China

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s five-day Southeast Asia tour, spanning visits to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia from April 14 to 18, has been hailed by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as a resounding diplomatic success. The trip, the first overseas tour by China’s head of state in 2025, was a powerful affirmation of China’s commitment to good-neighborly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation in the region. It also delivered a broader message: China remains a firm advocate for multilateralism, regional integration, and international trade rules amidst the global headwinds of protectionism and geopolitical fragmentation. Xi’s visit to Vietnam was perhaps the most politically symbolic stop of the tour. As Wang Yi emphasized, the strategic guidance of the top leaders of the two Com

After a dramatic weekend with ministers passing legislation to wrest control of British Steel from its Chinese owners, Labour's China policy is under the spotlight. Sir Keir Starmer's government came in, promising a "strategic and long term" relationship with Beijing, after years of "inconsistency" under the Conservatives. David Lammy went on the first trip by a foreign secretary in six years. Sir Keir met Xi Jinping in the margins of the G20 in November and floated a UK-China visit. Rachel Reeves went to the Chinese capital in January, saying her trip had secured £600m of growth for the UK economy. Politics latest: Record number of migrants cross the English Channel Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds appeared to turn the tables this weekend, suggesting Chinese parent com

A growing number of espionage cases are rattling Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), piercing deep into the island’s political and military core and exposing worrying vulnerabilities in its counter-intelligence systems.The mounting revelations of infiltration – from top government officials’ close aides to active-duty military personnel – have sparked alarm over Beijing’s intensifying efforts to undermine Taiwan authorities from within, raising questions of public trust in the administration of William Lai Ching-te.At least five people closely associated with senior DPP politicians are under investigation or have been detained for allegedly leaking classified information to mainland Chinese intelligence. Among them are aides to Taiwanese leader Lai and National Security Co

As the world reels from US President Donald Trump’s sweeping – though now largely paused – “reciprocal” tariffs, next month’s global geopolitical calendar could prove consequential. Nearly every region is on the brink of decisions that could shape the coming years.Centre stage are Trump’s first state visits of his second term, expected as soon as next month. He will reportedly visit Saudi Arabia first, as well as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Trump’s focus highlights Gulf investments in American industry – the UAE has pledged US$1.4 trillion, Saudi Arabia US$600 billion – and critically, may be an attempt to insert himself into Gaza talks.Trump has floated radical proposals, including resettling Palestinians to transform the Gaza Strip into a luxury retreat. Implausibility aside, su

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Thursday agreed to build an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era, and designated 2025 the China-Cambodia Year of Tourism. Xi said the ironclad friendship between China and Cambodia enjoys a profound history, a solid political foundation and a strong internal driving force, adding that no matter how the international situation changes, the two countries have always been at the forefront of building a community with a shared future for mankind. Xi noted that at present, changes unseen in a century are accelerating, saying that deepening the building of the China-Cambodia community with a shared future is fully in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples. China wi...

Taiwan has an inadvertent, rarely acknowledged role in global affairs: it’s a kind of sponge, soaking up much of China’s political, military and diplomatic efforts. Taiwan absorbs Chinese power of persuasion and coercion that won’t be directed elsewhere while the island remains free. This means that supporting Taiwan is not merely a moral stance in favour of democracy; it is a strategic and economic necessity. Taiwan’s independence from China anchors the regional order—and maybe even the global order. While it remains separate from China, Beijing is delayed in shifting attention to new, potentially more dangerous fronts. Every leader of the People’s Republic of China—from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping—has made ‘reunification’ a non-negotiable part of the party’s mission. Xi has tied Taiw