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Guo Jiakun

(郭嘉昆)

Guo Jiakun
郭嘉昆
Guo Jiakun: A seasoned Chinese diplomat, he assumed the role of Foreign Ministry Spokesman in January 2025, bringing over two decades of experience in foreign service.
Billionaire Elon Musk gestures after attending a welcome ceremony for US President Donald Trump with President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
US-China tech war

Trump, Xi weigh AI ‘guardrails’ as Nvidia chip exports hang in the balance

Meeting in Beijing, the presidents weighed safety protocols for the rapidly emerging technology, and H200 chip shipments were a ‘sovereign decision’ for ‌China.

2026 Xi-Trump summit

Trump arrives in China with tech titans and top aides for high-stakes Xi summit

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US-China relations

Chinese company that tracked US bombers over Iran wears sanctions with pride

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China-Latin America relations

Beijing calls Paraguay leaders willing ‘chess pieces’ after disputed Taiwan trip

Beijing’s anger over President Santiago Pena’s Taipei trade visit comes as Taiwan issue looms large at this week’s Trump-Xi summit.

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Paraguayan President Santiago Pena and Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te meet in Taipei on May 8. Photo: Kyodo
Hong Kong politics

China backs Hong Kong courts, ignores calls to free Jimmy Lai ahead of Trump visit

Beijing reaffirms support for Hong Kong judiciary as foreign ministry calls former media boss ‘principal mastermind’ of 2019 anti-government protests.

2026 Xi-Trump summit

Trump to raise Taiwan, Jimmy Lai case when he meets Xi in Beijing this week

US president claims Chinese leader will be more likely than himself to bring up Taiwan issue, while Lai may also be on the agenda.

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Asean

Opinion | Why China’s warning over military blocs is finding listeners in Asia

For regional governments, strategy is about preserving options. China has read this instinct carefully and given it a diplomatic vocabulary.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China tech war

US crackdown threat could shake out China’s ‘distillation’ AI copycats: analysts

US plans action against AI ‘distillation’, as analysts warn weaker Chinese start-ups could be forced out within a year.

Japan

Video | Japan scraps long-standing arms export rules

Tokyo approves plan to scrap restrictions, prompting warnings that this could undermine the country’s pacifist constitution.

Pacific nations

Pacific Islanders skip food, medicine amid global fuel shortage from Iran war

Pacific nations are the most reliant on diesel for power generation worldwide. They imported about 2.2 million tonnes of fuel in 2025.

Boats ply the waterway in Buka, Papua New Guinea. Many Pacific Island communities rely on boat transport for movement. Photo: AFP
China-Japan relations

China warns of ‘moves towards militarism’ after Japan eases arms export rules

Tokyo approves plan to scrap restrictions, prompting warnings that this could undermine the country’s pacifist constitution.

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Japan has already agreed a deal to sell three Mogami-class frigates to Australia. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

What the US-Iran ‘fight-talk’ dynamic means before their ceasefire ends

Meanwhile, China expresses ‘concern’ over America’s interception of Iranian-flagged cargo ship in Gulf of Oman.

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China-New Zealand relations

China complains of ‘harassment’ from New Zealand aerial patrols near coastline

Beijing said the plane had been operating over the Yellow and East China Seas and urged Wellington not to put civilian aircraft in danger.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Hormuz blockade: shipping body slams transit fees as 20,000 seafarers stranded

A ‘retrograde’ toll proposal by Tehran risks similar charges in other vital waterways, warns global association for merchant shipowners and operators.

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A person points at a website tracking marine traffic and showing commercial vessels on the edge of the Strait of Hormuz near the Iranian coast last month. Photo: TNS
US-China relations

China hits out at ‘dangerous and irresponsible’ US blockade of Iran’s ports

Beijing says American move will ‘inflame tensions, escalate the situation and undermine an already fragile ceasefire’.

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A cargo ship is pictured off the UAE city of Fujairah, in the Strait of Hormuz, in February. The US has begun a naval blockade of all Iranian ports after talks with Tehran collapsed. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

China says open Hormuz key to global interests as Trump blockade looms

Beijing’s foreign ministry denies that China plans to provide weapons and military tech to Iran.

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Taiwan

Swing and a miss? Taiwan’s premier under fire over baseball trip to Tokyo

Beijing has lashed out over Cho Jung-tai’s one-day visit to Japan, which was described as a ‘private itinerary’ to support the island’s team.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

Beijing warns US over Jimmy Lai and Taiwan arms sales ahead of Trump visit

Foreign ministry urges US to ‘safeguard the stable development of China-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait’.

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The White House says US President Donald Trump will visit China from March 31 to April 2. Photo: TNS
US, Israel war on Iran

It’s been 2 weeks since war broke out in Iran. Is there an end in sight?

Chinese analysts weigh the US president’s shifting signals and global oil risks, reject talk of any benefit to China.

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Iran

Why China sees stability in hardliner Mojtaba Khamenei’s rise to lead Iran

Continuity over change seen in cleric whom analysts anticipate could double down on policies against the US and Israel.

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China-North Korea relations

China-North Korea rail link restored as neighbours try to get ties back on track

Restoring tourist travel has been seen as a litmus test of Pyongyang’s willingness to rebuild relations with its biggest trading partner.

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North Korea enforces some of the world’s strictest border controls. Tourists are required to join organised tour groups and may only enter the country using air or rail links. Photo: Reuters
Germany

German court jails US military contractor in China spy case

The defendant, partially named as Martin D. was sentenced for offering US military secrets to China, highlighting espionage concerns amid global tensions.

A US Air Force officer salutes the flag at Camp Simba, Manda Bay, Kenya, in 2019. Photo: US Air Force/AP
China-UK relations

China lifted sanctions on British lawmakers after Starmer–Xi meeting, UK says

Prime minister says Beijing has removed 2021 curbs on MPs as part of a wider reset, though sanctions on others appear to remain.

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China-Asean relations

China executes 11 core members of Myanmar-based telecoms fraud ring

They include members of the Ming family crime syndicate found guilty of murder, illegal detention, running casinos and other offences.

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China-Latin America relations

Xi to meet Orsi in first Latin America-China visit since US capture of Maduro

State visit from February 1 to 7 aims to promote commercial ties with Beijing despite tension in region after US operation in Venezuela.

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Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during a state visit to Beijing next month. Photo: EPA
World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

As Trump shakes world order, Western countries recalibrate approach to China

At Davos, world leaders take veiled swipes at the US, while China frames itself as defender of the post-war system, analysts say.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during the 56th annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

China to ‘quietly track’ Greenland developments amid Arctic ambitions: analysts

Beijing to focus on maintaining its ‘constructive relationship with US’ and does not need to ‘disrupt that over Greenland’, say experts.

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US-China trade war

Chips, soybeans, tariffs: what’s on tap for US-China talks before a Trump visit?

Analysts expect any pre-summit talks to focus on deliverables such as easing semiconductor curbs and boosting agricultural sales, setting the stage for Xi and Trump.

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