North Korea

After Trump and Putin, Xi turns to North Korea

Amid rumours of Xi Jinping visiting North Korea, analysts believe this is a calculated move by China to hold the strategic initiative and balance ties among the US, Russia and North Korea. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei finds out more.

Sim Tze Wei

[Big read] Not just nukes: Why the US won’t strike North Korea

The Iran war has sharpened Pyongyang’s sense of insecurity and bolstered its nuclear programme. Beyond weapons, any US strike risks confrontation with China and Russia and the prospect of global escalation. Journalist Kang Gwiyoung reports from South Korea.

Kang Gwiyoung

South Korea’s ‘pragmatic’ China policy in a vortex of uncertainty

Standing at the crossroads of intense great power politics, South Korea must guard its flanks in the Korea-US alliance, Seoul-Tokyo relations and most tricky of all, Seoul-Beijing relations — all against the background of volatile US-China relations. Can its “pragmatic diplomacy” stand the tests of these trials? South Korean academic Jae Ho Chung explores the issue.

Jae Ho Chung

Should South Korea build the nuclear bomb?

As North Korea advances its nuclear arsenal, Seoul faces a stark choice: develop its own bomb, rely on US deterrence or adopt a nuclear-threshold strategy to safeguard the peninsula. South Korean academic Jaeho Hwang weighs the options.

Jaeho Hwang

Let the woman rule: How Takaichi became Japan’s symbol of change

Voters rallied behind Japan’s first female prime minister, seeing Takaichi not just as a Liberal Democratic Party leader but as a figure to challenge the old order and bring unprecedented change to politics and policy. Academic Shin Kawashima takes a look at the factors that led to the election outcome.

Shin Kawashima

Does socialist North Korea have any friends left?

As Pyongyang leans ever closer to Moscow, its relations with China and other socialist states remain strained. With sanctions, nuclear tensions and diverging interests, North Korea’s circle of friends is narrowing fast. Japanese academic Atsuhito Isozaki gives his analysis.

Atsuhito Isozaki

Vietnam’s quiet rise: The new diplomatic bridge to North Korea

Maintaining close ties with China and Russia has always been the cornerstone of North Korea’s diplomacy. However, relying solely on these two powers is not enough to lift the country out of international isolation. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan takes a look at the role ASEAN member states Vietnam and Laos can play.

Yu Zeyuan

Pyongyang first, Trump next: China’s North Korea card in the trade war shuffle

Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit to North Korea ahead of President Xi Jinping’s potential meeting with US President Donald Trump in South Korea mirrors what happened six years ago — is this a coincidence or a strategic move? Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Sim Tze Wei tells us more.

Sim Tze Wei

Eyes on the great powers: How North Korea navigates China, Russia and the US

Kim Jong Un zeroes in on China, Russia and the US, balancing alliances and flexing nuclear power as he shapes North Korea’s future on the global stage. Japanese academic Atsuhito Isozaki examines the possibilities.

Atsuhito Isozaki

South Korea rewrites the rules of economic security — with new alliances

Speaking with policymakers and analysts in Seoul, academic Guanie Lim assesses that concerns once treated as discrete — national security and economic resilience — are now being considered jointly in South Korea. A greater effort is also being made to engage new and smaller friends.

Guanie Lim

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

Are China, Russia and North Korea ‘conspiring’ against the US?

While China held its military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, one world leader was left out: US President Donald Trump, who implied that there was a conspiracy against the US. Is this accurate? Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong gives her analysis.

Han Yong Hong