World

TikTok users in the U.S. may get a reprieve from the threat of a shutdown after the Trump administration announced it has reached a framework deal with China for the ownership of the popular social video platform. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a press conference after the latest round of trade talks between the world’s top two economies concluded in Madrid that U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping would speak Friday to possibly finalize the deal. He said the objective of the deal would be to switch to American ownership. He did not disclose the terms of the deal, saying that it is between two private parties, but added that “the commercial terms have been agreed upon.” Little is known about the actual deal in the works

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit to China in seven years is a sign of a thaw in the relations between the neighbors. The two-day summit will bring together leaders from more than 20 nations. China welcomed world leaders as they arrived for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit Sunday in Tianjin. The two-day gathering will bring together leaders from more than 20 nations, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus, with 16 more countries affiliated as observers or "dialogue partners". On Saturday, Chinese President Xi Jinping began receiving foreign leaders, inc...

Leaders from over 20 countries will gather in Tianjin as President Xi Jinping seeks to use the SCO summit to strengthen regional security and influence. Chinese President Xi Jinping will host Russia's Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UN chief Antonio Guterres and more than 20 heads of government later this month, Beijing said on Friday, for a political and security meeting aimed at cementing China's regional influence. Leaders from a bloc spanning roughly a quarter of the globe will unveil new plans to deepen their ties when they gather for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1, Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Bin told a news conference on the summit's preparations. The gathering takes place between Augu...

As President Trump’s tariffs begin to bite more widely, hard data on their actual consequences will soon arrive. Of course, the rationale for many of the tariff levels remains opaque, and, despite the August 1 “deadline,” negotiations continue with several important trading partners. The tariffs’ economic impact is emerging, but the international diplomatic and political effects remain hard to measure. From a geopolitical perspective, it is logical to ask how tariffs fit into America’s grand strategy. But the Trump administration has not done so. Unfortunately, based on international reactions so far, the U.S. by levying tariffs on friend and foe alike has likely suffered a considerable loss of trust and confidence, built up over decades of effort, in exchange for minimal econom

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele has said that 21 donor countries, including the United States and China, will not be invited to the region’s top political meeting, a move that follows pressure from Beijing to exclude Taiwan. China’s biggest security ally in the Pacific Islands, the Solomon Islands is hosting the annual meeting of the 18-member bloc’s forum in September. Three island states have diplomatic ties with Taiwan and not China, and they had expressed concern Taiwanese officials would be blocked from entering the country. Solomon Islands switched ties from Taiwan to China in 2019, and removed Taiwan from a list of countries eligible for concessional entry in April. Beijing, which has deepened its ties in the Pacific, claims Taiwan as its own territory.