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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

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

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

US-China rivalry doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: Jessica Chen Weiss

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

China’s rise, potential recession, no WWIII yet: 11 key interviews from 2024

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Why eco-warrior Ma Jun sees hope for China’s role in Cop29 amid US uncertainty

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Historian on why we aren’t heading towards WWIII yet and how wars have changed

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

China’s evolving role in Middle East conflicts, according to an academic

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

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

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40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

US-China rivalry doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: Jessica Chen Weiss

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29
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

China’s rise, potential recession, no WWIII yet: 11 key interviews from 2024

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Why eco-warrior Ma Jun sees hope for China’s role in Cop29 amid US uncertainty

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4
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Historian on why we aren’t heading towards WWIII yet and how wars have changed

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31
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

China’s evolving role in Middle East conflicts, according to an academic

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13
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
FILE - In this Aug. 31, 2018, file photo provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine Navy ship BRP Gregorio del Pilar is seen at center right after it ran aground during a routine patrol, on Aug. 29, in the vicinity of Half Moon Shoal, which is called Hasa Hasa in the Philippines, off the disputed Spratlys Group of islands in the South China Sea. Philippine officials say they notified China about a navy frigate that ran aground near a hotly disputed area of the South China Sea in hopes of avoiding any misunderstandings. (Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP, File)
South China Sea

China Coast Guard uses water cannon to expel Philippines from disputed shoal

Scarborough Shoal incident on Friday follows earlier incidents between China and the Philippines near Half Moon and Royal Captain shoals.

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New Zealand

Cook Islands slams ‘patronising’ New Zealand over China deals

Indonesia

Prabowo’s visit to Russia underscores Indonesia’s non-aligned foreign policy

Central Asia

China’s influence is growing in Central Asia. What does that mean for Russia?

Beijing focuses on development as it avoids challenging Moscow as Central Asia’s dominant power and security guarantor, analysts say.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech during the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua
China-EU relations

Overcapacity: the economic buzzword fuelling Europe’s clash with China

Some EU officials believe Beijing is trying to distract from what they consider to be serious problems by poking holes in the terminology.

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United States

Opinion | How Trump has landed the US in a strategic mess from Ukraine to Iran

For all his bluster, he has failed to broker peace in Ukraine even as Israeli strikes dashed any chance of a nuclear deal with Iran.

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Canada

Canada will ‘adjust’ counter-tariffs on US metals if no Trump deal in 30 days

Prime Minister Mark Carney also unveiled a raft of measures to support local companies facing 50 per cent US metal duties.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responds to a question in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, on Thursday. Photo: Canadian Press via AP
Israel-Iran conflict

Explainer | What are the nuclear contamination risks from Israel’s attacks on Iran?

Damage has been reported to sites at Natanz, Isfahan, Arak and Tehran, in what Israel says is a bid to stop Iran from building an atomic bomb.

Indonesia

Putin hosts Indonesia’s Prabowo in Russia in bid to deepen ties

The deepening of ties between Russia and Indonesia is part of Moscow’s bid to forge new relations with the Global South.

Israel-Iran conflict

European, Iranian foreign ministers to hold nuclear talks on Friday in Geneva

The meeting comes as European countries call for de-escalation in the face of Israel’s bombing campaign against Iran’s nuclear programme.

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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet a European delegation in Geneva on Friday for nuclear talks. Photo: AFP/HO/Iran’s ministry of foreign affairs
India

UK Scotch whisky makers cheer news of FTA with India, eye expansion

Foreign competitors eyeing the world’s biggest whisky market can expect stiff competition from Indian makers, industry players say.

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Scotch whisky makers are aiming to expand into India, the world’s biggest market for the alcoholic drink, following the conclusion of free trade agreement talks between the UK and India. Photo: Shutterstock
Thailand

Will a leaked phone call lead to a Thailand coup?

Paetongtarn’s conversation with Hun Sen has hit a nerve in Thailand’s fragile civil-military dynamics and regional diplomacy, analysts say.

Malaysia

Malaysia’s Anwar: nobody can dictate how friendly we should be to US or China

The prime minister said that trade-reliant Malaysia was ‘pragmatic’ in its policies and open to all.

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The Philippines

Why a UN Security Council seat is ‘crucial’ to the Philippines

Manila is hoping for a bigger say in global conflict resolution and its South China Sea dispute with Beijing.

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Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo (left) shakes hands with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Washington’s State Department on Monday. Photo: AP
Israel-Iran conflict

Israel ‘ready to keep talking to China’ despite criticism of Iran air strikes

Eli Belotserkovsky did not rule out the prospect of Beijing helping to mediate between the two bitter enemies.

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Israeli ambassador Eli Belotserkovsky. Photo: SCMP
Indonesia

Indonesia is buying more weapons – but can it sustain such defence spending?

Analysts question whether Indonesia has the wherewithal to finance and maintain its defence systems.

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US-China relations

China urges US to ‘look at the whole picture’ on tariffs to see true trade ties

Meanwhile, Washington’s ambassador to Beijing says Donald Trump’s vision is for relationship based on fairness and respect.

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New Zealand

New Zealand suspends US$11 million Cook Islands funding over China deal

Wellington urged its neighbour to ‘take concrete steps to repair the relationship and restore trust’.

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Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown (left) with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Harbin on February 14. Photo: Xinhua
Israel-Iran conflict

Putin ‘doesn’t wish to discuss’ idea that Israel could kill Iran’s Khamenei

The Russian president also says he is willing to meet Ukraine’s Zelensky, but only in the ‘final phase’ of peace talks.

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Thailand

Thai PM fights for political survival as Cambodia leaked call saga snowballs

Paetongtarn Shinawatra under pressure to resign after a coalition partner quit over a leaked conversation with Cambodia’s Hun Sen.

Defence

Will US actively join Israel against Iran? Pentagon chief stays mum

Defence secretary tells lawmakers his job is to ‘make sure the president has options’ as Democrats fret about China threat in Indo-Pacific.

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US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth (centre) arrives at Capitol Hill in Washington to testify before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday. Photo: AP
Science

Top scientists will leave US in waves this summer: experts

Increasing numbers of scientists are eyeing opportunities in Australia, Canada, China and Europe amid threatened cuts to funding.

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A number of US-based researchers are reported to be exploring opportunities in other countries. Photo: AFP
Israel-Iran conflict

Russia urges US not to attack Iran, warns world ‘millimetres’ from calamity

Moscow said Washington’s direct involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict would ‘radically destabilise’ the Middle East.

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India-Pakistan tensions

India’s Modi denies Trump mediated Pakistan ceasefire using trade deals

Modi clarified New Delhi’s position to the US president during the leaders’ call, a top Indian diplomat said.

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Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | Israeli strikes one more challenge for new China-Iran rail corridor

Weeks before the air strikes, a new overland trade route was launched that could help Iran evade sanctions and advance its regional ambitions.

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People gather in Nobonyad Square, Tehran, after Israeli airstrikes on Iran on June 13. Photo: Getty Images
New Zealand

Classified New Zealand papers detail alarm over China’s Pacific missile test

Documents obtained under the Official Information Act reveal deep diplomatic unease about China’s ‘mischaracterisation’ of its ICBM launch.

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China’s PLA Rocket Force launches an intercontinental ballistic missile carrying a dummy warhead into the Pacific Ocean from an undisclosed location on September 25, 2024. Photo: Handout via AFP
India

What India’s break with SCO reveals about its stance on Israel-Iran conflict

India’s opt-out of SCO censure is driven by its need to safeguard strategic and economic interests with both Israel and Iran, analysts say.

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China-Russia relations

Opinion | In China-Russia relations, power speaks louder than friendship

A leaked Russian memo reportedly calling China a potential threat continues the long and tangled arc of Sino-Russian history.

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