FOR the third time since 2021, an ‘Iceland-hybrid’ Union Jack has been rolled out for UK Officials. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Madrid displayed the wrong British flat at the G5+ Summit on Monday. The Union Jack features the three crosses of the patron saints of England, Scotland and Ireland. READ MORE: Gibraltar minister…
China’s leader Xi Jinping will reportedly embark on a three-nation tour of Southeast Asia later this month, a possible sign that China is seeking to capitalize on the current regional unease about the direction of U.S. policy in the region. On Monday, the South China Morning Post, citing unnamed diplomatic sources, reported that Xi will…
A massive acid spill from a Chinese-owned copper mine in Zambia, which has caused severe environmental damage along a major river, could also cause severe diplomatic damage between the two countries, according to observers. On February 18, a tailings dam containing acid waste from the Sino-Metals Leach Zambia copper mine – which is majority-owned by…
In the early months of his second term, U.S. President Donald Trump has wasted no time asserting his combative “America First” vision of international politics – one that discards alliances, dismantles institutions, and replaces diplomacy with coercion. A good representation of this shift is the near-total dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)….
[AP] Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday congratulated Konstantinos Tasoulas on assuming the Greek presidency. In his message, Xi highlighted the long history and shared culture between China and Greece, emphasizing their strategic partnership. He noted their successful collaboration on projects such as the Piraeus Port, Belt and Road initiatives and the establishment of the…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump, the real estate developer turned commander in chief, is laying bare his style of diplomacy in the early weeks of his new term: It’s a whole lot like a high-stakes business deal, and his No. 1 goal is to come out of the transaction on top. The tactics are clear…
This live blog has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Foreign Minister Wang Yi faced the press on Friday morning to lay out Beijing’s foreign policy direction. This came as China…
Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China’s imports, exports cool as US tariffs cast chill over trade China’s export growth slowed in the first two months of 2025 compared to the end of 2024, a…
The White House has asked the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury to draft a list of sanctions on some Russian entities and individuals, including oligarchs, which could be eased, Reuters reports, citing sources with knowledge of the plans. The U.S. State and Treasury Departments are asked to draft a list of possible sanctions relief…
Under the plan outlined by Starmer, France and the U.K. would lead talks on building a “coalition of the willing” to offer security guarantees to Ukraine in case a cease-fire is reached. The two countries have for weeks been involved in building a proposal to deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine after a hoped-for truce has…