
China-Philippines relations

China’s ban on ex-senator won’t halt Manila’s South China Sea stance: experts

Beijing’s travel ban on Francis Tolentino, imposed after his term, is seen as symbolic and won’t deter Filipino lawmakers from asserting sovereignty in the South China Sea.

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Tibet

Beijing says Dalai Lama’s succession plan breaks tradition, tensions set to rise

Beijing’s foreign ministry responds to the exiled spiritual leader who says his office has sole authority to recognise next Dalai Lama.

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Indonesia

Indonesia and Malaysia set model for dispute resolution with Ambalat pact

The neighbours will jointly develop Ambalat despite their decades-long disagreement over ownership of the resource-rich sea block.

The Ambalat Sea block off the Borneo coast is the subject of a decades-long territorial row between Indonesia and Malaysia. Photo: SCMP / Mapcreator
Pacific nations

Tiny Pacific nations fear US travel bans. Why?

Tuvalu, Tonga and Vanuatu all appeared on a list of nations facing new visa curbs. A US official says Washington has ‘valid concerns’.

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A man sat in a hammock drinks coconut milk on Funafuti Atoll, Tuvalu. Photo: AFP
Japan

Why Japan plans to spend billions fixing up its shipyards – and US warships

Tokyo’s government-backed ‘national dockyard’ initiative aims to rebuild infrastructure and provide support for repairing US Navy vessels.

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Israel-Gaza war

Trump says Israel agrees to 60-day Gaza ceasefire terms, urges Hamas to accept

The US president hopes Palestinian militant group Hamas takes what he calls his best and final offer to end the conflict.

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China-Singapore relations

Editorial | China-Singapore relations a steadying force amid global uncertainty

Singapore leader’s visit to Beijing signals a healthy appreciation by both countries of the need to enhance mutual trust and cooperation.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, on June 24. Photo: Xinhua
Asean

Opinion | Myanmar crisis demands Asean rethink on regional diplomacy

Asean must match the people’s demands for justice, dignity and freedom with nothing less than bold, principled leadership.

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US-China relations

2 Chinese arrested in US for espionage for allegedly spying on naval base

Yuance Chen and Liren Lai are accused of photographing a naval base and seeking to recruit members of the US Navy as intelligence assets.

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US-China relations

Pentagon reliant on Chinese suppliers and ‘not prepared’ for war, report warns

Some 9 per cent of primary contractors in defence programmes across critical sectors are from China, according to analytics firm Govini.

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China dominates production of the critical minerals needed for many weapon systems. Photo: Reuters
North Korea

North Korea’s Kim honours presumed war dead from Russia-Ukraine conflict

The emotional display coincided with a gala performance celebrating the anniversary of North Korea’s strategic partnership with Russia.

Footage showing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un draping coffins with the North Korean flag is displayed on a screen in Pyongyang during a cultural performance on Sunday. Photo: Korean Central Television / Reuters
Israel-Gaza war

Trump to host Netanyahu next week as he presses for Gaza ceasefire

Plan for visit follows US intervention in the Israel-Iran conflict, with Trump now prioritising an end to the war in Gaza.

Israel-Gaza war

Gaza rescuers say Israeli forces kill 34 people as truce hopes rise

Eyewitnesses report killings of Palestinians near aid centres, while PM Netanyahu suggests Israel’s ‘victory’ over Iran could help free Gaza hostages and lead to a truce.

Pakistan

Opinion | US shift towards Pakistan may unsettle India and the South Asia balance

Islamabad welcomes the opportunity to hedge against China but New Delhi may well go looking for other, more reliable partners.

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Anti-India demonstrators hold a banner with a portrait of Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir in Karachi on May 10. Photo: AFP
Thailand

Thailand and Cambodia tensions escalate as Hun Sen targets Paetongtarn

The Cambodian strongman’s heated tirade is a ‘calculated’ move to boost local support while deflecting international scrutiny, analysts say.

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Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra (left) taking part in a business forum in Hanoi on May 16 and Cambodia’s then-prime minister Hun Sen at the EU-Asean summit on December 14, 2022. Photo: AFP
Russia

Opinion | As attacks on Iran show, Russia can now do very little for its allies

Moscow’s credibility is sinking after it failed to stand up for allies in Iran, Syria and Armenia.

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North Korea

‘We’ll work it out’: Trump touts ties with North Korea’s Kim

The US president says he has a ‘really great’ relationship with Kim Jong-un – as South Korea races against a July 9 deadline for trade talks.

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