Category: Diplomacy

While the bulk of the discussion in the news media and on Twitter about the resumption of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia focused on the magnitude of the deal -- both in terms of the impact on Mideast politics and because of China's surprise role ...

Chinese Mideast specialists were quicker than usual in weighing in on Friday's Persian Gulf deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Broadly speaking, most scholars attributed China's success in finalizing the agreement to President Xi Jinping's commitment to "personal diplomacy" since 2014 ...

There wasn't a huge response on Chinese social media to the news that Beijing facilitated the restoration of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran given that it's a pretty esoteric topic for most people.  Nonetheless, there was some discussion on ...

Publicly, the White House says it supports anything that "de-escalates tensions" in the Mideast. Privately, there's probably a lot more teeth-gnashing going on in the corridors of the National Security Council (NSC.) This is because the deal gives China a huge diplomatic win while also bolstering Washington's ...

Conservative U.S. lawmakers and the right-wing media reacted strongly to the news that China had brokered a restoration of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia on Friday, blaming President Joe Biden for what they say is more evidence of the administration's failed foreign policy:

Japan will upgrade its ties with the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN later this year to a "comprehensive strategic partnership" -- joining both the United States and China at this level. Tokyo is moving quickly to strengthen its ties in the region in response to heightened tensions with China and ...

China is sharply increasing its budget for diplomacy and influence-building around the world after three years of retreat from the world stage. The announcement of a 12.2% increase follows Foreign Minister Qin Gang’s recent comment that “Chinese ...

China featured prominently in this week’s U.S. House Armed Services Committee testimony on U.S. national security challenges in North and South America. This follows an annual threat assessment by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which emphasized cooperation between China and Russia.  ...

Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, blamed China for increasing tensions in East Asia. Speaking with CNN, he framed regional military buildups and the strengthening of U.S.-centric blocs like the Quad (a defense-focused alliance between the U.S., Australia, Japan and India) as responses to Chinese aggression. Beijing tends to ...

Australia should prepare for a U.S.-China war within three years and should consider reinstating the draft and reintroducing nuclear weapons.  These were some of the talking points at a recent roundtable convened by the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on national ...

After months of delays and obfuscation, the China Exim Bank suddenly and unexpectedly reversed course this week and agreed to fully support Colombo's debt restructuring plan. President Ranil Wickremesinghe broke the news on Tuesday when he told parliament that China Exim would ...

Qin Gang's first press conference as foreign minister on the sidelines of the National People's Congress now underway in Beijing will be remembered for his warning to the United States that if Washington really wants to pick a fight with China, then that's what they'll get.