China

China keeps Iranian oil moving through Hormuz as war reshapes trade
30Mar By Grace TsoiNo Comments

China keeps Iranian oil moving through Hormuz as war reshapes trade

In early March, a Chinese-owned oil tanker moved through the Strait of Hormuz. It was one of just three vessels to pass through the strait that day. Only one of them — carrying Iranian crude — is bound for China. Iran war live updates: For the latest on the Middle East conflict, read our blog. The transit is uneasy. The waterway, already one of the most sensitive in the world, has tightened under the pressure of the war in the Middle East. The conflict, following US strikes under Donald Trump and involving Israel under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has escalated, adding new pressure to already fragile global energy markets. About 20 per cent of global oil supply normally passes through this narrow corridor, making any disruption immediately felt in global mark
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U.S.–China Aligned on Ends, Divided on Means in the Iran War
24Mar By Grace TsoiNo Comments

U.S.–China Aligned on Ends, Divided on Means in the Iran War

On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury, a sustained aerial campaign targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, military infrastructure, and regime leadership, which killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Tehran retaliated by launching missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbors, leading to a rupture in the diplomatic framework that had governed international engagement with its nuclear program for two decades, however imperfectly. Amid a widening regional war, President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping were scheduled to meet in Beijing at the end of March, though Trump asked to delay the visit amid ongoing developments in the Middle East. While Washington and Beijing remain rivals, they share certain overlapping interests on Iran, ...
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India & China, economic partners, political opponents
23Mar By Grace TsoiNo Comments

India & China, economic partners, political opponents

Can economic partnership and political opposition go hand in hand? In 2020, India imposed restrictions on FDI from countries sharing a land border, primarily to prevent Chinese firms from acquiring stakes in Indian companies. This month the government eased some of these rules through an amendment to Press Note 3 (2026). This raises a larger question about India’s relationship with China. Consider the global trade environment, particularly the renewed tariff disruptions associated with Donald Trump. India has responded to the need to diversify exports by accelerating free trade agreements with the EU and the UK. Alongside deteriorating US–China ties, this strengthens the prospects of a “China plus one” strategy, where production shifts partially away from China to countries like
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Six years on, India’s trade with China to resume via Lipulekh Pass
21Mar By Nectar GanNo Comments

Six years on, India’s trade with China to resume via Lipulekh Pass

Border trade between India and China through the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district is set to resume this year after a six-year hiatus. District Magistrate Ashish Bhatgai said following directives from the Union government, “preparations have begun for the trade session, which typically runs from June to September”. The move comes after a No Objection Certificate (NOC) was issued by the Ministry of External Affairs. According to Bhatgai, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri wrote to Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan requesting the restoration of trade through the Himalayan pass. The letter mentions that the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry have also granted clearances. Bhatgai said the state government had been asked to dir
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Beyond the Gulf: China’s Strategic Calculus in the US–Israel Conflict with Iran
21Mar By Grace TsoiNo Comments

Beyond the Gulf: China’s Strategic Calculus in the US–Israel Conflict with Iran

The 2026 Iran war exposes China’s energy vulnerabilities but simultaneously creates strategic space for Beijing to expand diplomatic influence, recalibrate partnerships, and advance its position within a shifting global order The late-February 2026 US and Israeli military strikes on Iran, including the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, alongside the long-standing Washington–Tehran rivalry, carry significant implications for China’s geopolitical and economic interests. As the world’s largest energy importer and a rising global power with expanding interests in the Middle East, China is highly exposed to regional instability. A US–Israel conflict with Iran that draws in other regional actors would not only reshape Middle Eastern security dynamics but also affect China
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How the Iran war is stretching America thin against China
20Mar By Grace TsoiNo Comments

How the Iran war is stretching America thin against China

A prolonged Iran war is draining US munitions, critical minerals and industrial capacity, and weakening the country’s defence base and military presence in Asia as rivalry with China intensifies, observes academic Hao Nan.  When US military assets begin shifting from West Pacific key allies, the strategic meaning stretches far beyond Iran. Seoul has acknowledged discussions over redeploying some US Patriot systems, and South Korea’s president has openly said his government cannot stop Washington from moving weapons out of the peninsula. At the same time, two US guided-missile destroyers homeported in Yokosuka are now supporting operations tied to the Iran war, while the only US carrier forward-deployed in Asia is in maintenance. That is not a minor logistic
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China’s top political advisor meets Harvard professor Graham Allison
20Mar By Grace TsoiNo Comments

China’s top political advisor meets Harvard professor Graham Allison

China's top political advisor Wang Huning met with Graham Allison, a professor at Harvard University, in Beijing on Friday. Wang, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that China will respond to the ever-changing international situation with the certainty of its own development as this year marks the first year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan. Wang emphasized that the Taiwan question is at the center of China's core interests. China and the United States should enhance dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand practical cooperation, forge a correct path of coexistence, and inject certainty and positive energy into the world, Wang said. For his part, Allison said that international peace and orde...
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Trump’s China Trip on Hold: Strait of Hormuz Standoff Intensifies
16Mar By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

Trump’s China Trip on Hold: Strait of Hormuz Standoff Intensifies

President Donald Trump hinted at delaying his scheduled visit to China, pressing Beijing to assist in alleviating the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran conflict. This decision could strain U.S.-China relations, which are already tense due to tariff threats and ongoing trade negotiations. President Donald Trump has suggested he might postpone his much-awaited trip to China, as he intensifies pressure on Beijing to aid in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, crucial for easing the spiking oil prices during the Iran conflict. In a Sunday interview with the Financial Times, Trump emphasized China's dependence on Middle Eastern oil, urging its involvement in forming a new coalition to resume oil tanker movement after Iranian threats compromised global oil distribution. Trump's ...
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What did we learn from China’s biggest political meeting?
14Mar By Grace TsoiNo Comments

What did we learn from China’s biggest political meeting?

China's biggest political gathering - the National People's Congress or NPC - has come to an end. Its extensive authority includes making laws, amending the constitution and approving state budgets. But it effectively functions as a rubber-stamp parliament, approving decisions made behind closed doors by the top echelons of the Chinese Communist Party. Still, the annual meetings of the NPC and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) - also known as the "two sessions" - are watched closely as they signal the priorities of the world's second-largest economy. Our correspondents give us their biggest takeaways. China wants to show it is a beacon of stability By Laura Bicker, China correspondent China's push to be the world's leading superpower depe...
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Trump’s China visit likely won’t yield breakthrough, with stability key goal
9Mar By Grace TsoiNo Comments

Trump’s China visit likely won’t yield breakthrough, with stability key goal

A summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping this month is unlikely to create room for even a limited reset of business and investment ties, five people briefed on preparations said. American business leaders at this stage have not secured the CEO delegation some had sought. On the other side, there is no indication Beijing is on track for the investment protections it has sought on behalf of Chinese companies. Washington and Beijing are looking to maintain the stability that has characterized relations between the world's two largest economies since late last year after a bruising period marked by Trump’s tariffs and China’s chokehold on rare earths exports. But some U.S. companies had also held out hope Trump’s visit could go further than a green ligh
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