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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

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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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
Queen Elizabeth (left) and former prince Andrew at Westminster Abbey in London in 2022. Photo: AFP
Britain

Queen pushed for ex-prince Andrew’s appointment as trade envoy

Emails released earlier this year suggest ‌that Mountbatten-Windsor, while serving ‌as trade envoy, forwarded reports to Jeffrey Epstein.

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China-Latin America relations

China condemns US over Castro charges and ‘unauthorised’ sanctions on Cuba

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South Korea

What Lee’s Netanyahu ‘war criminal’ remark means for South Korea’s diplomacy

Malaysia

US denies role in Norway’s cancelled missile sale to Malaysia

Washington said it supported the deal after the row raised questions over US influence on weapons with American-made parts.

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Visitors gather next to a display of an NSM Naval Strike Missile made by Norwegian company Kongsberg, at the Euronaval show, in Le Bourget, France in 2014. Photo: AP
2026 Xi-Trump summit

Xi’s key interactions with US and Russian presidents

Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Beijing days after meeting US President Donald Trump. It was the first time that the leaders of Russia and the US have made state visits to China in the same month.

US-China relations

Chinese national charged in alleged scheme to smuggle drug shipments to US

Arrest shows signs of growing cooperation between US and China authorities in wake of last week’s Trump-Xi summit in Beijing.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Trump says Iran talks are nearing an end but warns of more strikes

As a fragile ceasefire enters its seventh week, Tehran and Washington remain in indirect talks while tensions roil oil markets.

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US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday after warning that the US could launch further strikes on Iran if negotiations fail. Photo: AFP
Greenland

US needs to ‘put its footprint back on Greenland’, Trump envoy says

Jeff Landry was on his first visit to the Arctic island – despite not being officially invited – since his appointment six months ago.

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China-Latin America relations

US charges Raul Castro as Trump administration ratchets up pressure on Cuba

Historic murder charges against 94-year-old former leader mark the first time Washington has criminally pursued a Castro brother.

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India

Art of the wheel: why Trump’s face is appearing on Indian streets

Washington is seeking to stabilise relations with Delhi after ties soured over Trump’s hefty tariffs on Indian exports.

Pradeep Kumar stands next to his autorickshaw featuring a poster of US President Donald Trump in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Opinion | US and China must talk to manage dangers of AI contest in a nuclear age

The coexistence of the nuclear age with the AI age is a cocktail for unprecedented existential danger. Engagement, not decoupling, is needed.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China trade war

China says US agreed to a maximum tariff rate. Could the trade war be waning?

Beijing says Washington agreed to keep future trade levies at numbers set in trade talks last year.

South Korea

Japan, South Korea hone diplomatic ‘muscle memory’ amid Taiwan worries

Energy security and supply chains topped the summit’s formal agenda. The subtext was a fear of ‘alliance abandonment’, analysts say.

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Malaysia

Did US restrictions sink Malaysia’s US$147 million Norway missile deal?

Analysts say US-controlled parts may have been a factor in Norway’s revoked export licences, underscoring risks for Asian defence buyers.

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US President Donald Trump speaks to Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store at a peace summit on Gaza in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, in October last year. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

As I see it | China’s rise will turn Thucydides Trap on its head

New studies of the centuries-old Confucian order in East Asia show the country is, more than ever, committed to stability and peace.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump walk through Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing on May 15. Photo: Pool Photo via AP
US, Israel war on Iran

Vance says Iran talks making ‘good progress’, but US forces ‘locked and loaded’

Vice-President J.D. Vance said US and Iran are working together positively; however, military campaign will restart if negotiations collapse.

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Mainland China

Editorial | Energy will be high on Xi-Putin summit agenda

Amid Iran war disruptions, Russia wants to lock in deals at higher prices while China wants alternative energy sources.

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War and conflict

Opinion | Malacca Strait could be the next hinge point if Asia isn’t careful

Straits like Hormuz and Malacca are pressure points where commerce and power converge. What once defined success now defines vulnerability.

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A motorcyclist passes by liquefied natural gas tankers in the Malacca Strait off the coast of Malaysia on April 15. Photo: EPA
China-Latin America relations

US plans to charge Raul Castro increases Trump administration’s pressure on Cuba

US Justice Department preparing to indict ageing Cuban leader on Wednesday over the shooting down of two aircraft three decades ago.

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US-China relations

Opinion | Despite summit pledges, don’t expect US-China trade to improve

The near-term trajectory of China-US economic ties rests on several key timelines, any of which could trigger new tensions.

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The Philippines

Philippine navy’s ‘aspirational’ middle power claim comes under scrutiny

The navy based its assessment partly on regional partners admiring its newer ships that were deployed in recent joint exercises.

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Philippine navy sailors stand on the deck of BRP Miguel Malvar, a corvette acquired from South Korea, in Subic town, Zambales province, north of Manila, in April last year. Photo: AFP/Handout/Philippine Navy-Public Affairs Office
South Korea

South Korea’s Lee hails ‘deep friendship’ as he hosts Japan’s Takaichi in hometown

The talks in Andong, a city famous for its centuries-old folk village, come after the two met in Takaichi’s hometown of Nara in January.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (left) and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung hold a joint news conference in Andong on Tuesday. Photo: EPA
Xi Jinping

Video | How will Putin’s China visit compare to Trump’s?

While the Russian leader’s two-day visit is unlikely to feature the pomp of the US president’s trip, analysts say it could be heavier on substance.

Mainland China

Opinion | Xi-Trump summit affirms China’s role as world’s indispensable broker

In hosting his US and Russian counterparts within a week, President Xi Jinping shows that China’s vision rests on pre-eminence over hegemony.

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US-Cuba relations

Cuba warns of ‘bloodbath’ if US attacks as Washington expands sanctions

Cuba’s president defends right to self-defence as US report claims the island has acquired more than 300 military drones.

An old car drives past the US embassy in Havana, Cuba, as geopolitical tensions flare between the two nations. Photo: EPA
US, Israel war on Iran

Trump calls off new Iran attack at request of Gulf states

US president signals possible Iran breakthrough as ‘serious negotiations’ continue to end conflict.

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US President Donald in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Photo: EPA
United States

US extends Russian oil waiver by 30 days as Hormuz closure chokes supply

US Treasury secretary says reprieve will allow energy-vulnerable nations to access Russian seaborne oil.

2026 Xi-Trump summit

Trump’s China trip spurs bipartisan shift in Washington on Beijing

Lawmakers from both parties move debate from trade and engagement towards security, Taiwan and strategic rivalry with Beijing.

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