Politics

Japan is set to lose its remaining two giant pandas early next year, as the animals housed at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo are returned to China, a move that could leave the country without the iconic species for the first time in around 50 years, AFP reports. The pandas, twins named Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao, are scheduled to be repatriated in January, shortly before the formal end of their loan agreement in February. The Tokyo metropolitan government, which operates the zoo, has said efforts to extend their stay were unsuccessful, despite the animals’ popularity and their status as one of the capital’s most visited attractions. The move back to China comes as friction increases between Tokyo and Beijing over comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the defence of Taiwan should Chin

China's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Liu Bin held political consultations between the foreign ministries of China and Ukraine with Serhiy Kyslytsya, first deputy minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine, in Beijing on Thursday. Liu said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Ukraine, friendship and cooperation have always been the defining features of bilateral ties. Guided by the principles of mutual respect and trust, mutual understanding and accommodation, and mutual benefit and reciprocity, the two sides have achieved fruitful outcomes in cooperation across fields such as economy and trade, agriculture, science and technology, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges, Liu added. He said China stands ready to work with Ukraine to f...

Prabowo’s Beijing visit signalled more than diplomacy. It reflected a shared belief in strong states, moralised authority and culturally rooted legitimacy. Like Xi, Indonesia’s president sees development without Western liberalism — and a role in a multipolar order, argues researcher Ronny P Sasmita. On the night of 2 September 2025, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto made a swift and closely watched trip to Beijing to attend China’s massive military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan in World War II. His appearance, reportedly at the personal invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, was widely interpreted as a significant diplomatic gesture, even though Prabowo remained in the Chinese capital for less than a day. A front r