Politics Archives - The Singapore Post

Born in the USA? China targeted in Trump’s birthright citizenship fight

31Mar

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

Born in the USA? China targeted in Trump’s birthright citizenship fight

As Supreme Court decision looms, Chinese nationals find themselves at the centre of disputed core constitutional issue: who is an American? The US Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday on birthright citizenship, with Chinese nationals at the centre of disputed claims of abuse amplified by US President Donald Trump’s immigration campaign. “Birthright Citizenship is not about rich people from China, and the rest of the World, who want their children, and hundreds of thousands more, FOR PAY, to ridiculously become citizens of the United States of America. It is about the BABIES OF SLAVES!” Trump wrote on social media on Monday. The president’s comments echo assertions about so-called birth tourism, which framed much of the conversation at a hearing on birthrig

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

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, ...

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

Asia faces crisis from Mideast disruption, Singapore foreign minister warns

23Mar

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Asia faces crisis from Mideast disruption, Singapore foreign minister warns

The war against Iran threatens to send Asian economies into crisis, Singapore’s foreign minister said on Monday, a stark warning in a region that is acutely exposed to the massive disruption of Middle East energy supplies."Right now the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is, in a sense, an Asian crisis," Vivian Balakrishnan ‌told In remarks made over an hour-long interview, he also raised questions about the necessity and legality of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran that is now entering its fourth week, saying the "entire global economy has been taken hostage" by a conflict that could usher in a financial crisis. The war has shut down the Strait of Hormuz through which 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flow, pushing up oil prices and raising fears of a renewed spike in gl

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

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...

President Tharman warns of ‘long storm of global political instability’ as he approves Budget 2026

19Mar

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

President Tharman warns of ‘long storm of global political instability’ as he approves Budget 2026

SINGAPORE - For every week that the war in the Middle East continues and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, the risk rises of a major downturn in the global economy and of cost-of-living problems everywhere, said President Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Prolonged fighting will not just result in fuel prices going up and staying high for longer, but also impact food supply and prices, as well as supplies of many other critical commodities that the world depends on, Mr Tharman said as he formally approved the Government’s spending plans for the coming financial year. In social media posts on March 18, the President said the conflict represented “a major new stress point” for the global economy and financial markets, which were already under strain. The war between the US, Israel and

Surge in US gas prices deepens political peril for Trump over Iran

17Mar

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Surge in US gas prices deepens political peril for Trump over Iran

In the third week of the joint US-Israeli war against Iran, Donald Trump faces decisions that could define the rest of his presidency. But if the American commander-in-chief is grappling with a war of choice that seems in danger of spiralling in ways he can't control, those concerns are not playing out in public. In more than an hour of public remarks at the White House on Monday, he discussed his thinking on the state of the war effort - and also on Kennedy Center renovations, White House ballroom construction plans, this year's World Cup tournament, the health of a Republican congressman and a host of other unrelated topics. It was classic Trump, as unscripted and wide-ranging as ever. This past weekend, he played golf at his Florida resort. And on his Truth Social website,...

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 ...