Articles by Zhiqun Zhu

Trump in Beijing: Why even limited success is remarkable

Pomp and pageantry aside, the US-China summit focused on business and trade deliverables, with upbeat atmospherics masking deeper tensions. US academic Zhiqun Zhu explains why even limited progress is notable in a relationship defined by rivalry, mistrust and deep structural tensions.

Zhiqun Zhu

Is Taiwan’s autonomy on the table at the Trump-Xi Beijing summit?

With US President Trump’s visit to China coming up, Taiwan is left especially vulnerable, fearing it will be used in the game of smoke and mirrors between the US and China. With the Democratic Progressive Party putting all its eggs in the US’s basket, Taiwan’s strategic autonomy is all but lost, says US academic Zhiqun Zhu.

Zhiqun Zhu

Is Trump a disrupter or a stabiliser in US-China relations?

In US-China relations, US President Trump in his second term is an asset. Whether the May visit to China yields concrete objectives, the process of ongoing plans for meetings and summitry helps to stabilise the relationship, says US academic Zhiqun Zhu.

Zhiqun Zhu

Trump’s Maduro raid and the hypocrisy of the West

Washington’s seizure of Venezuela’s president shattered the rules-based order — and revealed how quickly Western commitments to international law collapse when US power and interests are at stake, says US academic Zhiqun Zhu.

Zhiqun Zhu

Trump and Xi skipped Taiwan: Calm before the storm?

Xi Jinping and Donald Trump skipped Taiwan during their Busan summit, but no mention does not mean tensions are easing. The silence could be strategic, signalling a fragile calm before potential challenges in cross-strait relations. US academic Zhiqun Zhu gives his take.

Zhiqun Zhu

Busan diplomacy: When Xi and Trump met as equals

Behind the smiles in Busan, both Washington and Beijing came seeking results. Taiwan stayed off the table but loomed in the background, as a rising China now stands as a peer the US can no longer afford to ignore. US academic Zhiqun Zhu lays out takeaways from the session.

Zhiqun Zhu

Xi’s long game vs Trump’s deals: A clash of global futures

Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, leaders of the world’s most powerful nations, embody radically different styles and visions for global order. Their diverging paths, from Xi’s long-term statecraft to Trump’s transactional populism, risk a bleak future if ideological divides persist. US academic Zhu Zhiqun examines this quagmire.

Zhiqun Zhu

Can the US treat China as an enemy — and still ask for rare earths?

Washington’s confrontational stance toward Beijing may play well politically — but it undermines the cooperation it still quietly depends on, observes US academic Zhu Zhiqun.

Zhiqun Zhu

How the US and China sleepwalked into a trade war

The tariff war is not just about trade; it reveals an inconvenient truth: the two powers are struggling to handle competition properly, says US academic Zhu Zhiqun. Both nations foresaw the conflict yet failed to avert it.

Zhiqun Zhu

DeepSeek: How sinophobia blinded the West to China’s AI prowess

Hysterical sinophobia and exchange restrictions with China have bred Western ignorance of its progress. US academic Zhu Zhiqun questions whether global hi-tech competition should be a zero-sum game or foster cooperation for collective benefit.

Zhiqun Zhu

What is Trump up to about China?

As Trump gears up for his second term, will he push ahead on the statements he has made in recent months — whether on the Panama Canal, Greenland or raising tariffs — that are either directly or indirectly related to China? US academic Zhu Zhiqun takes a closer look.

Zhiqun Zhu

Bracing for Trump 2.0: A world on edge

US academic Zhu Zhiqun reflects on the 2024 presidential election won decisively by Donald Trump. He notes that the new Trump administration may make some dangerous moves, including with regard to Taiwan.

Zhiqun Zhu