23 h. ago Smiling, friendly China a perfect antidote to Trump’s angry America

Following the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, China experienced a sharp drop in the number of international visitors and many foreign residents left the country. International tourism was still below pre-pandemic levels as late as 2024. When tourists did not return in large numbers after it reopened its borders in 2023, China began to take measures to reverse the trend and bring foreigners back, rolling out a unilateral 30-day visa-free entry scheme, which now encompasses 47 countries,...

Politics

37 h. ago Opinion | Trump miscalculated on China. Now the administration is trying to fix the mess.

Opinion | Trump miscalculated on China. Now the administration is trying to fix the mess.  The Washington Post

Politics

38 h. ago Trump cannot hope to solve a China ‘problem’ he has misdiagnosed

Amid a US-China trade truce, negotiators in London reached a “framework” agreement to activate the Geneva deal, raising hopes for an immediate alleviation of the trade conflict, including potentially a US commitment to revoke some of its tech embargoes in return for China’s relaxation of rare earth export restrictions. The full details of the London agreement are expected to be available after both US President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping have approved it. The two-day London...

Politics

38 h. ago Trump’s fundamental mistake is in seeing China as America’s problem

Amid a US-China trade truce, negotiators in London reached a “framework” agreement to activate the Geneva deal, raising hopes for an immediate alleviation of the trade conflict, including potentially a US commitment to revoke some of its tech embargoes in return for China’s relaxation of rare earth export restrictions. The full details of the London agreement are expected to be available after both US President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping have approved it. The two-day London...

Politics

38 h. ago Opinion | Trump’s fundamental mistake is in seeing China as America’s problem

Opinion | Trump’s fundamental mistake is in seeing China as America’s problem  South China Morning Post

Politics

58 h. ago To achieve its AI ambition, Hong Kong must start investing in schools

With rapid advances in technological development transforming industries and permeating every facet of our lives, there are mounting calls for schools to embrace artificial intelligence in the curriculum. While the focus on AI can seem overwhelming, the role of schools in this new AI-driven world demands attention. Where there is a focus on AI in schools, it is likely to be about effective and ethical ways to use AI. This is important, especially the focus on ethical issues, but there is perhaps...

Politics

62 h. ago Beijing’s ties with Moscow and Kyiv should be leveraged for peace

The International Organisation for Mediation launched in Hong Kong late last month, counting 32 countries as founding signatories. An institution designed to supplement and actualise Article 33 of the United Nations Charter is something the world increasingly needs as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drags into its fourth year. Recent peace talks in Istanbul produced no appreciable progress, while swings on the battlefield have long since given way to a grinding impasse. Neither side appears capable...

Politics

2 d. ago Why US defence chief’s attack on China won’t find favour in Southeast Asia

After listening to US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth’s all-out attack on “communist China” at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, some might have wondered what the Chinese people would make of it. But as a Chinese delegate listening to him live, I was wondering what Hegseth’s boss, US President Donald Trump, would think. In February, Trump called US Vice-President J.D. Vance’s speech in Munich bashing European allies “brilliant”. This time, we haven’t had his thoughts. I wondered, not only...

Events

3 d. ago China and Japan must beat mutual hostility while also handling tariffs: envoy

China and Japan must work hard to improve public opinion towards each other, Japan’s top envoy in Beijing said, as the Asian neighbours move to stabilise ties amid shared concerns about tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. “The most difficult aspect of current Japan-China relations is the sentiment between the two peoples and, very unfortunately, there are still some negative perceptions that linger in Japan regarding China, and vice versa in the Chinese society regarding Japan,” said...

Politics

5 d. ago Kansas City students will see the real China, not political distortion | Opinion

Kansas City students will see the real China, not political distortion | Opinion  Kansas City Star

Politics

5 d. ago Thanks to Trump, US threat of a ‘peaceful evolution’ recedes for China

As someone born in the 1960s in China, one of the earliest lessons our generation learned in school was to be vigilant about the perceived dangers of American conspiracies and attempts aimed at subverting and overthrowing the Communist Party through peaceful means. Through classroom teachings, propaganda films and slogans plastered prominently along the streets, we were repeatedly exposed to Chairman Mao Zedong’s warnings about the threat of “peaceful evolution”, encapsulated in his assertion...

Politics

6 d. ago China as a global conflict mediator: from ambition to action

China has increasingly taken on the role of conflict mediator on the world stage – hosting negotiations, proposing peace plans and even deploying personnel to oversee ceasefires. Once reluctant to engage in United Nations peacekeeping activities, it now provides more troops than any other permanent member of the Security Council. These are dramatic shifts for a country that was once a staunch advocate of non-interference. As its economic and security interests now reach far beyond its borders,...

Events

6 d. ago Opinion | China as a global conflict mediator: from ambition to action

Opinion | China as a global conflict mediator: from ambition to action  South China Morning Post

Events

7 d. ago How China’s overlooked financial system enabled its industrial success

China has powered ahead of other nations in terms of industrial and export development, to the point where it is now seen by rivals (not least the US) as a threat that must be countered by trade protectionism. But most analyses of its success overlook the key role played by China’s financial system. The mirror image of that success is the failure by many Western economies to nurture savings collections and investment systems that are well attuned to promoting balanced economic growth. Fund...

Politics

1 week ago Opinion | Sorry, but the ‘China shock’ was actually pretty good for America

Opinion | Sorry, but the ‘China shock’ was actually pretty good for America  South China Morning Post

Events

1 week ago China lifts in public opinion around the world as US drops, survey data shows

Favourable views towards China globally have surpassed those towards the United States for the first time in recent years, a change that occurred between January and late April, according to US intelligence company Morning Consult. By the end of May, China had an 8.8 net favourability rating, compared to -1.5 for the US – which is in stark contrast to January last year when the US rating was above 20 and China was in negative territory, Axios reported on Monday, citing exclusive data acquired...

Politics

1 week ago Why Germany’s leader called China’s over Ukraine – and why it matters

In an era when diplomacy often postures as virtue signalling and foreign policy has grown allergic to nuance, Germany’s new Chancellor Friedrich Merz has executed a move of startling clarity and daring. He called President Xi Jinping, not to lecture him on human rights or wave the banner of Western liberalism but to propose a deal: help end the war in Ukraine. Merz’s appeal, couched in the anodyne language of international cooperation, was anything but soft. He told Xi that Russia’s war of...

Politics

1 week ago Opinion | Why Germany’s leader called China’s over Ukraine – and why it matters

Opinion | Why Germany’s leader called China’s over Ukraine – and why it matters  South China Morning Post

Politics

1 week ago Opinion | Why China’s problem of cutthroat competition demands the world’s attention

Opinion | Why China’s problem of cutthroat competition demands the world’s attention  South China Morning Post

Politics

2 w. ago Beijing’s marine science diplomacy can calm South China Sea tensions

The South China Sea has long been a flashpoint in geopolitical tensions, but beneath its contested surface lies one of the planet’s most scientifically compelling marine frontiers. Home to an array of deep-sea ecosystems, hydrothermal vents, underwater mountain ranges and vast coral reef systems, the region is increasingly recognised as a natural laboratory for cutting-edge oceanographic research. Climate change, biodiversity loss and overexploitation are putting mounting pressure on marine...

Events