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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

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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
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Nato

Opinion | In closing airspace to US, Europe opens an existential debate over Nato

Growing European defiance to US demands raises a critical question: is Nato a club of equals or a mechanism for enforcing one nation’s agenda?

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North Korea

North Korean silence on Iran signals openness to US talks: Seoul’s spy agency

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US, Israel war on Iran

Video | Trump issues fiery, foul-mouthed message to Iran

Japan

Japan’s Takaichi seeks urgent summit with Iran as Trump’s Hormuz deadline looms

Japan has been bearing the brunt of the Iran war as the resource-poor nation relies on the Middle East for most of its crude oil imports.

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Fuel prices are displayed at a petrol station in Tokyo on March 18. Photo: EPA
Education in Hong Kong

How a US clampdown affected mainland Chinese, Hong Kong student visa numbers

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced last May the country would take stricter approach to Chinese student visas.

Africa

DR Congo to receive third-country deportees from US under deal

Kinshasa to receive US-funded deportees as the Trump administration expands controversial migration agreements across Africa.

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Global South

Opinion | Global South nations are insulating themselves from the heat of US actions

The ‘Great Insulation’ is coming – not major powers decoupling top-down but small and middle powers building a firewall from the bottom up.

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A poster depicting US President Donald Trump with devil horns at a protest in defence of national sovereignty near the US consulate in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on August 1, 2025. Photo: AFP
Ukraine war

Ukraine and Syria pledge security cooperation as Zelensky expands Middle East tour

Zelensky and Sharaa discuss drone defence and food security as Kyiv seeks to export its military expertise.

Hungary

Orban appears to blame Ukraine after explosives found on gas pipeline to Hungary

Discovery on Serbian border comes as the Hungarian leader faces a tight election and ‘false flag’ accusations from opposition.

Central Asia

Afghanistan wants US$10 billion in trade deals with Central Asia

Central Asia’s typical trade routes through Russia are hampered by heavy sanctions, while the Taliban is trying to trade with the world despite international sanctions.

Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi (centre, back), along with representatives from Central Asian states, takes part in the Afghanistan-Central Asia Consultative Dialogue at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Kabul on Sunday. Photo: AFP
United States

Opinion | Fixing US branding woes starts with rebuilding trust Trump has damaged

Lavishly funded celebrations will not fly in Asian countries struggling to get by and increasingly sceptical of Trump’s America.

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A driver pushes his auto rickshaw to get compressed natural gas at a filling station in Peshawar, Pakistan, as the government reduces the station’s working hours to save energy on March 18. Photo: AP
India

India turns to ‘trusted friend’ Russia for oil supply as Iran war energises ties

The two sides aim to keep their energy trade flowing despite sanctions while balancing against the US and China, analysts say.

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US, Israel war on Iran

US arrests niece and grandniece of slain Iran general Qassem Soleimani

Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter, who were allegedly living a ‘lavish lifestyle’ in Los Angeles, have had their green cards revoked.

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Ukraine war

Ukraine and Russia trade fatal strikes as Zelensky travels to Turkey

The war began in February 2022 after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troops invaded Ukraine.

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Firefighters work at a market hit by a Russian drone strike in Nikopol, Ukraine, on Saturday. Photo: Handout via Reuters
South Korea

Softly, softly: why South Korea, France prefer diplomacy over force in Hormuz

Presidents Lee and Macron have agreed to cooperate on safety in the strait but they are likely to wade in only after the war, analysts say.

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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (right) toasts with Emmanuel Macron during a luncheon for the French leader at the presidential office in Seoul on Friday. Photo: Yonhap/dpa
China-Australia relations

Australia’s 180-degree shift from 5 years ago: China in favour; US out

Aussie comedian exposes the truth about nation’s feelings towards US president, democracy and public safety.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Trump seeks US$1.5 trillion for defence in new budget request amid Iran war

If enacted, it would set military spending at its highest level in modern history, underscoring the US’ ongoing focus on defence investment.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Iran war: French and Japanese-owned ships make first Hormuz crossings

France and Japan have called for a ceasefire in the conflict, with Macron saying the waterway can only be reopened when the bombing stops.

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A container ship operated by the French CMA CGM shipping company runs into the port of Marseille in June 2018. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | How America’s stumble in Iran upends East Asia’s security calculus

A region where US allies lose faith in Washington won’t necessarily embrace Beijing; it is a region more likely to reach for its own guns.

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US-China relations

Opinion | 3 reasons Xi-Trump summit won’t be a waste of time for China

Despite current tensions and dim prospects for meaningful progress, Beijing should still roll out the red carpet.

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US-China relations

Beijing hails US cooperation as ICE returns suspected drug smuggler to China

With Xi and Trump set to meet next month, Beijing says handoff signals ‘progress in bilateral counternarcotics law enforcement’.

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A drug smuggling suspect was returned to China by US ICE via cooperation channels between the two countries, Chinese state media says. Photo: AP
US, Israel war on Iran

Immediate reopening of Strait of Hormuz demanded at 40-nation talks

Iran is trying to hold the global economy hostage via its blockade of the waterway, said the UK’s foreign minister, who hosted the meeting.

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British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper hosts a virtual meeting with foreign ministers. Photo: EPA
US, Israel war on Iran

What will the US do next in its war on Iran? Chinese pundits point to a likely path

With no truce in sight, American forces might be preparing for a short, sharp option, analysts say.

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Middle East

Macron says military operation to ‘liberate’ Strait of Hormuz ‘unrealistic’

Such an operation would take excessive time and expose those crossing the strait to ‘coastal threats’.

War and conflict

Opinion | Iran war is changing East Asia’s energy and strategic plays

States like China and Russia that can provide energy, industrial inputs, strategic reassurance or room for manoeuvre are gaining weight.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Emmanuel Macron

Video | Macron and Takaichi do the ‘Kamehameha’

The two leaders struck a ‘Kamehameha’ pose from the popular Dragon Ball anime series.

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Asean

How Asean’s neutral stance in Iran war protects its energy security

Granting Southeast Asian vessels safe passage through the strait allows Iran to come across as a diplomatic good guy, analysts say.

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Japan

Why Japan’s advanced fighter project may get Canadian tailwinds

With Ottawa’s interest in the stealth fighter, Tokyo hopes the multinational project for its air force’s modernisation can regain momentum.

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