Security

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with Chinese special envoy for Eurasian affairs Li Hui in Moscow, Russia, 26 May 2023. (Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via Reuters)

Peacemaker role in Russia-Ukraine war could be a historic milestone for China

China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs Li Hui's trip to Europe and Russia to discuss the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis could be a historic milestone for China, says academic Yuan Hang. The country has far played a marginal role in the shaping of European security affairs in the past century, but this could all change if recent approaches are sustained.
In this file illstration photo taken on 23 February 2023, the Shein app in the app store is reflected in videos of Shein consumers in Washington, DC, US. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP)

Can Chinese e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu thrive in US and overseas markets?

Chinese platform firms that have expanded beyond the Chinese market to the US and West have had to adjust their business models, first to gain a sizeable market share, and now to handle the criticisms and pitfalls that come with a measure of success. How can Chinese e-commerce platforms like Shein and Temu survive and thrive in overseas markets?
People walk outside Brixton Underground Station, in London, Britain, 6 May 2023. (Emilie Madi/Reuters)

The UK's ambiguity in dealing with China: Ingenuity amid diminishing influence?

While the UK has deftly tried to protect its economic relationship with China while aligning with the US on certain policies, this is a difficult tightrope to balance, especially post-Brexit. Being no longer able to play the role of a political bridge between the US and Brussels, the UK could find its policy of ambiguity leading it closer to isolation.
French President Emmanuel Macron gestures during the North Sea summit in Ostend, Belgium, on 24 April 2023. (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP)

EU strategic autonomy: Easier said than done

Academic Ye Shengzhou explains why French President Emmanuel Macron has been aggressively pushing for EU strategic autonomy, more so after his visit to China. But even if France puts its weight behind the concept, the path of achieving strategic autonomy is paved with obstacles.
A woman talks on a phone under surveillance cameras on a riverside in Shanghai, China, 7 March 2023. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Could Beijing's anti-spy campaign dampen its reopening efforts?

A recent raid by Chinese authorities on a Chinese consultancy firm relating to national security sends a signal to the entire industry to be more aware of national security issues, and to take necessary measures to prevent possible espionage. But could the revised anti-espionage law and focus on national security issues become a convenient excuse for serving Beijing’s needs, such as its diplomatic needs and so on?
Paramilitary police stand guard south of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on 5 March 2023. (Greg Baker/AFP)

Talk of a US-China war: How frightening?

Rhetoric by the Chinese elite of an America in decline has US political circles guessing at China’s intentions. In truth, even if talk of “decoupling” or “de-risking” from China is on the rise, this is still insufficient cause for war. Echo chambers amplifying the issue is the last thing both countries need.
This picture taken on 25 April 2023 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on 26 April hows soldiers and civilians offering attending a wreath-laying ceremony at the bronze statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on Mansudae Hill in Pyongyang to mark the 91st founding anniversary of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army (KPRA). (KCNA via KNS/AFP)

China can do more on the North Korean nuclear issue

With North Korea declaring itself a nuclear state and indicating that it would only enter negotiations in its position as one, the situation in the Korean peninsula is getting more unstable. Among the global stakeholders in the issue, China is in a position to do more. Trilateral cooperation between the US, South Korea and China is even possible if China changes its perceptions and long-held approaches.
A man waves a Sudanese national flag while taking part in a protest march against a deal agreed the previous month between military leaders and some civilian factions on a two-phase political process since the 2021 military coup, headed towards the presidential palace in Sudan's capital Khartoum on 24 January 2023. (AFP)

Sudan conflict: China and Russia have different interests

Academic Alessandro Arduino gives a reading on the recent Sudan conflict, exacerbated by the participation of mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner Group. China’s economic interests are being threatened in the mayhem, without any reprieve from a “no limits” partnership.
This handout picture provided by the Iranian foreign ministry shows Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (left) shaking hands with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan (right) and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang (centre) during a meeting in Beijing on 6 April 2023. (Iranian Foreign Ministry/AFP)

China's Saudi-Iran deal only a defensive response to Western security challenges

Academic Ma Haiyun explains how the Saudi-Iran detente is the experiment and application of China’s GSI with a focus on national and regime security, when Saudi Arabia, Iran and China have been facing increasing security challenges from the US and the West.