World Order

Trump and Putin’s visits confirm Beijing as the new global pivot

China’s recent hosting of both the US and Russian presidents shows that while it is not yet replacing the US as the strongest among the three powers, there is a definite shift in the balance, and China is dealing with both on its own terms. Academic Alexander Korolev explains.

Alexander Korolev

Why China must reject Trump’s ‘G2’ narrative

China’s embrace of multilateralism and rejection of a US-led “G2” order reflects Beijing’s belief that only broader global cooperation can counterbalance American pressure and reshape an increasingly fractured world order. Academic Gu Bin gives his take.

Gu Bin

Trump–Xi summit delivers a triple win

While the US has unsuccessfully sought to suppress China, the latter has responded calmly and effectively to signal that it is not to be taken for granted. The latest meeting between the US and Chinese leaders may mark a new chapter of greater stability, both bilaterally and globally. Academic Gu Qingyang gives his analysis.

Gu Qingyang

Why Southeast Asia wants a boring Trump-Xi summit

Southeast Asia is hoping the Trump-Xi meeting delivers something rare: stability. Despite Trump’s unpredictability, ASEAN sees calmer US-China ties as vital while diversifying beyond both powers, says ISEAS researcher Stephen Olson.

Stephen Olson

Middle power or not, Singapore must step up

In a fractured world of coercion and conflict, Singapore’s rise in investor confidence reflects more than economics. Middle power or not, it must step up to defend rules and stability, says commentator Giam Meng Tuck.

Giam Meng Tuck

China is arming the Global South — and expanding its influence

China has turned its defence industry into a formidable exporter, reshaping security across the Global South. As researcher Tahir Mahmood Azad argues, its weapons come bundled with ties that draw states into Beijing’s strategic orbit.

Tahir Mahmood Azad

From airspace to sea lanes: A new front in US-China rivalry

From the skies over Africa to the strategic waters of the Middle East, the world’s vital transit nodes are being transformed into tools of statecraft. As major powers move beyond traditional warfare to weaponising global infrastructure, smaller nations find themselves navigating a high-stakes era of chokepoint diplomacy and economic coercion. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han finds out more.

Miao Zong-Han

A watershed in Hormuz: Can US hegemony hold?

The Strait of Hormuz crisis is testing US hegemony as Iran pressures energy flows and Gulf states hedge their bets. Amid rising tensions, China is reassessing its maritime role, weighing security exposure against new strategic and economic opportunities. Lianhe Zaobao’s China news editor Yang Danxu analyses the situation.

Yang Danxu

Seoul’s Global South turn: A blueprint for a fractured world

As US-China tensions fracture the globe, South Korea is carving out a third way. By acting as a “bridge of trust”, South Korea aims to turn solidarity with the Global South into a vital survival strategy, opines South Korean academic Kang Jun-young.

Kang Jun-young

[Video] Is the world entering a more dangerous nuclear era?

The collapse of the last US-Russia nuclear constraints under New START leaves the world’s nuclear guardrails in tatters, raising fears of great power friction and a renewed arms race. As limits fall away, states from Iran to North Korea are reassessing their options. With extended deterrence under strain, ThinkChina’s Lu Lingming and Yi Jina examine how this unravelling nuclear order is reshaping global and regional security.

Lu Lingming

The West’s moment ends, a multi-civilisational world rises

Two centuries of Western dominance are giving way to a world shaped by multiple civilisations. China, India and others assert distinct models, signalling a future of coexistence, negotiation and multipolar competition. Professor Tan Kong Yam assesses the future world order.

Tan Kong Yam

[Video] George Yeo: America’s deep pain — and why China won’t colonise

George Yeo, in an interview with ThinkChina editor Chow Yian Ping, explores America’s deep social pain, China’s struggle with corruption rooted in Confucian ties, and why change is hard. He also weighs the risk of war in the Taiwan Strait and Singapore’s future in a fast-shifting world order. This is the first episode of ThinkChina Conversations, a series of in-depth interviews with experts on China.

Chow Yian Ping