China

Washington wants China to pressure Russia into ending the war in Ukraine, but that does not mean the US will be soft on Beijing when it comes to lifting trade sanctions or extending other economic benefits, a senior US national security official said on Tuesday. US President Joe Biden has kept in place tens of billions of US dollars’ worth of punitive trade sanctions on Chinese imports imposed by former president Donald Trump under a US-China trade war that started in 2018. Recently, however, the Biden administration has suggested it could reduce some of these as a way to ease US inflation. “There’s no connection between our conversations with China on the Ukraine war – Russia’s war in Ukraine and the issue of tariffs – and a potential set of steps the United States would take on, vis-à-vis China trade,” said US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge … [Read more...] about US seeks China pressure on Russia to end Ukraine war as it weighs economic options against Beijing

China’s president has reiterated his call for self-reliance in science and technology, saying innovation is the key to better develop the country’s economy, sharpen its global edge and achieve long-term goals. The remarks came as Xi Jinping visited a solar equipment manufacturer in Wuhan in central Hebei province, state news agency Xinhua reported. Wuhan is an up-and-coming tech hub and hosts the regional headquarters and research centres of Chinese giants Huawei, Tencent and Xiaomi. It is also home to key facilities of dozens of notable tech companies, including major fibre-optic cable manufacturers and chip makers. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge , our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. The optoelectronic information sector was a strategic hi-tech industry with a wide range of applications, and China … [Read more...] about Chinese President Xi Jinping repeats call for tech self-reliance, innovative talent

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks to reporters in a press conference aboard Air Force One en route to Seoul from Madrid after concluding a five-day trip to Spain to attend a NATO summit. [YONHAP] President Yoon Suk-yeol said he and the leaders of Japan and the United States agreed it would be desirable "in principle" to resume three-way security cooperation to respond to North Korea's threats, denying any attempt to exclude China. Yoon described his summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of a NATO gathering last week as his "most important and significant" diplomatic event in a press conference aboard Air Force One en route home to Seoul Friday. "It is the first time in five years that the three countries leaders have discussed a joint response to the North Korean nuclear issue," he said. Yoon rejected concerns from Beijing that the NATO gathering in Spain was aimed at excluding Russia and China. "I am not excluding any … [Read more...] about Trilateral security cooperation is back, says Yoon

India’s Tejas light combat aircraft has emerged as the top choice for Malaysia as the Southeast Asian nation looks at replacing its ageing fleet of fighter jets and the two sides are holding negotiations to take forward the procurement process. Malaysia has narrowed down on the Indian aircraft notwithstanding stiff competition from China’s JF-17 jet, South Korea’s FA-50 and Russia’s Mig-35 as well as the Yak-130 plane, Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), R Madhavan, told PTI in an interview. As part of the package, India has offered to set up an MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facility in Malaysia for its Russian-origin Su-30 fighter fleet as it is facing difficulties in procuring spares for the aircraft from Russia in view of Western sanctions against Moscow. “I am very confident about it,” Madhavan said when asked whether the mega-deal would be closed soon. The top executive of the state-run aerospace behemoth said if the deal is … [Read more...] about Tejas Aircraft Emerges as Top Choice for Malaysia’s Fighter Jet Programme

Bad external circumstances may have played a part in the simultaneous decline in approval ratings. Koreans are struggling with runaway inflation from the Ukraine war and shortages of supplies from a heated contest for power between the U.S. and China. On top of that, ominous leftovers from the liberal Moon Jae-in administration still affect the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. But the Yoon administration also should be held accountable for the alarming decline in its approval ratings. At the top of the list of its failings is the conservative president’s unique appointment style based on his connections with the prosecution agency. In the Gallup Korea poll, 18 percent criticized his appointments, while only six percent gave good scores to his leadership. Opponents are attacking Yoon for his nominations of Park Soon-ae as education minister and Kim Seung-hee as health and welfare minister despite their lack of qualifications. Yoon picked them to help dilute public criticism of his … [Read more...] about A honeymoon that didn’t last long

Yoon Young-kwan The author is a professor emeritus of political science and international relations at Seoul National University. The U.S.-China confrontation is shaking the international order established after World War II. After basic principles such as free trade and multilateralism collapsed, globalization and economic integration have become ideas of the past. As trade and investment have to be protected and carefully managed, decoupling, supply chains and industrial policy have become new buzz words. The dramatic shift in global politics demands entrepreneurs pay special heed to the diplomacy of their governments — and geopolitical variables — more than efficiency. Semiconductors are at the front of the disrupted global order. After declaring investments in chips a core strategy of the United States to “win a 21st-century contest,” President Joe Biden visited a Samsung Electronics chip factory in Pyeongtaek on the sidelines of his summit with President Yoon Suk-yeol in … [Read more...] about When the chips are down, U.S. will suffer