European Union and China tooling up for trade war that could hurt bothGlobal Briefing: It may prove difficult for the EU to reconcile the enthusiasm of member states led by France with the reticence of Germany and SpainThu Jun 04 2026 - 06:43
Armenians look towards EU, but Russia is watchingArmenia’s foreign policy direction has become a big issue in advance of Sunday’s parliamentary electionsWed Jun 03 2026 - 06:27
Surprise in Colombia gives Trump another Latin American boostAbelardo de la Espriella’s win in the first round of presidential election suggests country could become latest in region to swing rightTue Jun 02 2026 - 06:43
‘Every day feels exhausting’: Four students confront China’s high-stakes college entrance exams Four Chinese students on sitting the gaokao, a challenging national test that will shape their futuresTue Jun 02 2026 - 06:00
Singapore mobilises international response over fears seabed becoming global battlefield Underwater fibre-optic cables carry more than 95 per cent of intercontinental data traffic Mon Jun 01 2026 - 06:42
China’s quiet reform could reshape life for hundreds of millions of migrant workersA long-awaited easing of residency restrictions may boost consumption – and begin to level the playing field for China’s urban workforceFri May 29 2026 - 06:00
Alberta is flirting with independence. Is Canada facing a messy break-up? Prime minister Mark Carney has warned of a Brexit-like mistake Thu May 28 2026 - 06:44
Bolivian president Rodrigo Paz struggles to quell powerful anti-austerity protests Global Briefing: Major cities see protests and road blockades in the past four weeks over measures that hurt poorer Bolivians and benefit the wealthiestWed May 27 2026 - 06:50
Are diverging geopolitical interests among Quad members making it an irrelevance?Trump has shown little interest in group comprising the United States, India, Japan and Australia that was at core of US efforts to counter ChinaTue May 26 2026 - 06:42
Iran looks to have won important concessions in Trump’s ‘largely negotiated’ peace dealTehran has reportedly made no commitment ‘to hand over nuclear stockpiles, shut down facilities or not to build a nuclear bomb’ Mon May 25 2026 - 07:12
Moving to a new beat: China’s businesses buoyed in BrazilStruggling in a flat domestic market, many businesses are expanding overseas Fri May 22 2026 - 06:00
EU moves toward idea of talking to Russia but needs to decide on envoy and mandateMood in EU has shifted in recent weeks as Donald Trump’s efforts to end the Ukraine conflict appear to have stalledThu May 21 2026 - 07:08
Beijing’s split-screen diplomacy underscores shifting global alignmentsThe protocol on Trump and Putin’s visits to China was almost identical – but the tone and the body language were strikingly differentWed May 20 2026 - 18:52
Xi Jinping and Putin warn against return to ‘law of the jungle’Russian and Chinese presidents meet in Beijing and say western powers can no longer dominate global affairs in spirit of the colonial eraWed May 20 2026 - 11:34
Ebola outbreak in DRC made worse by impact of conflicts in regionDemocratic Republic of Congo’s armed conflicts are driven by an international scramble for mineral wealthWed May 20 2026 - 06:39
Donald Trump’s dilemma: How to end the war in Iran?US president signals ‘full, large-scale assault’ on Iran but declares hours later he is holding off on a fresh attackTue May 19 2026 - 07:02
Taiwan debates what constitutes independence in wake of Trump visit to ChinaTrump’s remarks casting doubt on future arms sales to Taiwan have alarmed the self-governing islandMon May 18 2026 - 06:58
China calls for Strait of Hormuz reopening ‘as soon as possible’ at Trump-Xi meetingXi says China will not provide military equipment to Iran and ‘would like to help’ on issue, Trump says in Beijing Fri May 15 2026 - 16:33
Thorny issues set aside as Trump and Xi reach rosy consensusFundamentals of the US-China relationship remain the same after US president’s visitFri May 15 2026 - 15:25
Xi Jinping warns Donald Trump that ‘mishandling’ Taiwan issue could lead to conflict Chinese president met Trump in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People for more than two hours on ThursdayThu May 14 2026 - 18:33
Behind the pageantry, Beijing delivers stark Taiwan warning to TrumpXi Jinping warns that any effort to steady US-China ties hinges on how Washington handles TaiwanThu May 14 2026 - 17:25
Xi Jinping tells US chief executives that China will ‘open wider’US firms want increased access to the Chinese market, while Beijing wants an easing of restrictions on advanced semiconductorsThu May 14 2026 - 17:17
Kyrgyzstan’s authoritarian president and his enforcer have fallen out Global Briefing: Security chief Kamchybek Tashiev was fired in February and faces charges of plotting a coupThu May 14 2026 - 07:09
Europe must shape its post-Ukraine war destiny as difficult choices loomThe EU should consider its approach to lifting economic sanctions against Russia, and a future security architecture for the ContinentWed May 13 2026 - 06:58
Trump meets Xi: What both sides want from high-stakes summitUS and China hope to reach an agreement that buys them enough time to build greater resilience against each otherWed May 13 2026 - 06:00
Scolding Macron strikes bum note for France reset with AfricaFrench president sought move to partnership with African leaders at Kenya summit, but video clip of him admonishing audience for chatter goes viralTue May 12 2026 - 06:40
Southeast Asian countries try to increase co-operation to reduce impact of US war on Iran Leaders’ summit dominated by question of what to do about fuel shortages Mon May 11 2026 - 06:39
Same tune by a different Song brings back memories of a pivotal time in ChinaThe 2001 Chinese hit Better and Better celebrated the turnaround in living standardsFri Apr 24 2026 - 06:00
US talks to Cuba, but Cuban-American demands appear obstacles to dealHavana cannot afford US claims for compensation over 1959 revolution, a key demand of Cuban exiles in FloridaThu Apr 23 2026 - 06:58
Peace deal is possible between US and IranMany issues remain to be resolved but a framework for agreement could be reached if talks resume in Islamabad this week Wed Apr 22 2026 - 07:08
Beijing riled as Japan joins US and Philippines military exercise in South China Sea China warns of countries ‘setting themselves on fire’, amid a bigger shift in regional securityTue Apr 21 2026 - 06:36
‘We were wearing green Irish jerseys’: How Irish student footballers made history in China in 1976 For a group of former UCD students, a return trip to China marks half a century since an improbable tour that unfolded at a pivotal moment in the country’s historyMon Apr 20 2026 - 12:00
Bulgaria’s likely next leader is friendly toward Russia but no Viktor Orbán Early returns point to election win for former president Rumen Radev’s centre-left Progressive Bulgaria partyMon Apr 20 2026 - 06:44
As EU leaders beat a path to Beijing, their tone shiftsSpain’s primer minister Pedro Sánchez resisted trumpeting the superiority of liberal democracy and European values during a visit this weekFri Apr 17 2026 - 05:58
Peru faces runoff in presidential election that will be closely watched from WashingtonKeiko Fujimori, daughter of former dictator, will go up against Roberto Sánchez in JuneThu Apr 16 2026 - 06:53
How other countries are responding to surging oil prices - and why Spain is in a good positionFrom France to the UK, governments across the globe are scrambling to take a range of measures to cushion consumers from increasing energy costsWed Apr 15 2026 - 14:11
China courts America’s allies as US-dominated world order recedesBeijing presents itself as a responsible and reluctant hegemon, as Xi Jinping meets leaders from UAE, Vietnam and SpainWed Apr 15 2026 - 06:38
US blockade of Iran is risky escalation but peace still has a chanceBlockade is primarily an instrument of economic coercion to gain leverage in talks process that remains aliveTue Apr 14 2026 - 06:38
EU needs to rein in Hungary expectations after Viktor Orbán’s election defeat Election victor Peter Magyar opposes accelerating Kyiv’s EU admission and rejects the migration and asylum pactMon Apr 13 2026 - 06:46
China can never accept Taiwan independence, Xi tells Taiwanese opposition leaderXi Jinping tells Cheng Li-wun that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait ‘are all Chinese’Fri Apr 10 2026 - 15:43
China played a quiet but crucial role in the US-Iran ceasefireDiscretion about the role it may have played in persuading Iran to accept the ceasefire reflects China’s general approach to mediationFri Apr 10 2026 - 06:00
Vietnam’s top leader expands his powerTo Lam gets greater authority to push through reforms aimed at maintaining Vietnam’s high economic growthThu Apr 09 2026 - 06:21
Trump’s acceptance of Iran’s terms for talks is astonishingIran could emerge from this conflict in a much stronger geopolitical position than it wasWed Apr 08 2026 - 06:32
Ghana joins effort to make it easier for Africans to move around the continentExcessive border restrictions limit trade, investment and tourismTue Apr 07 2026 - 06:53
War and Peace: A tale of two Easter messages from Donald Trump and Pope Leo Leo uses Easter Sunday address to urge peace; Trump threatens to bomb Iran’s civilian infrastructure in expletive-stuffed post Mon Apr 06 2026 - 06:42
In a Beijing park, a tale of grief and consolation unfoldsAs red songs ring out on a Sunday afternoon, a friend shares a story of pandemic loss and the search for solaceFri Apr 03 2026 - 00:00
Trump pledges to take Iran ‘back to the stone ages’ in televised addressUS president declares Iran military operation is almost complete but will continue for another two or three weeks Thu Apr 02 2026 - 06:50
Iran war: No mediator role for China despite unveiling peace proposal with Pakistan Beijing’s restraint in current conflict reflects its economic links with Gulf states and its strategic partnership with IranWed Apr 01 2026 - 07:26
Can Mongolia’s third prime minister in under a year stay in the job? Global Briefing: Protests have continued for months over high prices, fuel shortages and plans for a highway to ease Ulaanbaatar trafficTue Mar 31 2026 - 06:51
Taiwan’s opposition leader to visit Beijing in landmark meetingInvite from China’s Xi Jinping comes amid tension over Taiwan’s rising defence spendingMon Mar 30 2026 - 14:53
