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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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40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
A plume of black smoke rises from the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday last week following a suspected Iranian strike. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Why has the US-Israeli war on Iran left Brics speechless?

As Tehran retaliates against its Gulf neighbours, the newly expanded bloc built for trade is discovering the limits of its own unity.

Canada

TikTok gets green light to stay in Canada, reversing earlier ban

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Two Sessions 2026

Editorial | High-level US-China dialogue is good for global stability

US-China trade war

US to counter China’s critical minerals dominance with innovative upgrades

New improvements in recycling electronic waste, refining and processing can close the gap on China, says Department of Energy official.

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Critical minerals have become a point of contention in the US-China relationship, with Beijing dominating the sector. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

Trump and Putin discuss ‘quick’ ending to Iran war

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards says it ‘will determine the end of the war’, rejecting remarks by Trump.

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US-China relations

China-US trade relations may reach a ‘tactical truce’, as 2 superpowers talk

Foreign companies in China quietly confident on US ties, but are bracing for ongoing geopolitical tensions.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Ships brandish China links to evade Iran’s attacks in Strait of Hormuz

Vessels are claiming to have an ‘all-Chinese crew’ or ‘Chinese owner’ in a bid to reduce the risk of being targeted.

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Ships sit anchored in Muscat, Oman, on Monday, as Iran vows to close the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

US and China clash over fentanyl and tariffs at global drugs meeting

The exchange underscored tensions ‌between the two countries ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting in China at the end of the month.

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2026 Trump-Xi summit

Exclusive | Trump’s China visit confined to Beijing due to schedule, security needs: sources

‘Given the situation [in the Middle East], the visit’s security arrangements must be extremely careful’.

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China-EU relations

Get realpolitik? Von der Leyen questions Europe’s faith in rules-based order

The EU must become more realistic and interest-driven to keep up with the new world order, bloc chief says.

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Preparations are already under way for a “European Security Strategy”, an approach that will be the cornerstone of Ursula von der Leyen’s vision. Photo: Reuters
Two Sessions 2026

China’s Wang sees ‘landmark year’ in US relations

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the US and China could shorten their ‘list of problems’, while also promoting Beijing as a source of global stability amid the war in Iran.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Photo: AFP
China energy security

More gas from Russia? China flags new pipeline links amid Iran energy crisis

‘Preparatory work’ on pipeline, believed to be the Power of Siberia 2, included in five-year plan – but analysts say more details are needed.

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Iran

Video | Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader

The 56-year-old will succeed his father Ali Khamenei, who was killed by US-Israeli air strikes on Iran.

US, Israel war on Iran

Macron to visit Cyprus, French warships deployed as war in Middle East rages

The president’s visit will demonstrate France’s solidarity with Cyprus following Iranian strikes and underscore the importance of maritime security in the region.

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The French aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle passes through the Strait of Gibraltar off the coast of southern Spain in Tarifa on March 6. Photo: AFP
Two Sessions 2026

Is Trump’s China trip still on? Despite Iran, Wang Yi sees potential

Chinese foreign minister suggests the summit with Xi is still on track and high-level engagement remains key.

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A Xi-Trump summit could still be on, despite the turmoil in the Middle East. Photo: Reuters
Two Sessions 2026

Abandon the lonely attic, join the China gym: Wang Yi to Europe

Foreign minister’s comments come at closely watched press conference on ‘two sessions’ sidelines.

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Video | Beijing lays out its views on world order

Wang Yi answers questions on US ties, the Middle East, the South China Sea, Japan and Taiwan.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Sri Lanka hospital discharges 22 Iranian sailors rescued after warship sinking

The sailors were treated at Karapitiya Hospital in Galle after the IRIS Dena was torpedoed just outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters.

An injured Iranian sailor rescued from the IRIS Dena, after a US submarine torpedoed it off Sri Lanka’s coast amid the Middle East war, receives treatment at the Karapitiya hospital in Galle on Thursday. Photo: TNS
Two Sessions 2026

Trump’s trip, Iran, G2, Japan, Taiwan: Beijing lays out its views on world order

Beijing’s top diplomat elaborates on US ties as well as issues such as the Middle East, Japan and the South China Sea.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Trump says he’s told Kurds not to join Iran fight: ‘war is complicated enough’

The US president says he has ruled out such action despite Kurdish forces indicating they were ‘willing to go in’.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Israel hits Iran oil facility, as PM Netanyahu warns of ‘many surprises’

This appears to be the first time a civil industrial facility has been targeted in the war.

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An explosion erupts following strikes near Azadi Tower close to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran on Saturday. Photo: AFP
Americas and the Caribbean

Trump offers Latin American leaders US missile strikes to hit drug cartels

The US president launched a 17-nation ‘counter cartel’ coalition at his ‘Shield of the Americas’ summit.

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US President Donald Trump attends the “Shield of the Americas” summit in Miami, Florida, on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Indonesia’s US trade deal faces a sovereignty reckoning at home

Nearly 80 civil groups and 65 academics have signed a petition urging parliament to block ratification of the ‘shameful’ deal.

Australia

Australia complains to China after encounter between military helicopters

Australia says the Chinese aircraft made an ‘unsafe’ manoeuvre, while China called the statement ‘distortions of facts’.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Trump says Cuba is going to ‘fall pretty soon’

The president has said it is ‘just a matter of time’ before the US turns to Cuba after finishing its war in Iran.

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A woman holds a pro-Trump sign and Cuban flags during a protest against Cuba’s government in Miami, Florida, in February. Photo: Reuters
China-Middle East relations

Opinion | US-Iran conflict puts China’s pragmatism to the test

For Beijing, the danger is less about losing Iran as a partner than losing stability in the energy-rich Middle East.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China relations

Trump sued in bid to undo approval of TikTok’s US sale

The lawsuit is the first legal challenge to the deal with China’s ByteDance, but does not seek to force a US ban on the short-video platform.

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United States

24 US states sue to stop Trump’s latest global tariffs

The lawsuit argues that the president cannot sidestep the Supreme Court ruling that invalidated his previous sweeping import duties.

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