Category: Diplomacy
“Enough is Enough” – China Takes a Stronger Stand on Israel Crisis
China is using its presidency of the UN Security Council to call for a ceasefire in Gaza amid spiraling civilian casualties. In remarks at a Security Council briefing about the crisis on Friday, Zhang Jun, Beijing’s Special Envoy to the U.N., said: “The world must speak out ...
China’s Imports of Iranian Oil Rise as U.S. Eyes Sanctions
China bought an average of 1.05 million barrels of Iranian oil per day for the first ten months of the year, as Iran’s output keeps growing. The data from the shipping tracker Vortexa shows that Chinese imports are the highest since 2018, when the U.S. imposed sanctions against Iran. ...
Israeli Media Reaction to China’s Stance on the Israel-Hamas War
By Amanda Chen As the Israel Defense Forces’ Operation Iron Swords continues in the Gaza Strip, a month after Hamas’ surprise terror attack on southern Israel on October 7, this edition of the ChinaMed Observer delves into the Israeli media’s response ...
South China Sea Crisis and ASEAN’s Quiet Diplomacy
At the maritime symposium this week in Hainan, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi warned against a “bloc confrontation” approach to solving disputes, alluding to the Philippines, the United States, and Japan’s growing complaints about the brewing tension in the South China Sea. On October 22, two Chinese ...
U.S. Commits Half a Billion Dollars to Sri Lankan Port To Take On China
The United States will lend $553 million for a new deep-water shipping container facility in Sri Lanka’s Port of Colombo. The project will be the largest undertaken by the U.S. foreign development agency, the Development Finance Corporation (DFC), as it challenges China’s ...
Hal Brands on the Politics of “America’s Absurd Pledge to Defend a Decaying Rust Bucket”
The confrontation between China and the Philippines over disputed territory in the South China Sea is getting very little attention in the United States, where everyone is much more focused on the war in Gaza and former President Donald Trump's ongoing trial in New York.
Xinhua Lays Out China’s Approach in the Middle East
Since the Hamas attacks on Israel triggered a growing conflict, China’s position has come in for a lot of discussion around whether it will mediate in the crisis, as offered earlier. However, China has so far largely followed a cautious approach, sticking ...
Inside the Chinese-Built Party School in Tanzania
When Tanzania’s Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School, which was built and financed by China was launched in 2022, it drew a lot of attention. It's an academy aimed at training officials from Southern Africa’s six ruling liberation movements, a group ...
U.S. Leads Multilateral Military Drills in Philippines as China Tensions Simmer
Troops from the Philippines, the U.S., Japan, and South Korea are set to conduct a series of joint training exercises across the Philippines as tensions between China and other countries in the region remain on edge. The UK will join as an ...
U.S.-China Meeting on Middle East
Chinese special envoy to the Middle East Zhai Jun met with Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador to China. They discussed the Gaza crisis and the wider situation in the Middle East, according to a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. (CGTN)
Thaw Between China and Australia Could Have Big Implications for Global South
China and Australia have “no fundamental conflicts of interest.” This was the line from Chinese President Xi Jinping during his meeting with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese in Beijing on Monday. The visit, the first by an Australian prime minister since 2016,
Three Pacific Islands Leaders to Skip Annual Bloc Summit Amid China-U.S. Rivalry
The leaders of Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands will not attend this week's annual Pacific Islands Forum, hampering the consensus-based group’s efforts to project unity as China and the United States jockey for influence in the region. The three ...