40 h. ago China’s US envoy says world faces ‘stark choice’ as 2026 opens with instability

China’s top diplomat in the United States delivered a sharply worded rebuke on Thursday over US President Donald Trump’s tumultuous approach to global relations, laying out a stark choice between a world informed by China-led stability and one battered by Washington. Chinese ambassador Xie Feng’s comments to the 1,000-member China General Chamber of Commerce come two weeks into Trump’s second year of his latest term in the White House. The past fortnight has already seen the Trump administration...

Politics

42 h. ago Mark Carney and Xi Jinping meet to mend ties as Donald Trump disrupts global order

Mark Carney and Xi Jinping meet to mend ties as Donald Trump disrupts global order  Financial Times

Politics

43 h. ago US ambassador to China David Perdue to visit Hong Kong at the end of January, sources say

America’s ambassador to China, David Perdue, will visit Hong Kong at the end of January to speak at a business conference, according to sources. Perdue will address the Goldman Sachs Global Macro Conference Asia-Pacific 2026 on January 27, several people familiar with the matter told the South China Morning Post. They said the envoy was expected to spend “several days” in the city. The US consulate in Hong Kong declined to comment on the matter. But an American diplomat in the city, speaking on...

Politics

62 h. ago South Korean leader Lee takes ‘pragmatic approach’ to reset ties with China, Japan

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s back-to-back visits to China and Japan suggest a “pragmatic approach” to reset ties with both countries as tensions soar between Beijing and Tokyo, analysts said. Lee met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday during a two-day trip to Japan. Speaking to reporters after their summit in Nara – Takaichi’s hometown – Lee said there was “unprecedented turmoil” in the global political landscape and trade order. He stressed the need for South Korea and...

Politics

63 h. ago China names special envoy to strengthen ties with SCO nations

China names special envoy to strengthen ties with SCO nations  TRT World

Politics

2 d. ago Japan’s Takaichi faces uphill task in lower house election after ally’s exit

Komeito is emerging as a potential political kingmaker in Japan ahead of a widely expected snap lower house election, three months after the party affiliated with a religious movement announced it was ending an alliance with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party over differences with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. On January 23, the opening day of the Diet, Takaichi is expected to announce the dissolution of the House of Representatives, with polling likely to take place on February 8 or February...

Politics

2 d. ago Japan’s Takaichi faces uphill task in lower house election as opposition unites

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s bid to strengthen her slim parliamentary majority through a widely expected snap election has grown riskier after the country’s largest opposition party struck an alliance with a former ruling coalition partner. The new alliance between the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and Komeito, announced on Thursday, complicates Takaichi’s bet that she will be able to significantly build on her razor-thin majority in the lower house of...

Politics

4 d. ago As Vietnam’s US trade surplus overtakes China, Trump replaces envoy to fix ‘imbalance’

The Trump administration plans to replace the US ambassador to Vietnam with a nominee set on addressing “imbalanced” trade relations, as Hanoi’s goods trade surplus with Washington surpassed China’s in recent quarters while it was locked in unresolved tariff negotiations with Washington. On Sunday, current ambassador Marc Knapper will end his tenure after being abruptly recalled before Christmas alongside several other career diplomats. His designated successor, career diplomat Jennifer Wicks...

Politics

4 d. ago How a snap election in Japan could put Sanae Takaichi in a stronger position with China

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is said to be weighing up an early election, a move that could put her in a stronger position with both China and the United States if she secures a decisive win, according to observers. But a diplomatic thaw between Japan and China is not expected any time soon. Media reports in recent days have suggested that Takaichi may call a snap general election to capitalise on her high approval ratings. Citing government sources, the Yomiuri Shinbun reported on...

Politics

4 d. ago Japan’s Takaichi seeks unity with South Korea’s Lee as China tensions persist

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will push for closer ties with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at a summit on Tuesday, as Tokyo struggles to draw a line under its widening diplomatic dispute with China. Both sides will focus on security challenges and Takaichi is expected to avoid “divisive” issues, while Lee, who last week met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, will try to achieve a “neutral” stance, analysts say. Lee’s two-day visit to Nara, Takaichi’s hometown, comes at a...

Events

4 d. ago Japan’s Takaichi Courts South Korea With China Rift Deepening

Japan’s Takaichi Courts South Korea With China Rift Deepening  Bloomberg.com

Events

5 d. ago Trump sets meeting with Machado as Venezuela frees more prisoners

Washington announced Monday that Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado will meet US President Donald Trump this week as pressure grew on the interim leadership in Caracas to speed up the release of political prisoners. Machado has been sidelined by Washington since US forces seized long-term authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro on January 3 and the Trump administration announced it would be “running” Venezuela. Disregarding Machado and her understudy Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, Trump...

Events

5 d. ago PLA Justice Mission 2025: China’s Military Drills Around Taiwan

PLA Justice Mission 2025: China’s Military Drills Around Taiwan  orfonline.org

Events

6 d. ago China's Special Envoy Zhai Jun visits Israel for bilateral talks

China's Special Envoy Zhai Jun visits Israel for bilateral talks  news.cgtn.com

Politics

8 d. ago Trump ‘cancelled’ second attacks on Venezuela after prisoner release, eyes oil investments

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he called off a second wave of attacks on Venezuela after the government, whose leftist president was removed by Washington, began releasing prisoners. Trump made the comments as he prepared to meet major oil corporations that he said will invest at least US$100 billion in Venezuela, which has the world’s largest oil reserves. Trump was implicitly making clear he is ready again to use force to get his way in Venezuela, which he has vowed to force to...

Events

8 d. ago Uichiro Niwa, former Itochu president and envoy to China, dies at 86

Uichiro Niwa, former Itochu president and envoy to China, dies at 86  The Japan Times

Politics

8 d. ago Japan’s Takaichi tipped for snap election gamble as poll ratings soar

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, riding high in opinion polls, is expected to call a general election in the coming months to capitalise on her popularity and seize the opportunity to rebuild a Liberal Democratic Party-led government. Takaichi has done little to play down the possibility, telling a news conference on Monday: “It is important that the public can feel the tangible effects of our measures against rising prices and our economic policies. We are working hard to tackle the...

Politics

9 d. ago PLA drills target swarms of suicide drones – Taiwan’s front line of defence

The People’s Liberation Army has released footage of exercises countering swarms of suicide drones, a key element of Taiwan’s asymmetric defence strategy. Mainland state broadcaster CCTV showed a video on Sunday of a naval unit conducting anti-drone and uncrewed target drills as the PLA launched its 2026 training cycle. During the drills, the “blue force”, acting as the adversary, deployed multiple suicide drones to simulate ultra-low-altitude penetration strikes against maritime targets. In...

Events

9 d. ago As China targets Japan over Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks, what levers does Tokyo have?

China’s access to Japan’s coveted industrial-use goods – especially a critical chipmaking ingredient – may face hurdles if Tokyo imposes export restrictions in the event of a prolonged political dispute, though trade is holding steady for now, analysts and a trade organisation said. Beijing’s response to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s November 7 remarks about Taiwan has prompted some analysts to ask what cards Tokyo might play should the relationship deteriorate further. Beijing’s...

Events

9 d. ago As Beijing targets Tokyo over Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks, what levers does Japan have?

China’s access to Japan’s coveted industrial-use goods – especially a critical chipmaking ingredient – may face hurdles if Tokyo imposes export restrictions in the event of a prolonged political dispute, though trade is holding steady for now, analysts and a trade organisation said. Beijing’s response to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s November 7 remarks about Taiwan has prompted some analysts to ask what cards Tokyo might play should the relationship deteriorate further. Beijing’s...

Events