Advertisement

Diplomacy

Related Topics:

US-China relations

China-Vatican relations

China-Africa relations

China-Australia relations

China-India border dispute

China-Japan relations

China-Sri Lanka relations

China-India relations

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (second from left) waves with fellow People’s Action Party team members after delivering their speeches at a nomination centre on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

SCMP Highlights

Singapore elections, Thai park ranger sacked: 7 Asia highlights

From Singapore’s election to Southeast Asians being deported from the US, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

29 Apr 2025 - 3:26PM

Thailand-US tariff talks delayed – but hopes for a ‘good outcome’ remain

22 Apr 2025 - 2:23PM

South China Sea

‘Beauty of compromise’: Chinese scholars urge peace with Manila in South China Sea

20 Apr 2025 - 3:30PMvideocam

From Bandung to Brics: Indonesia’s evolving quest for Global South autonomy

Seven decades after hosting a summit that birthed the Non-Aligned Movement, Indonesia prioritises pragmatic ties over grand gestures.

19 Apr 2025 - 8:00AM

Illustration: Huy Truong

Xi’s visit: Malaysia ‘stands with China’ amid US tariff threat, Anwar says

The two countries signed a raft of deals spanning AI, infrastructure and agriculture as both leaders spoke out in defence of open trade.

16 Apr 2025 - 8:15PMvideocam

Controversial Malaysian series on Islamic cult tops 1 billion streams

‘Bidaah’ echoes a real-life case in Malaysia of a shadowy cult hit by allegations of human trafficking and abuse.

14 Apr 2025 - 3:21PM

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

US-China trade war

Is Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ opening the door to China to join the CPTPP?

Members of the trans-Pacific trade bloc may be more inclined to allow China to join as they look to counter US tariff threats, analysts say.

8 Apr 2025 - 12:10PMvideocam

China has been trying to join the 12-member trade pact since 2021. Photo: AP

With tensions rising in Taiwan, civil defence becomes a high-wire act

Recalling ‘White Terror’ martial law, many regard government-backed civil defence sceptically even as Taipei moves to bolster readiness.

4 Apr 2025 - 10:00PMvideocam

Trump talks up ‘big nuclear’ North Korea and reaching out to Kim

Kim Jong-un hasn’t shown any serious interest in re-engaging with the US president. But Trump still has a soft spot for the ‘very smart guy’.

1 Apr 2025 - 1:53PMvideocam

Belt and Road Initiative

Who is Zou Jiayi, China’s pick to be the next president of the AIIB?

The 61-year-old former vice-minister of finance would be the development bank’s first female leader.

1 Apr 2025 - 12:39PMvideocam

Zou Jiayi, then China’s vice-minister of finance, speaks during an event in Beijing in 2018. Photo: AFP

‘Eternal peace’: Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border deal opens path to visa-free zone

The agreement, which settled territorial disputes related to nearly 500km of the border, also included mutual access to water and energy.

25 Mar 2025 - 7:21PM

Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov (right) shakes hands with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon at Bishkek on March 13. Photo: Reuters/Kyrgyz Presidential Press Service

From BTS to a free trade deal, is South Korea moving closer to China?

The US’ tariff threats have raised hopes in Beijing that it can convince Seoul to move forward with an ambitious new trade deal.

23 Mar 2025 - 6:00AMvideocam

The Philippines

Hegseth’s Manila visit ahead of Balikatan signals strong US-Philippines ties

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth’s visit is seen as an important step in strengthening Washington’s alliances in the Asia-Pacific.

21 Mar 2025 - 10:27PMvideocam

New Zealand PM says trade wars will cause ‘serious headwinds’ to global economy

‘Geopolitical calculations are being totally upended,’ Christopher Luxon says, calling Indo-Pacific pacts key to weathering any instability.

18 Mar 2025 - 4:03AMvideocam

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in New Delhi on Monday. Photo: ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Putin has ‘breathing room’ for Myanmar to get Russian arms amid isolation

A visit to Russia by General Min Aung Hlaing aimed to enhance Moscow’s influence in Southeast Asia underscored the junta’s need for diplomatic recognition.

7 Mar 2025 - 6:59PMvideocam

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Myanmar’s military leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing shake hands after their meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, on March 4, 2025. Photo: Pool/EPA-EFE/AP

SCMP Highlights

Philippines’ US exemption, public sex outrage in Thailand: 7 Asia highlights

From Ramadan price gougers in Malaysia to outrage in Thailand over public sex, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

4 Mar 2025 - 12:48PM

‘Business must go on’: why India is reaching out to the Taliban

Focus on humanitarian aid, regional connectivity could help India regain ‘strategic space’ lost after the Taliban took over in 2021, analysts note.

2 Mar 2025 - 5:00PMvideocam

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

South Korean city Gyeongju has ambitions beyond Apec – a third Trump-Kim summit

The governor of the North Gyeongsang city says he hopes the summit will become a ‘catalyst for peace’.

27 Feb 2025 - 6:35PM

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (right) and US President Donald Trump shake hands at the border village of Panmunjom in the demilitarised zone on June 30, 2019. Photo: AP

Were China’s ‘unprecedented’ naval drills a ‘signal’ to Australia, New Zealand?

The drills, conducted near a busy air corridor, have prompted both countries to enhance surveillance and collaborate with allies.

25 Feb 2025 - 10:35PM

US-China trade war

‘Good start’: China bids to reset ties with Japan amid Trump tariff storm

Both Asian powers have ‘sent clear signals’ they want to improve their economic relationship, but geopolitical tensions will make that difficult.

25 Feb 2025 - 3:00PMvideocam

Australia pushes for tariff exemptions in crucial Washington visit ahead of election

Australia’s treasurer Jim Chalmers is seeking US tariff exemptions for steel and aluminium, crucial for PM Albanese’s government ahead of coming elections.

23 Feb 2025 - 11:03AM

A worker pours molten iron at a factory in Geelong, Australia. Photo: EPA-EFE

Pacific nations

After China deal, Cook Islands looks beyond ‘big brother’ New Zealand, US

The islands’ PM said Pacific nations were looking for other countries to ‘fill the gap’ in the wake of Trump’s return as US president.

18 Feb 2025 - 2:45PM

Cook Islands’ Prime Minister Mark Brown (lower left) and New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters (top right), attend a Pacific Islands Forum meeting last year. Photo: AFP

The Philippines

‘Wilful pollution’: China’s space debris puts Philippines on edge

For Manila, Beijing’s pursuit of the heavens is leaving a worrying trail of debris – and diplomatic challenges – back on Earth.

16 Feb 2025 - 3:00PM

South China Sea

Beijing, Philippines spar over South China Sea claims during Munich conference

Former Chinese deputy foreign minister Fu Ying says Beijing will not accept occupation of a World War II-era ship that Manila grounded in the area.

16 Feb 2025 - 4:20PM

Pacific nations

China, the Cook Islands – and New Zealand’s struggle for Pacific influence

By signing a deal with Beijing, the Cook Islands is asserting its independence – in a stark challenge to New Zealand’s Pacific strategy.

12 Feb 2025 - 2:15PM

The Cook Islands, with its population of around 15,000, is a self-governing nation in free association with New Zealand. Photo: Shutterstock

TRENDING TOPICS

South China Sea

The Philippines

What if Trump wins?

What if Trump wins?

Palestinians face bleak prospects of ethnic cleansing or apartheid, warns US political scientist

Palestinians face bleak prospects of ethnic cleansing or apartheid, warns US political scientist

China nationals among the injured in Papua New Guinea riots

Chinese businesses attacked, nationals injured in Papua New Guinea labour riots

US, South Korea and Japan’s trilateral security initiatives

US, South Korea and Japan to step up actions on North Korean cyber threats

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.