China

Risks emerging from shared infrastructure and data security are areas where UK registered companies need better guidance.

This week’s summit shows the relationship is resilient, rooted in shared interests. But China remains wary of commitments on various fronts.

Trump’s comments on Taiwan after his meeting with Xi and an apparent move towards ‘strategic stability’ with China could have consequences for Taiwan’s future and erode trust among US allies.

Our experts analyse the two superpowers’ aims as President Trump meets President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Oil shortages as a result of the Iran war present a unique opportunity for ASEAN chair the Philippines to make progress on a South China Sea Code of Conduct with China. And for Trump to strike a deal.

The US currently depends on China for crucial rare earth minerals and magnets. But its domestic electronic waste contains vast quantities of valuable magnets that could be reused and recycled to counter Beijing’s dominance.

The summit’s short agenda reveals a preference for continuing stability, which buys time. The question is how each side will use it.

But they can make important progress at their summit, by sharing their threat perceptions about the nuclear escalation risks brought by AI.

The president has alienated partners that once acted as force multipliers. But there are still opportunities to create a united front on common points of tension with Beijing.

President Trump should not concede much on issues like Taiwan. But both powers have an interest in opening the Strait of Hormuz and making progress on AI safety.

China will not displace the US as regional security guarantor, but it could play an important role building a new regional order, as Gulf states rethink their security strategies.

US export controls on chips and hardware alone will not prevent China from further developing advanced AI.

Senior Research Fellow for China and the World James Kynge provided evidence on 22 April.

As China ramps up its pressure on Taiwan, the Strait of Hormuz closure must serve as a wake-up call for European policymakers.

Whatever the eventual outcome of the US-Israel war on Iran, the geopolitical aftershocks will reverberate across Asia for years, and perhaps decades, to come.

Anna speaks to James Kynge and Lauri Myllyvirta (CREA) about what the plan reveals about China’s climate and clean tech ambitions, as well as it’s broader geopolitical goals.

A potted selection of reviews from our sister journal ‘International Affairs’, by its book reviews editor Mariana Vieira

From President Trump’s bid to acquire Greenland to Beijing’s claims over the South China Sea, cartographer William Rankin tells Mike Higgins how maps sometimes don’t help geopolitical decision-making.

The US is taking an encouragingly multilateral approach to secure scarce minerals for the industries of the future – but the scale of China’s dominance requires more cooperation still, writes Jose W Fernandez.

The journalist and author Yi-Ling Liu tells Isabella Wilkinson about the wit and creativity of activists, artists and businesspeople pushing at the limits of China’s ‘Great Firewall’.

Our experts discuss what the US government’s feud with AI firm Anthropic tells us about governance and competition in the AI race.

Beijing is striving for tech self-reliance, aiming to embed intelligent technologies in its economy. But there is a tension in the strategy that could define China’s next decade.

The US strikes raise questions over China’s policy to forge energy and trade ties with US rivals. But in the long term, Beijing sees itself gaining diplomatic capital through a contrasting role as a stable and peaceful superpower.

Beijing’s diplomatic restraint over the US’s standoff with Tehran should not be mistaken for unreliability or indifference.

Beijing will be displeased by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s election triumph, but most Asian leaders will welcome a strong Japanese government.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Beijing this week, determined to defrost the relationship that he says has gone from a ‘golden age to an ice age’. He left hailing progress made with Xi, but this was swiftly followed by a warning from Trump that closer engagement is ‘very dangerous’.

Keir Starmer’s upcoming China visit and the UK’s approval of China’s new ‘mega-embassy’ have dominated headlines. But more attention should be paid to Beijing’s less visible levers of influence.

Chatham House analysts give their initial reaction and insights following the announcement that a deal to create a new US TikTok entity has been agreed.

US actions in Venezuela and its identification of the Western Hemisphere as a US sphere of influence presents a complex set of challenges for China.

A stronger currency may be coming but policymakers in Beijing face two dilemmas that will limit their appetite for exchange rate appreciation.

A widening trade surplus with developing countries complicates China’s geopolitical agenda. Boosting Chinese domestic demand and letting the renminbi appreciate more could ease economic tensions with trade partners in the Global South.

The UK cannot avoid deepening bilateral links with China, but policymakers must go much further to mitigate the risks of closer engagement while also insulating the relationship from Sino-US tensions.

Relations between China and India hold great long-term significance for the future of both Asia and the emerging global order. This paper details their relationship and why their competition for influence and status matters to the rest of the world.

As the Trump administration turns away from the US-led post-war international order, how are other states envisioning ‘international order’ and what are their plans for adapting to new realities?

As the UK reviews its relationship with China, cooperation on climate change offers the prospect of tangible progress on an issue of mutual concern and global significance.

Relations between North Korea and Russia have developed rapidly from a cash-for-weapons exchange to the deployment of North Korean troops. Their partnership now endangers regional and global security, and the US and its partners must take the threat seriously.

Against a backdrop of rising tensions, this paper examines the internal and external influences that are shaping China’s policy towards the US and the implications for the wider world.

China’s unique environment for the development and implementation of AI provides critical insights into how this technology may impact workers and businesses around the world.

Achieving Xi Jinping’s ambitious agenda of self-reliance in critical technologies will become all the more difficult as the space for creative thinking within China narrows, and opportunities diminish for Chinese scientists to work with peers internationally.

This paper explores the opportunities in China for innovative approaches to climate action that incorporate gender equality and social inclusion.

Global trade continues to face multiple challenges as the risks of deepening tensions between the US and China, along with those of an escalation of Russia’s war on Ukraine, weigh on economies.

A global approach is the only way to tackle debt distress in Africa. This will require strategic cooperation between China, the West and African nations.

Europe and the US recognize that their policies and strategies on the Indo-Pacific need to be more coherent. Existing structures such as the G7 and the Quad could become key forums for enhanced cooperation.

The rise of China is one of the greatest challenges for the transatlantic relationship. Despite similar concerns, fundamental differences could prevent a joined-up European and US approach.

China has increased its humanitarian aid and diplomatic engagement in displacement crises, but obstacles to deeper involvement remain.

After two decades as a member of the WTO, how has China’s approach to global economic governance enabled the country to achieve its core objectives?

Understanding the role of national and subnational institutions in determining China’s foreign policy is key to working with the country on major global issues.

This paper takes a closer look at how South Korea manages its economic and security relations with the US and China in the context of increased rivalry.

This paper takes a closer look at the EU’s approach to China and how this may change as US–China tensions intensify.

Important political shifts in 2021 could bring greater clarity on Germany’s changing China policy, no matter who succeeds Angela Merkel as chancellor, writes Noah Barkin.

This paper examines how regional cooperation can boost efforts to achieve sustainable development and green growth in Asia.

This paper examines current and potential areas of climate change cooperation between the US, the EU and China.

China’s expansion into the Indo-Pacific is meeting growing resistance from a range of countries that are looking to further their own interests in the region.

China’s highly restrictive approach to online freedom of expression has not only intensified under COVID-19, the government is also increasingly trying to shape global online technology governance.

Critics of the BRI accuse China of pursuing a policy of ‘debt-trap diplomacy’: luring poor, developing countries into agreeing unsustainable loans to pursue infrastructure projects so that, when they experience financial difficulty, Beijing can seize the asset, thereby extending its strategic or military reach.

Canadian attitudes towards China have undergone a dramatic shift – from ambivalence to distrust – since the two countries became locked in a diplomatic dispute in late 2018. This paper argues that these hardened sentiments are unlikely to dissipate and Canada–China relations seem to have entered a new, warier phase.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is having profound impacts on recipient countries. This paper examines the benefits and costs of the BRI and its projects to Sri Lanka and the lessons that may improve future BRI projects in Sri Lanka and elsewhere.

Over the past two decades, China has increased its presence in North Africa in terms of trade and investment. This paper looks at China’s policy within the context of its Africa and Middle East policies to better understand its approach to Morocco and Tunisia.

This paper examines the risks of greater strategic competition as well as potential solutions for mitigating the impacts of the US–China economic confrontation.

This briefing argues that China’s rise has worrying implications for the liberal order and explores how this will affect the transatlantic relationship.