Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC

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

videocam
15
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

videocam
93
Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

videocam
40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

videocam
15
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

videocam
93
Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

videocam
40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
Workers remove a billboard after the failed peace talks between the United States and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 12. Photo: EPA
Pakistan

Opinion | How Pakistan outmanoeuvred India in Iran war diplomacy with China’s help

Beijing’s indirect influence has allowed Islamabad to take advantage of New Delhi’s strategic constraints.

videocam
US-China relations

Russian and Chinese envoys meet in Beijing to discuss Iran, Ukraine and Taiwan

videocam
US-China relations

Trump’s son Eric to join father’s state visit to China

China-Latin America relations

China and the US want rare earths. Brazil will share – on one condition

Move comes as Washington locks US$565 million deal with Brazil’s only operating rare earth mine.

videocam
15
Serra Verde is Brazil’s only operating rare earth mine. Photo: Handout
US, Israel war on Iran

Israel, Lebanon agree to launch direct talks after rare US-facilitated meeting

Sides commit to more engagement as Trump urges disarming Hezbollah, but analysts warn a durable Israel-Lebanon deal remains unlikel.

videocam
2026 Trump-Xi summit

Trump-Xi summit shaped by uncertainty, not strategy: experts

War distractions and limited goals risk turning Beijing talks into optics over substance, as expectations shrink and planning falters.

videocam
4
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Donald Trump

Trump turns on Italy’s Meloni, says he is ‘shocked’ by her

Meloni had been a supporter of Trump, but has criticised his decision to go to war with Iran and denounced his weekend ‌criticism of Pope Leo.

US President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in October 2025. Photo: Reuters
China-Middle East relations

Xi’s meeting with Abu Dhabi crown prince highlights Gulf turn towards China

Analysts said the trip was a sign that the UAE was seeking ‘more reliable partners’ in the wake of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

videocam
13
Japan

Israel envoy protests Japanese TV pundit’s remarks on Kushner’s Jewish identity

Critics said his comments suggested that Trump’s son-in-law should not be involved in negotiations with Iran because he is Jewish.

videocam
Hong Kong society

Opinion | 4 identities Hong Kong must embrace to provide global leadership

The city can be a bedrock for world commerce, finance, governance and civilisational exchange as we enter a new phase of globalisation.

People walk through Central on August 15, 2025. Photo: Jelly Tse
Indonesia

Why Indonesia’s Prabowo is in Russia – and what he needs from Putin

The visit aims to secure discounted crude as global prices soar, even as Jakarta holds high-level defence talks with Washington.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) shakes hands with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the Kremlin in Moscow on Monday. Photo: AP
South Korea

What is really behind South Korea’s diplomatic row with Israel?

Lee Jae Myung’s clash was about more than human rights, analysts say – it was about energy security and sending a message to Donald Trump.

United States

Vance had 2 jobs last week. Neither happened for the US vice-president

J.D. Vance returns to Washington empty-handed after a diplomatic tour that saw the fall of a key European ally and a stalemate in Islamabad.

China-EU relations

Brussels must resist ‘passive’ role in US-China trade war, EU chamber urges

European companies keep becoming ‘collateral damage’ in others’ disputes, laments president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.

6
Jens Eskelund, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, said European companies have suffered “significant operational and financial damage” while trying to navigate Beijing’s export controls on rare earths. Photo: EPA-EFE
US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | Pakistan has the world’s attention. Now it must focus inwards

For Islamabad, sustaining its diplomatic success will also depend on how effectively it addresses internal challenges.

videocam
Workers remove a billboard after the peace talks between the US and Iran ended without a deal, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 12. Photo: EPA
US, Israel war on Iran

US begins blockade of Iranian ports amid fragile ceasefire

Trump says Beijing ‘would like to see this ended’ as the US moves to stop vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports.

videocam
54
2026 Trump-Xi summit

Could Trump’s Hormuz blockade derail China summit with Xi Jinping?

US president’s move forces China into political dilemma and could create a flashpoint ahead of his meeting with Chinese leader, analysts say.

videocam
14
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
China trade

Hungary’s PM-elect Magyar sends warm overture to China, vows fair play for firms

Peter Magyar pledges reforms to restore transparency and fiscal stability as Hungary shifts from Viktor Orban’s investment model.

videocam
6
Peter Magyar speaks to the media in Budapest on Monday. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Opinion | As a global Warring States era begins, China must plan for the future

Beijing needs a unifying proposal to replace the current world order that is being upended by US unpredictability.

videocam
US, Israel war on Iran

South Korean president’s Holocaust remarks spark Israel outcry

Lee Jae Myung’s comparing military action against Palestinians to the Holocaust comes as Israel remembers the 6 million Jews killed by Nazis.

videocam
7
US, Israel war on Iran

Trump’s Hormuz blockade may target China along with Iran

The US plans to stop Iranian oil exports, which mainly go to China, after peace talks failed to produce a deal.

Vice President J.D. Vance speaks at a news conference after peace talks in Pakistan. Photo: AP Photo
Pacific nations

Australia pledges US$1.7 million in aid after Cyclone Maila kills 11 in Pacific

Entire villages were destroyed in the storm, was briefly classified as a Category 5 cyclone.

A truck is engulfed by floodwaters brought on by heavy rains from tropical cyclone Maila in the Tinputz district of Northern Bougainville. Photo: AFP
Middle East

Israel’s Netanyahu says ‘war continues’ during visit to southern Lebanon

Lebanon’s PM says he’s working to get Israeli troops out as Hezbollah militants fight back.

Americas and the Caribbean

Cuba’s president warns US against attacking island or trying to depose him

Miguel Diaz-Canel said an invasion of Cuba would be costly and affect regional security but should it happen, Cubans would defend themselves.

videocam
US, Israel war on Iran

‘Blown to hell’: Trump announces US blockade of Strait of Hormuz

The US plans to block ‘all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports’ starting on Monday.

videocam
244
US President Donald Trump says the American navy will block entry to the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: TNS
Asean

Asian Angle | Doubts about Trump strain Southeast Asia’s US-China balancing act

An increasingly unpredictable Washington is making the region’s traditional hedging strategy harder to sustain.

videocam
US President Donald Trump (centre) stands for a group photo with Southeast Asian leaders at the 13th Asean-United States Summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2025. Photo: AFP
US-Venezuela conflict

‘Eager to explore’: Chinese migrants return to Venezuela after Maduro’s capture

A large chunk of Venezuela’s Chinese community fled overseas during Maduro’s rule. Now, many are returning as they see ‘new opportunities’.

videocam
6
US, Israel war on Iran

‘We have no trust in the other side’: Iran blames US as talks end with no deal

Tehran’s lead negotiator hits out at Washington after Islamabad talks, while Vance says sticking point was lack of nuclear commitments.

videocam
138
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement