38 m. ago European Union on the ropes as Trump and China turn the screws

If a week is a long time in politics, after a bruising fortnight of wrestling with the world’s two superpowers, the European Union could be forgiven for thinking it has aged several decades. A bruising encounter over Russia with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi was followed by chaotic skirmishes on trade with the United States over the last week, as the EU scrambled to avoid being crushed between the duelling titans. The bad news for the bloc’s bureaucrats is that they may have an even trickier few...

Politics

3 h. ago ‘More Asean, Middle East flights needed for Hong Kong under belt and road plan’

Hong Kong is striving to enhance its connectivity with countries under the Belt and Road Initiative by increasing flight frequencies to strategic destinations such as Xinjiang, Riyadh and Dallas, as well as launching new direct routes to second-tier Asean and Middle Eastern locations, the city’s chief for the national plan has said. In an exclusive interview with the Post, Commissioner for Belt and Road Nicholas Ho Lik-chi also said the global volatility brought by US President Donald Trump’s...

Transport

6 h. ago Li Cheng and Andy Browne discuss what Donald Trump gets wrong about China

Welcome to Open Dialogue, a new series from the Post where we bring together leading voices to discuss the stories and subjects occupying international headlines. In this edition, two leading China watchers discuss the consequential relationship between the world’s two largest economies and how ties might develop under the second Donald Trump administration amid growing trade frictions. Professor Li Cheng, a leading political scientist who has studied China for decades, is the founding director...

Politics

6 h. ago Exclusive | Li Cheng and Andy Browne discuss what Donald Trump gets wrong about China

Exclusive | Li Cheng and Andy Browne discuss what Donald Trump gets wrong about China  South China Morning Post

Politics

7 h. ago Philippines’ US security blanket muffling hopes of strategic autonomy

Since coming to power earlier this year, US President Donald Trump has broadly signalled a historic departure from America’s traditional role in global affairs. Not only has the US decoupled from global institutions such as the World Health Organization, it has disrupted international trade by adopting an aggressively protectionist stance through the imposition of massive tariffs on foes and friends alike. The same unorthodox approach has also characterised the second Trump administration’s...

Events

7 h. ago Philippines risks being drawn into US’ deepening rivalry with China

Since coming to power earlier this year, US President Donald Trump has broadly signalled a historic departure from America’s traditional role in global affairs. Not only has the US decoupled from global institutions such as the World Health Organization, it has disrupted international trade by adopting an aggressively protectionist stance through the imposition of massive tariffs on foes and friends alike. The same unorthodox approach has also characterised the second Trump administration’s...

Events

39 h. ago Trump hits Mexico and EU with 30% tariffs, escalating trade war

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that his administration would levy a 30 per cent tariff on goods from Mexico and the 27-nation European Union beginning August 1, targeting two of Washington’s top trading partners after weeks spent trying to forge a more comprehensive deal. Trump’s latest set of take-it-or-leave-it letters, addressed to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, could affect more than US$1 trillion in annual imports from...

Events

48 h. ago Why ‘uneasy alliance’ between tech titans and Maga may backfire in China rivalry

The “uneasy alliance” between America’s tech elite and Donald Trump’s populist right base could undermine the country’s competitiveness against China in the long run by cutting off talent and global markets, according to analysts. They also pointed to growing ties between the tech sector and the defence industry – including a new initiative enlisting senior tech executives to the Army Reserve – saying the “tech hawks” could step up threats against China. The political influence of tech leaders...

Events

63 h. ago Rubio meets Wang Yi, China’s maglev train makes debut: SCMP daily highlights

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. Odds high of Xi-Trump meeting, Rubio says after talks with Wang Yi at Asean US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the odds for a summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping this year were “high” after concluding “constructive” talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of a regional meeting. 2. ‘I cook instant...

Politics

63 h. ago China must ‘play the long game’ with trade partners as US bullies, analysts say

With US President Donald Trump sending more tariff letters to trade partners, Beijing has stepped up efforts – like rallying its own trade partners – to collectively push back against Washington’s trade protectionism. The world’s second-largest economy will provide considerable development opportunities – from broader market access to greater regional integration – while being mindful of US threats, according to statements this week following a string of overseas visits by Chinese...

Politics

66 h. ago Trump’s Brics wrath: will India be caught out by tariff threat?

US President Donald Trump’s threat to slap an additional 10 per cent tariff on Brics nations may be more of a strategic warning rather than a prelude to action – and is not expected to disrupt India’s efforts to finalise a trade pact with Washington, according to analysts. In a speech on Tuesday, Trump accused the 10-member bloc – comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, alongside newer entrants such as Iran, Egypt and Indonesia – of undermining the United States and seeking to...

Events

67 h. ago Is Singapore key for the US to fight against China as Tammy Duckworth says?

Remarks by a US senator labelling Singapore as a key place for “fighting against” major rival China have offered a revealing glimpse into how some American politicians view the city state, amid Washington’s regional power struggle with Beijing. The comments came to light after clips of a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday showed an exasperated Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth admonishing Anjani Sinha, US President Donald Trump’s ambassador nominee to Singapore. “You want to be ambassador...

Politics

69 h. ago Hong Kong condemns US for extending ‘national emergency’ status for city

The Hong Kong government has condemned the US for extending the city’s “national emergency” status for a year, calling the action an override of the rule of law. “[The US] has arbitrarily interfered in China’s internal affairs through the further extension of the so-called ‘national emergency with respect to Hong Kong’, which is indeed barbaric and unreasonable,” a government spokesman said. United States President Donald Trump announced on Thursday a one-year extension of the “national...

Politics

69 h. ago ‘Gangster logic’: Beijing slams US extension of Hong Kong’s ‘emergency status’

China’s foreign ministry arm in Hong Kong has lashed out at the US for extending the city’s “national emergency” status for a year, denouncing the move as an act of hegemony and political manipulation that fully exposes its double standards and “gangster logic”. It also urged the United States on Saturday to immediately stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and respect its sovereignty and Hong Kong’s rule of law. US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday a one-year extension of the...

Events

2 d. ago Malaysia warns bilateral talks only avenue for Asean to negotiate US tariffs

Southeast Asia’s plan of presenting a united front on US tariffs appears to have fallen apart, after the region’s diplomatic bloc admitted that its members will have to pursue their own talks with Washington to bring down punishing levies that threaten to sink demand for their vital exports. All but two members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) were served with letters from US President Donald Trump earlier this week, announcing tariffs of between 20 and 40 per cent that will...

Events

3 d. ago Trump’s new tariffs, cannon barrel sparks Hong Kong bomb scare: 7 highlights

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Apparently impatient Trump slaps 25% tariffs on Japan, South Korea US President Donald Trump, apparently impatient with the slow progress of negotiations, slapped 25 per cent unilateral tariffs on Japan and South Korea and equal or...

Politics

3 d. ago Brazil plans retaliation to Trump tariffs as analysts warn of growing China ties

Brazil scrambled to craft a measured but strong response to US President Donald Trump’s surprise tariff hike on Thursday in hopes of shielding key industries, while analysts predicted the tariffs would drive the country closer to China. Trump sent a letter to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday confirming that Brazilian exports would face 50 per cent duty starting August 1. He claimed the measure would punish what he called “unfair trade barriers” and political “persecution” of...

Events

3 d. ago Brazil plans retaliation to Trump tariffs as analysts predict growing China ties

Brazil scrambled to craft a measured but strong response to US President Donald Trump’s surprise tariff hike on Thursday in hopes of shielding key industries, while analysts predicted the tariffs would drive the country closer to China. Trump sent a letter to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday confirming that Brazilian exports would face 50 per cent duty starting August 1. He claimed the measure would punish what he called “unfair trade barriers” and political “persecution” of...

Politics

3 d. ago Trump’s birthright citizenship ban blocked by US judge in class

In the first major test of the US Supreme Court’s recent move to rein in nationwide injunctions made by lower federal courts, a district judge in New Hampshire on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting birthright citizenship. Responding to a motion by immigration rights groups to certify a nationwide class action lawsuit “comprised only of those deprived of citizenship”, US District Judge Joseph Laplante in Concord said: “The preliminary injunction is just not a...

Politics

3 d. ago Philippines urged to ‘double down’ in talks over 20% tariff with Trump

The move by US President Donald Trump to impose a higher-than-expected tariff on the Philippines signals his unwavering determination to pressure Washington’s trade partners to do their part in reducing the US deficit in tandem with its intensifying rivalry with China, according to analysts. Trump announced on Wednesday that the tariff on Philippine exports to the US would be 20 per cent, above the 17 per cent that he had previously threatened to impose. He said Washington’s trade partners were...

Politics