Inside China, there’s a nickname for US President Donald Trump that tells you everything you need to know about how his actions are increasingly seen as a gift to Beijing. They call him Chuan Jianguo, which translates to Chinese “nation builder” — a mocking title that suggests the US president’s foreign and domestic policies are…
US President Donald Trump has put allies and trade partners on notice, invoking national security powers to ease China’s chokehold on critical minerals, warning global suppliers to negotiate agreements to secure reliable, diversified supplies for the US or face new trade barriers, including tariffs. In a proclamation signed on Wednesday, the “America first” president declared…
In a wide-ranging, two-hour year-end briefing on Friday, Washington’s top diplomat Marco Rubio offered pragmatic remarks on China, signalling a tonal shift in the administration’s approach towards Beijing amid broader “America first” priorities for 2026. While detailing a recalibration of US foreign policy, Rubio’s comments on China marked a notable evolution from both his own…
Senior US officials on Monday pushed back against suggestions of American retreat from the Indo-Pacific, declaring that Washington is recalibrating its foreign assistance to more effectively outcompete China in the strategically vital region while maintaining support for allies through targeted aid and security cooperation. The focus, they said, is shifting away from broad assistance towards…
The US defence chief touted a message of peace, communication and “flexible realism” with China in a speech over the weekend, foreshadowing an American national defence strategy that is expected to be released soon. In his keynote address at the annual Reagan National Defence Forum on Saturday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington was…
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said “a multipolar world is emerging”, positioning Beijing’s latest vision for global governance as a unifying and stabilising framework at a time of increasing turbulence and Washington-driven unilateralism. Speaking in Beijing on Monday, Wang also called for “an end to politicising economic and trade issues, artificially fragmenting global markets, and…
After a week-long gathering of leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York, its president struck a positive tone on Monday. Annalena Baerbock, the former German foreign minister, said there was a collective will to “choose the right path at the crossroads”. “If high-level week is any indication, this house is fulfilling that purpose…
Elon Musk took to X to share a photo of him and President Donald Trump chatting at Charlie Kirk’s memorial event months after their public fallout. Trump was seen shaking hands and talking to Musk, who once led the US president’s President Donald Trump and Elon musk talk during a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday,…
THE UNITED NATIONS has known many crises since its founding in 1945, from the mysterious death in Congo of its secretary-general, Dag Hammarskjöld, in 1961, to Nikita Khrushchev’s alleged shoe-banging in the cold war, the massacres of civilians under its protection in the 1990s, and America’s invasion of Iraq in 2003. As leaders prepare to…
Prabowo had earlier decided to cancel the trip because of widespread protests at home. But he showed up for the parade in a grey suit on the morning of September 3, taking a seat at the rostrum beside Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who was to the right of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Sources said the…