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Diplomacy

Fuel tanks at the edge of a military airstrip on Diego Garcia, largest island in the Chagos archipelago and site of a major United States military base in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Photo: Reuters

Britain to give Chagos Island to Mauritius, retain US-UK military base

Operation of Diego Garcia, a strategic military base jointly operated by the UK and US, is protected by the agreement.

Operation of Diego Garcia, a strategic military base jointly operated by the UK and US, is protected by the agreement

Nato’s new chief Mark Rutte visits Ukraine in first trip since taking office

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India’s path to UN Security Council seat faces persistent China roadblock

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Is China downplaying ‘restrained’ clash with fishermen near Paracel Islands?

Vietnam says Chinese personnel boarded a local fishing boat on Sunday and beat the crew with iron bars, seriously injuring four of them.

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Fishermen pulling their net on Vietnam’s offshore Ly Son island, the country’s closest island to the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. Photo: AFP

Exclusive | German foreign minister expected to make crucial visit to China in coming days

Both sides have ‘plenty to discuss’, says insider, amid EV deliberations in Europe and conflicts in Ukraine and Mideast.

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The Philippines wants a seat at the UN table. Will China block its way?

As the Philippines seeks a UN Security Council seat to address South China Sea tensions, China’s veto power may limit its impact.

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Opinion | US must clear the fog of misconceptions over its China policy

As US-China tensions escalate, the next presidential administration must reckon with misplaced narratives that undergird American policy.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens

US bans Chinese steel, food-additives firms over Xinjiang human rights

Latest additions to Uygur Forced Labour Prevention Act’s entity list show American drive to rid its supply chain of forced labour presses on.

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Israel says 8 soldiers killed in deadliest losses on Lebanon front

Hezbollah says it destroyed three Israeli Merkava tanks with rockets near the border town of Maroun El Ras.

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CIA seeks informants in China, North Korea and Iran, recruiting online

The US spy agency posts instructions for interested applicants in Mandarin, Farsi and Korean on several social media platforms.

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The CIA seal at agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia. On Wednesday, the agency began an online recruitment drive for Chinese, North Korean and Iranian informants. Photo: Reuters

3 Hongkongers evacuated from Lebanon as Israel intensifies military operations

Immigration Department says evacuation coordinated with foreign ministry’s office in Hong Kong and Chinese embassy in Beirut.

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Thick smoke billows after an Israeli air raid near the Lebanese border. Photo: dpa

Can China’s military jets find favour in arms markets dominated by US, Russia?

From Central Asia to Eastern Europe and the Middle East, Chinese-made warplanes offer an alternative to an increasing number of nations.

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UK’s Keir Starmer visits Brussels for first talks on EU reset

He is looking to tweak the relationship but has ruled out any return to the EU’s single market, its customs union or freedom of movement.

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Opinion | UN must give middle powers greater say or risk losing relevance

The post-World War II global system cannot build consensus, prevent wars or impose costs on aggressors without involving the middle powers.

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Representatives vote on a draft resolution during a UN Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York on September 30. The UN Security Council has come under increased scrutiny for a perceived inability to handle the world’s affairs as permanent members use their veto in service of narrow national interests instead of the global good. Photo: UN handout via Xinhua

Israel bars UN chief from entering country over Iran attack response

Israel has been a harsh critic of the UN, with ties between the state and the international body souring even more after the October 7 Hamas attacks.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly called for a ceasefire to halt the fighting in both Gaza and Lebanon. Photo: AP

Opinion | To unlock AI’s potential for good, we all need to work together

UN report with principles and recommendations for international AI governance aims to ensure the technology serves the public interest.

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Japan wants ‘China to behave responsibly’, new foreign minister says

Takeshi Iwaya said on Wednesday he hoped to meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi ‘as soon as possible’ for ‘frank exchanges and dialogue’.

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In break from past, China receives no formal statement from US on National Day

Leaders or senior officials from Europe sent congratulatory messages to China, as did the leaders of Russia and North Korea.

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A flag-raising ceremony marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China on October 1. Photo: EPA-EFE

India gains ‘advantage’ over China as new Sri Lanka leader seeks to balance ties

New leader Dissanayake is a ‘practical nationalist’ who is likely to factor India’s security concerns into his foreign policy, analysts say.

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Chinese missile boat chase sparks new South China Sea flashpoint fears

Philippine officials called the missile boats’ presence at Half Moon Shoal illegal, as analysts warned it could be turned into an airbase.

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Vance, Walz tackle China, trade war, abortion in US VP debate – as it happened

In a debate largely focused on domestic issues, China was the one foreign concern that was returned to repeatedly.

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Republican vice-presidential nominee US Senator J.D. Vance (left) and Democratic vice-presidential nominee Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speak on stage at the debate in New York. Photo: AP

Sheinbaum sworn in as Mexico’s first female president: ‘It’s time for women’

Promising to boost women’s rights, the leader also sought to reassure investors concerned by the passing of a controversial judicial reform.

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum waves at the crowd as she leaves the Congress of the Union after her inauguration ceremony in Mexico City on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

US-China talks helping avoid Chinese retaliation against Biden tariff hikes

Meetings with US officials gave their Chinese counterparts a ‘nuanced understanding’ of the decision and helped head off a ‘huge escalation’.

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India rejects Japan’s call for ‘Asian Nato’, despite growing China tensions

Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said unlike Japan, India had never been a treaty ally of another country.

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Opinion | Asean needs a plan to navigate choppy US-China relations

The regional grouping is at a crossroads, under pressure from its own citizens to do better amid high anxiety over major power competition.

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A China Coast Guard ship is seen from the Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Cabra during a supply mission to Sabina Shoal in the disputed waters of the South China Sea on August 26. In a new survey, more than 75 per cent of respondents from around Southeast Asia expressed concern that the region is becoming an arena of major power competition. Photo: TNS

Will Israel be a major player in the Philippines’ military upgrade?

While Israeli arms are attractive for their quality and affordability, a backlash – domestically, regionally, and internationally – looms.

Filipino soldiers. The Philippines is considering buying more military equipment from Israel in a bid to modernise its armed forces. Photo: AFP

China’s envoy in Washington warns US against ‘strategic miscalculation’

Ambassador Xie says the ‘small yard, high fence’ policy of US President Joe Biden’s administration is damaging both countries’ interests.

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Explainer | Who is winning the fight for the South China Sea’s resources?

Claimants are competing for fish, oil and gas amid unresolved maritime boundaries and differing interpretations of law.

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Diplomacy
Latest news, features and analysis on global diplomatic relations, with a focus on China’s international ties – especially with the US, its Asian neighbours and the European Union.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
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