Foreign Policy

[Big read] ​After Xi-Trump summit, a jittery Taiwan takes stock

Soon after the US-China summit in Beijing, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te stressed that peace in the Taiwan Strait would not be sacrificed or traded away, and called for Taiwan to bolster its national strength and cooperate closely with Taiwan’s global democratic partners. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han speaks with academics and analyses the situation.

Miao Zong-Han

04 Jun 2026

Between distrust and engagement: Manila’s China paradox

Well into the second half of Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s presidency, academic Aaron Rabena analyses that the perceived distancing of Philippines-China relations is not so clear-cut. In fact, at the state and sub-state levels, there seems to be engagement on some fronts and caution in others.

Aaron Jed Rabena

24 Apr 2026

How civilisational politics fuels today’s wars

Academic Ma Haiyun traces the history of civilisational conflict narratives in Western strategic thinking, built on Jewish intellectual foundations, long before the rise of Samuel P. Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. Such approaches have had a profound effect on influencing the US’s behaviour in the Middle East and spillover effects in the region.

Ma Haiyun

22 Apr 2026

Britain can no longer treat China as optional

As US instability grows, Britain must rethink its China posture. Neither ally nor adversary, Beijing demands engagement with clarity, pragmatism and a strategy that reflects shifting global power, says UK academic Kerry Brown.

Kerry Brown

17 Apr 2026

Will China send warships to the Strait of Hormuz?

US President Donald Trump has drawn various comments and views for launching an offensive on Iran, leading to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Now, Trump is asking China and other countries to help by sending military ships to escort other vessels. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Lim Zhan Ting tells us more.

Lim Zhan Ting

16 Mar 2026

When donations decide wars: How lobbyists sway US foreign policy

US foreign policy today is greatly influenced by immigration patterns, organised lobbying and campaign finance dynamics, causing huge pendulum swings that have major consequences. Academic Ma Haiyun shares his views. 

Ma Haiyun

05 Mar 2026

Takaichi: Moderate in Japan, hawk abroad?

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is seen as cautious and moderate in Japan, prioritising budgets and legal debates. Yet in China and overseas, her rhetoric is often framed as provocative, stoking tensions. Academic Shin Kawashima looks into the discrepancies.

Shin Kawashima

26 Feb 2026

Supreme Court ruling weakens Trump ahead of China visit

The US Supreme Court has struck down Trump’s tariffs, limiting his leverage and signalling rising domestic opposition. Ahead of his visit to China, his ability to secure favourable trade and political concessions is under pressure, says Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan.

Yu Zeyuan

23 Feb 2026

China’s illusion of influence in the Middle East

Talk of China eclipsing America in the Middle East is fading fast. The Gaza war and renewed US pressure on Iran are restoring Washington’s primacy — exposing how thin Beijing’s influence is, unless it turns trade into tangible partnerships, argues Chinese academic Fan Hongda.

Fan Hongda

20 Feb 2026

Takaichi’s supermajority: Power without brakes?

Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party supermajority accelerates decisive policy while triggering three reinforcing cycles: the “Takaichi-isation” of governance, rightward policy drift, and rising strategic risks at home and abroad, says academic Hao Nan.

Hao Nan

19 Feb 2026

China’s power in the Middle East has hard limits

China is becoming harder to ignore in the Middle East. Yet the gap between economic presence and strategic power remains wide, even as American policy swings, argues US academic John Calabrese.

John Calabrese

19 Feb 2026

Will Trump become America’s Deng Xiaoping — or its Gorbachev?

Trump exposes America’s deep political and strategic dysfunction. His disruption could either spur institutional renewal and recalibration — like Deng Xiaoping — or deepen division and decay, like Gorbachev, observes academic Tan Kong Yam.

Tan Kong Yam

13 Feb 2026