16 h. ago Seoul expresses ‘concern’ over US immigration raid at Hyundai’s Georgia plant

South Korea on Friday expressed “concern and regret” over a major US immigration raid at a sprawling Georgia site where South Korean auto company Hyundai manufactures electric vehicles. South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jaewoong described the number of detained South Koreans as “large”, though he did not provide an exact figure. His ministry would not confirm or deny South Korean media reports saying that about 300 South Koreans were detained in Georgia on Thursday. The Atlanta...

Politics

18 h. ago Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun’s Regular Press Conference on September 5, 2025

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun’s Regular Press Conference on September 5, 2025  fmprc.gov.cn

Politics

2 d. ago Indonesia’s Prabowo attends China’s military parade as protests rage at home

Despite a deadly anti-government protest raging across his country, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto stood overlooking Beijing’s Tiananmen Square watching China’s grand military parade with a group of world leaders. His one-day trip was appreciated by Beijing, with the Chinese foreign ministry saying it “welcomed” the visit. Earlier this week, when Prabowo decided to skip the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, the ministry said it “respected” Jakarta’s decision. Prabowo joined...

Events

4 d. ago Belgium to recognise Palestinian state, adding to global pressure on Israel

Belgium will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly, Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said on Tuesday, adding to international pressure on Israel after similar moves by Australia, Britain, Canada and France. Under mounting global criticism for its war in Gaza, Israel has been angered by the pledges to formally recognise a Palestinian state at a summit during this month’s UN event. Belgium will join the signatories of the New York Declaration, paving the way for a two-state...

Politics

6 d. ago China decries Taiwanese foreign minister’s visit to the Philippines

China decries Taiwanese foreign minister’s visit to the Philippines  PBS

Politics

6 d. ago China protests Taiwan foreign minister’s visit to the Philippines

China protests Taiwan foreign minister’s visit to the Philippines  The Seattle Times

Politics

7 d. ago Typhon warning: China hits out at Japan over US missile system deployment

Japan is expected to deploy the US-made Typhon missile system for the first time during joint military exercises with the United States next month, according to Japanese media. Analysts view the move as a strategic signal against Beijing, especially in the event of a conflict over Taiwan. The Chinese foreign ministry criticised the move on Friday, saying Beijing firmly opposed “the US deployment of the Typhon intermediate-range missile system in Asian countries”. “The deployment of the system in...

Events

7 d. ago Gaza war: Turkey bars Israeli ships from its ports, restricts airspace

Turkey has decided to bar Israeli vessels from using its ports, forbid Turkish ships from using Israeli ports and impose restrictions on some planes entering Turkish airspace, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday. He provided few details in comments to parliament that appeared to summarise steps that Turkey has already taken against Israel over the war in Gaza or has started to implement. Turkey has fiercely criticised Israel’s offensive in Gaza and accuses it of committing genocide in...

Politics

8 d. ago Beijing tells new US consul general to Hong Kong to respect city’s rule of law

Beijing has called on the new US consul general to Hong Kong to uphold the principle of non-interference and respect the city’s rule of law, following the announcement that Julie Eadeh has taken up the role after receiving the central government’s approval. Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said on Thursday that the central government hoped that Eadeh would respect China’s sovereignty and “abide by international conventions”. Guo was responding to a media query about...

Politics

8 d. ago China warns against external interference in ties with South Korea

Third parties should not interfere with – and were not a factor in – the relationship between China and South Korea, Beijing said on Wednesday following suggestions that Seoul would not act counter to Washington’s policy. “The China-South Korea relationship is based on mutual interests, is not targeted at a third party, and should not be interfered with,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said. “China’s policy is consistent and stable, and we hope that South Korea will work with...

Events

9 d. ago New US Consul General Julie Eadeh arrives in Hong Kong after Beijing’s approval

An American official who met local opposition activists during the 2019 anti-government protests has arrived in Hong Kong after receiving Beijing’s approval for the much-watched appointment as the new US consul general for the city and Macau. Julie Eadeh was due to succeed her predecessor, Gregory May, who left Hong Kong last month to assume duties as the deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Beijing. A career member of the senior foreign service with the rank of minister counsellor, she...

Politics

9 d. ago China offers South Asia a choice between swords and ploughshares

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi didn’t just tour South Asia earlier this month; he redrew the region’s strategic map. In three stops – India, Afghanistan and Pakistan – Beijing offered a tactical reset, a warning and a lifeline. The choreography was deliberate; the message was unmistakable: China is shaping the region’s future, one handshake at a time. The stops were not random. They were sequenced with intent, each one revealing something about China’s ambitions, South Asia’s anxieties and the...

Politics

9 d. ago UN inspectors back in Iran amid nuclear programme talks, no inspection deal yet

UN nuclear inspectors have returned to Iran for the first time since it suspended cooperation with them in the wake of Israel’s attacks on its nuclear sites, Iranian state media reported on Wednesday. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told lawmakers Tehran had still not reached an agreement on how it would resume full work with the UN’s IAEA watchdog, the parliament news agency ICANA reported. But he said the inspectors would supervise the changing of fuel at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power...

Events

9 d. ago Trump’s Greenland interest sparks diplomatic row, as Denmark summons US envoy

Denmark’s foreign minister had the top US diplomat in the country summoned for talks after the main national broadcaster reported on Wednesday that at least three people with connections to President Donald Trump have been carrying out covert influence operations in Greenland. Greenland, a huge semi-autonomous Danish territory in the Arctic, is coveted by Trump. Denmark, a Nato ally of the United States, and Greenland have said the island is not for sale and condemned reports of the US gathering...

Politics

1 week ago Iran nuclear deal risks collapse over European demand for talks, inspection

The 2015 deal under which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear programme is on the verge of collapse after its three European signatories last week threatened to reinstate United Nations sanctions if Tehran did not heed Western demands. With Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejecting pressure from his British, French and German counterparts on Friday to resume negotiations with a disinterested United States and allow UN inspectors back into nuclear facilities bombed by Israel and the US in...

Events

1 week ago US backs ambassador to France Charles Kushner in antisemitism row

A diplomatic row between the United States and France escalated on Monday when Washington decided to stand firmly behind its ambassador’s criticism of the French response to a rising tide of antisemitism. US ambassador Charles Kushner, the father of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, was ordered to report to the French foreign ministry on Monday. But, as Kushner was absent, the US embassy’s charge d’affaires went in his place and was received by two French foreign ministry directors, a...

Politics

1 week ago China vows defence amid US report on Vietnam’s accelerated Spratly efforts

Beijing has vowed to defend its maritime rights after a US report that Vietnam has sped up its island-building efforts in the contested Spratly Islands this year. In a report on Friday, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), part of the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said Vietnam had ramped up construction on multiple reefs in 2025. Responding to the report on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the islands “are China’s...

Politics

1 week ago China vows to stand maritime ground as Vietnam ‘expands’ Spratlys construction

Beijing has vowed to defend its maritime rights after a US report that Vietnam has sped up its island-building efforts in the contested Spratly Islands this year. In a report on Friday, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), part of the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said Vietnam had ramped up construction on multiple reefs in 2025. Responding to the report on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the islands “are China’s...

Politics

1 week ago China urges ‘dialogue’ to resolve Iran nuclear issue as new sanctions loom

Beijing has urged that the Iran nuclear issue be resolved through political and diplomatic means as Tehran faces new economic sanctions. Chinese foreign vice-minister Ma Zhaoxu and Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi spoke by phone on Sunday, during which Ma was described as having voiced China’s hope that all parties concerned would “remain committed to resolving the issue through political and diplomatic means and actively create conditions for an early resumption of dialogue and...

Events

2 w. ago Russia rejects Zelensky meeting as diplomatic tension simmers

Russia on Friday ruled out an immediate meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, as diplomatic tension escalated with the Ukrainian president and US mediation efforts appeared to stumble. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said “no meeting” between Vladimir Putin and Zelensky was planned, as Nato chief Mark Rutte visited Kyiv, largely to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. US President Donald Trump raised expectations for a swift summit between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents by saying...

Politics