Diplomacy

In this pool photo distributed by Sputnik agency, Russia's President Vladimir Putin (left) shakes hands with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un during their meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia on 13 September 2023. (Vladimir Smirnov/Pool/AFP)

Why Kim Jong-un’s first trip after the pandemic was not to China, but Russia

The solidarity between North Korea and Russia based on an “anti-imperialist” or anti-American mindset can be said to be a strategic and simple construct: “An enemy’s friend is an enemy.” 
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi gestures during a meeting with Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn at the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Phnom Penh on 13 August 2023. (AFP)

Chinese FM Wang Yi’s Southeast Asia visit: Did China achieve its objectives?

Wang Yi travelled to Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia in his first foreign visit after his re-appointment as foreign minister, underscoring Beijing’s strong commitment to Southeast Asia. The visit was also possibly meant to highlight continuity and absence of disruption to China’s foreign relations and its Southeast Asia policy following Qin Gang’s removal as foreign minister. ISEAS researcher Lye Liang Fook says that while China may be attempting to dictate how Southeast Asia should act, it should recognise that the region has the "capability and wisdom" to do what is right while keeping positive ties with all of its significant partners.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a BRICS summit meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 27 July 2018. (Mike Hutchings/File Photo/Reuters)

Xi Jinping's rare absence from the G20 summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s likely absence from the upcoming G20 summit in New Delhi sends a message, amid tensions with India. However, it also means that there is less of an opportunity for China to engage with the US. Does this also mean that China is less interested in talking to the US, or is it leaving that encounter for later at the upcoming APEC summit in San Francisco?
Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa's president, left, and Xi Jinping, China's president on the closing day of the BRICS summit at the Sandton Convention Center in the Sandton district of Johannesburg, South Africa, on 24 August 2023.  (Leon Sadiki/Bloomberg)

China puts spotlight on global south with BRICS expansion

The diplomatic focus on third world countries during Mao Zedong’s era has taken a renewed form in Xi Jinping’s era with the focus on the global south, notes EAI academic Chen Gang. International circumstances could propel the Chinese to further elevate the importance of the global south, not least with the recent expansion of BRICS to include several global south countries.
US President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 leaders' summit in Bali, Indonesia, 14 November 2022. (Kevin Lamarque/File Photo/Reuters)

Instead of seeking support from others, Xi and Biden must meet again

The world appears to be getting more fractured and polarised, with the US and its allies meeting at Camp David recently, and the BRICS summit in Johannesburg issuing invitations for admission to six countries. While both the US and China are building their own alliances and partnerships, now more than ever, they need to improve their direct communication with each other, says US academic Zhu Zhiqun.
Indian soldiers prepare for the guard of honour before the arrival of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Red Fort during the celebrations to mark the country's 77th Independence Day in New Delhi, India on 15 August 2023. (Sajjad Hussain/AFP)

India deepens ties with Taiwan

India’s recent high-profile attendance at a security forum in Taiwan suggests it is ready to deepen ties with Taiwan to safeguard its future interests, despite expected pushback from China.
An exterior view of the proposed site for the new China embassy, near Tower Bridge in London, Britain, on 23 June 2023. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)

It's complicated: Relocating the Chinese embassy in UK

The Chinese embassy in the UK seems to have missed the appeal deadline against a local council’s decision to block the embassy’s planned relocation to a historic site near the Tower of London. Will this affair mushroom into a larger diplomatic issue warranting reciprocal measures, with the UK government’s silence on the matter further grating on Beijing?
This handout photo taken and released by Cambodia's Government Cabinet on 13 August 2023 shows Cambodia's prime minister-designate Hun Manet (right) shaking hands with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh. (Kok KY/Cambodia's Government Cabinet/AFP)

Beijing will stay the course on Southeast Asia despite personnel changes in foreign ministry

Recent top-level changes at China’s foreign ministry are unlikely to affect Beijing’s foreign policy orientation towards Southeast Asia. The region remains important in light of China’s difficult relationship with the US and other key countries.
This handout image provided by the UAE Ministry Of Presidential Affairs shows UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (R) standing by as Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida signs the guest book during an official reception at Qasr al-Watan in Abu Dhabi on 17 July 2023. (Hamad Al-Kaabi/UAE's Ministry of Presidential Affairs/AFP)

Japan's diplomatic strategy in Asia: Maintaining uniqueness despite growing security concerns

While Japan wants to be "unique" in its diplomacy, these days it seems that it is less flexible than it used to be as global attention shifts to security. Will Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's recent visit to the Middle East restore some confidence?