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US-China relations

US-China relations
Breaking news and analysis on US-China relations, including trade war, talks, and tensions between Washington and Beijing.
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

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
A Chinese think tank says a shift in US transits through Taiwan Strait is consistent with broader trends in China-US military interactions since the 2023 Xi-Biden summit. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard/AP
South China Sea

As allies boost Taiwan Strait transits, why is US going a different route?

Chinese think tank notes changing risks: ‘China will inevitably respond, and that makes the overall situation appear more tense’.

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China-Latin America relations

Panama encourages dialogue at UN as canal tensions with China simmer

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US-China trade war

US to seek public comment on which Chinese goods qualify for lower tariffs

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Space

US weighs offensive space tactics as China satellite rivalry intensifies

Former Pentagon official says Washington is debating ways to deny Beijing use of space amid fears over military miscalculation.

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China’s PLA has more than 500 ISR satellites and has practised targeting US ports, ships and airfields using space-linked “kill chains”, analyst says. Photo: Shutterstock
Diplomacy

Opinion | The 4 trilateral frameworks defining northeast Asia future

As great-power bargaining between the US, China and Russia collides with three regional triangles, finding a balance will be key to managing competition.

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Global South

China’s Wang Yi tells UN multilateralism must be protected in swipe at US

Beijing’s top diplomat says ‘world peace and security are in great jeopardy’ and that UN Charter should be safeguarded at all costs.

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Quadrilateral Security Dialogue

Quad foreign ministers fight for relevance as leaders’ summit remains elusive

Critical minerals and Indo-Pacific security took centre stage amid doubts over US commitment and a delayed leaders’ summit.

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From left: Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pose in New Delhi at a meeting of Quad foreign ministers. Photo: Kyodo
Semiconductors

Huawei’s workaround for US chip curbs faces hurdles on road to self-reliance

If proven, the innovation marks a significant milestone for Huawei, which has been cut off from advanced semiconductor technology since 2019.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

Double standards? How North American conservatives viewed 2 China trips

The North American right cast Trump’s Beijing visit as ‘deal-making diplomacy’ while attacking the Canadian leader for ‘hedging with China’.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

The View | In Beijing, the US and China tiptoed around tech and critical minerals

Summit addressed the top and bottom layers – geopolitical framing and trade mechanics – but left the strategic middle layer largely implicit.

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US President Donald Trump gestures towards Chinese President Xi Jinping while leaving after a visit to the Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing, China, on May 15. Photo: Reuters
US military

Why the US missile system heading to Japan could be a ‘sitting duck’ for China

This approach could be used ‘to strike our land-based targets on one hand, and block vital maritime passages on the other’: Chinese analyst.

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The coming deployment will mark the second time the US has positioned the Typhon missile system in Japan. Photo: Reuters
US-China tech war

US chipmakers in China see revenue rise, defying trade tensions: Hurun list

American semiconductor firms saw a significant boost in sales from the mainland, as a top list shows which are leading the gains amid high-end silicon demand.

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Mainland China

Why the era of the 3 joint US-China communiques may be ‘completely’ over

‘Unrealistic’ to expect Beijing and Washington to reach comprehensive understanding on Taiwan, prominent mainland analyst says.

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US-China trade war: Opinion

Opinion | How the US and China can ensure their board of trade is effective

Both sides need to learn from past failures, agree on a mandate and appoint officials with the clout to push decisions.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Investing

US investment returning? Chinese data shows double-digit growth in early 2026

Other rapidly growing sources of foreign direct investment included Luxembourg, Switzerland and France, Ministry of Commerce says.

US companies increased their investment in China in the first four months of this year. Illustration: Reuters
Diplomacy

Opinion | Trump, Putin summits show an Eastward power shift

Beijing is signalling confidence and shaping the tempo of the China-US-Russia triangle – in which it is central.

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Hong Kong

Opinion | In a fractured world, Hong Kong must seize its Apec moment

The city will host the finance ministers’ meeting in October. It could seize the day and deepen cooperation with like-minded cities.

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South China Sea

Why the largest-ever US-Philippine drill, and Japan’s role, makes China uneasy

The scale of this year’s Balikatan exercise has been described as part of a trend that will ‘exacerbate regional instability’.

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Troops from New Zealand, the Philippines, the US and Australia pose for a photo after taking part in counter-landing live-fire drills during the Balikatan exercises on April 27. Photo: Reuters
China manufacturing

China told the solar industry to cut capacity. Firms built new factories anyway

Beijing has been striving to rein in severe overcapacity in the solar industry. But the sector is still plagued by illegal facilities, an insider says.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

Letters | The Xi-Trump summit stabilised ties, but the rivalry persists

Readers discuss who holds the strongest cards in China-US ties, why Hong Kong should abandon the US dollar peg, and the merits of Indonesia’s social programmes.

US-China relations

Asian Angle | What the China-US stability pact means for Southeast Asia

The real test of Beijing and Washington’s adoption of ‘constructive strategic stability’ will be how words translate into action.

US President Donald Trump (left) shakes hand with China’s Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14. Photo: Reuters
2026 Xi-Trump summit

How can China and the US escape ‘history as usual’? Xi has a message

Prominent Harvard scholar says the Chinese leader sees rivalry with Washington as a path to catastrophic war unless both sides rethink their ties.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and US President Donald Trump visit the Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing on May 15. Photo: AP
China-India relations

Rubio expected to brief New Delhi on Xi-Trump summit during India trip

US Secretary of State arrives on Saturday for four-day visit, with relations between the two countries strained and continuing to fluctuate.

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Crime

Two Chinese nationals charged in US drug cartel money-laundering case

Prosecutors say pair used mirror transfers, encrypted apps and trade schemes to launder cartel drug profits globally.

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Mainland China

How China and the US can coexist peacefully while locked in strategic stalemate

In a new paper, top think tank offers a path to avoiding conflict, warning Washington’s stance on Taiwan remains a catastrophic risk.

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Recent comments by US President Donald Trump (centre), Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth (right) have emphasised avoiding conflict with Beijing, according to a top Chinese think tank. Photo: TNS
Canada

China’s top diplomat to visit US and Canada to boost ties, pave way for Xi trip

Wang Yi set to chair UN Security Council meeting in New York this month before travelling to Ottawa for talks with Canadian counterpart.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also attend a meeting of the China-led Group of Friends of Global Governance in New York on May 28. Photo: Reuters
2026 Xi-Trump summit

Opinion | Xi-Trump summit a triumph for China

The future of the relationship is likely to be unscripted and messy at times, even full of friction, yet somehow maintaining a rhythm.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

China’s views on achieving ‘constructive, strategic and stable ties’ with US

SCMP annotates commentary released by a think tank on how China and the US may achieve “constructive, strategic and stable ties” following US President Donald Trump’s visit.

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