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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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12
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
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at a press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico on Monday. Photo: EPA
Mexico

US intervention with drug cartels ‘unnecessary’, Mexican president tells Trump

Claudia Sheinbaum said the leaders will continue working together but that she told Trump clearly that ‘we do not agree with interventions’.

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US-China relations

Breaking | Trump says China and other trade partners will face 25 per cent tariffs from US

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North Korea

Opinion | Why China now needs North Korea’s denuclearisation

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China-Latin America relations

Argentina’s Milei plans 2026 China trip despite US pressure on ties

Leader cites China as a key trade partner, underscoring a sharp shift from his 2023 campaign attacks to a more pragmatic stance.

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Argentine President Javier Milei speaks at the America Business Forum at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, in November. Photo: Reuters
Greenland

Greenland says it should be defended by Nato, rejects any US takeover

Trump has said the US must ⁠own Greenland to prevent China or Russia occupying the minerals-rich territory in the future.

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United States

‘No conversations’ with US, says Cuban president after Trump threats

Miguel Diaz-Canel rejects Trump’s ‘make a deal’ ultimatum, as US president vows to end Venezuelan oil flows to the island nation.

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Asean

Opinion | Why US ops in Venezuela have shaken Asia-Pacific’s middle powers

Middle powers fear a return to ‘rules of the jungle’ geopolitics as rival powers carve out spheres of influence.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
US military

China’s oil risks worsen as Trump threatens Iran

The US president’s suggestion of potential intervention in Iran after the fatal suppression of protests adds new jeopardy to China’s oil imports.

Japan

Japan’s top diplomat heads to Philippines with South China Sea top of mind

The talks are likely to focus on Manila’s push for a South China Sea code with ‘teeth’ as this year’s Asean chair, analysts say.

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China-Africa relations

China’s Wang Yi cites ‘severe risks’ after Somalia dropped from Africa itinerary

In a call with the Somali foreign minister, China’s top envoy reiterates Beijing’s support for Somalia’s territorial integrity.

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China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi was supposed to visit Mogadishu as part of his African tour but he instead went to Tanzania on Friday. Photo: AFP
North Korea

‘Gang of hooligans’: rebuke from North Korea signals icy ties with South

The unusually coarse language from Kim Jong-un’s sister shows that Pyongyang has no intention of reconciling with Seoul, experts say.

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Wreckage of a drone that North Korea claims originated from South Korea is shown in this composite photo, released on Saturday. Photo: KCNA/AFP
US-Venezuela conflict

Editorial | US raid on Venezuela should push nations to revive collective security

Following Washington’s fragrant breach of international law, responsible member states must restore the UN’s credibility and authority.

Iran

Trump says Iran wants to negotiate after reports of hundreds killed in unrest

Amidst unrest, Trump claims Iran seeks talks, but warns of strong action. Tehran blames the US and Israel, but signals openness to diplomacy.

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Israel-Gaza war

Hamas says will dissolve its Gaza government when Palestinian body takes over

Militant group agrees to cede power to technocratic committee under Trump-brokered plan, but silence remains over disarmament.

Palestinian armed fighters in Gaza during the handover of Israeli captives in October last year. Photo: dpa
Greenland

Britain in talks with Nato allies over Arctic security as US eyes Greenland

UK minister says talks on the Arctic ‘business as usual’, while Trump posits having Greenland ‘one way or the other’.

Donald Trump has said that he would like to make a deal to acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous region of Nato ally Denmark. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

Opinion | How Trump’s ‘Donroe Doctrine’ is escalating US-China rivalry

Maduro’s capture not only challenges China’s influence in Latin America but also signals a bolder US security posture that could reshuffle great-power competition.

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United States

Editorial | What happens next in Venezuela should be of international concern

If the US can take over the running of a country in this way, it could be the beginning of a slippery slope.

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Middle East

US says it carried out new ‘large-scale’ strikes against Isis in Syria

The attack is the latest response to a shooting by a lone militant that killed two American soldiers and a US civilian interpreter.

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US airmen load GBU-31 munition systems onto an F-15E Strike Eagle in support of Operation Hawkeye Strike in December. Photo: US Air Force via AFP
Canada

Trump’s Venezuela and Greenland threats make Canada fear it’s next

The shock capture of Maduro and talk of seizing the Arctic island are forcing Canadians to take Trump’s 51st state threats seriously.

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Britain

1 dead in UK, 100,000 French homes without power as storms batter Europe

The man died on Friday after a tree fell onto a caravan in Cornwall, while some rail services in Germany remain affected by the storms.

Middle East

Trump says protest-hit Iran in ‘big trouble’, again threatens military strike

The US president warned that ‘we’ll start shooting too’, if the authorities kill demonstrators.

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Protesters gather as vehicles burn, amid evolving anti-government unrest in Tehran, Iran, in a social media image released on Friday. Photo: Social media via Reuters
US-China relations

US government abandons plan to blacklist Chinese-made drones

Commerce Department, FCC make U-turn after barring imports of new Chinese drone models in December to address national security concerns.

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A US farmer uses a DJI drone to put crop cover on his farm in Hickory, North Carolina. The Trump administration has dropped a plan to impose restrictions on Chinese-made drones. Photo: AP
Donald Trump

Trump says Colombia’s Petro to visit US, in U-turn from threats to diplomacy

Just days ago, Trump had issued a warning to the South American leader for criticising the US attack that removed Venezuela’s Maduro.

Donald Trump

Trump says will get Greenland ‘easy way’ or ‘hard way’

The Trump administration has reportedly discussed paying the island’s residents up to US$100,000 each to lure them to join the US.

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US-China relations

Trump-Xi diplomacy put to test thanks to contentious tit-for-tat Covid lawsuits

Unpaid billions of dollars in judgments against China sucks US State Department into escalating legal dispute, but Beijing remains defiant.

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Illustration: Brian Wang
European Union

EU agrees to ‘world’s largest’ free-trade zone with Mercosur pact after 25 years

The EU sealed the historic deal with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to form a 700 million strong bloc, defying fierce farmer opposition.

EU flags waving in front of the European Parliament building in Brussels, Belgium. Photo: Shutterstock
US-Venezuela conflict

US seizes fifth tanker as Washington escalates bid to control Venezuela’s oil

Joint US forces intercept the Olina amid Trump talks with Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips on US$100 billion Venezuela plan.

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Science

China cites Biden’s message to Xi that Japan could build nukes ‘overnight’

Beijing releases 30-page report that includes a call for international community to ‘take concrete and strong measures’ against Japan’s nuclear ambitions.

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