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John J. Mearsheimer is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, where he has taught since 1982. He has written extensively on security issues and international politics and is best known for his theory of offensive realism in international relations, which holds that to dominate the international system, great powers must constantly engage in security competition with each other, sometimes leading to war. In this interview,...

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India and China resumed direct flights on Sunday after a five-year suspension, a move important both for trade and a symbolic step as Asia’s giants cautiously rebuild relations. IndiGo flight 6E1703 from Kolkata touched down in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou just before 4am, officially resuming non-stop air links that had been suspended since 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent geopolitical tensions. The neighbours – the world’s two most populous nations – remain...

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China has held off on congratulating Japan’s new prime minister nearly a week after her appointment, a break with precedent that sends alarm about the state of relations between the two countries. China hawk Sanae Takaichi, 64, took office on Tuesday, becoming the first woman prime minister in the country’s history and the fifth person to hold the office in five years. She took over from Shigeru Ishiba, who was congratulated by both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on the day he...

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Chinese scientists have unveiled what they say is the world’s first brain-like intelligent computer the size of a mini fridge, which has the capabilities of a room-sized supercomputer while using 90 per cent less power. The BI Explorer computing system, or BIE-1, was revealed by members of the Guangdong Institute of Intelligence Science and Technology (GDIIST) at a forum held in the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in southern China on Friday. The device packs the capabilities of a...

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A nationwide drone competition in China has offered rare insight into the depth and breadth of participation by young people in the cutting-edge field as Beijing seeks military advances in uncrewed technology. More than 200 teams from 106 universities took part in the final round of this year’s National Youth Intelligent Unmanned Systems Application Competition in Shanghai last week, China Youth Daily reported on Wednesday. The competition featured various elements of uncrewed technology, such...

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China’s tightening of export controls of its rare earth minerals by expanding licensing requirements for foreign firms has ramifications for countries such as the United States. The latter’s heavy reliance on Chinese imports and lack of domestic processing facilities make it increasingly vulnerable. The delay in treating rare earth minerals as a strategic necessity, the absence of reforms and the failure over the years to initiate domestic industrial policies will ensure that it lags...

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A “fantastic deal” that US President Donald Trump has pledged to strike with China would be dialling the clock back to April 1 – before the launch of his massive tariffs, a top US business representative has said. “I think things are pretty obvious at this point, of what’s gonna happen,” said Sean Stein, president of the US-China Business Council, at the Bund Summit in Shanghai on Saturday. “The tariff pause of 90 days will be extended without a doubt.” Beyond that, there are only three things...

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Officials from China and Japan are hoping closer bonds between younger generations can help stabilise their turbulent relationship, which faces challenges from issues ranging from wartime history to the impact of Donald Trump’s policies. In December last year, the two countries’ foreign ministers agreed to promote youth exchanges as a way of improving relations between their respective populations, including a five-year plan for educational exchanges between high schools and universities. As...

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China and the United States agreed on Sunday to a preliminary framework deal after two days of talks in Kuala Lumpur, signalling a de-escalation of tensions in the lead-up to a potential meeting between the presidents of the world’s two largest economies. The talks in the Malaysian capital, led by Vice-Premier He Lifeng and US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, came on the heels of a fresh surge of tensions in the volatile bilateral relationship and ahead of the November 10 expiration of a...

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For decades, China’s influence in Africa has been concentrated in the eastern part of the continent. In recent years, a clear westward expansion has emerged, drawing attention from the United States and several western European nations. Many analyses have framed this shift as geopolitically driven – a strategic effort by Beijing to erode Western nations’ traditional interests on the continent, with particular attention paid to political and military cooperation between China and West African...

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A Chinese naval fleet including a guided-missile destroyer, missile frigate and comprehensive supply ship set sail earlier this month from a port in eastern Qingdao, heading to the Gulf of Aden and the Somali waters. The Chinese navy has been helping to protect commercial ships and countering Somali piracy since its first mission in the waters in 2008, when there were numerous attacks by Somali pirates. Since 2013, however, there have been very few Somali pirate attacks, and in some years none...

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At the ongoing autumn session of the Canton Fair, China’s largest and longest-running trade exhibition, many Chinese exporters say that overseas buyers’ demands for extended payment terms are becoming one of their biggest challenges in maintaining profits. The pressure on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – across a range of industries – is particularly acute. “A regular client suddenly demanded 90-day post-shipment payment because other suppliers offer longer terms,” said Kevin Huang, a...

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China and Singapore have pledged to uphold multilateralism and strengthen bilateral trade amid growing protectionism, as Chinese Premier Li Qiang began his two-day visit to the city state on Saturday. The trip, which marked the first visit by a Chinese leader to Singapore since 2018, comes as the two countries celebrate 35 years of diplomatic ties. The premier’s visit follows a June trip by Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to Beijing, where he met Chinese President Xi...

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Semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia’s homebase in Nijmegen – the biggest city in Gelderland, the Netherlands’ largest province – offers few clues that it sits in the eye of a storm that threatens to disrupt the global car industry’s supply chain. Dutch daily newspaper De Gelderlander, for example, featured more local stories including an explosion at a neighbourhood cannabis store, referred to as “coffeeshop”. There were no banner headlines to be found about talks in Brussels on Tuesday between...

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The choice of an outspoken former legislator as chairwoman of Taiwan’s biggest opposition party may address the growing internal fatigue with the Kuomintang’s (KMT) old guard, but analysts warn it is far from certain that what appealed to members will win over mainstream voters. Cheng Li-wun, a 55-year-old with roots in street activism and an early career inside the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), defeated 73-year-old heavyweight Hau Lung-bin in last weekend’s election...

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The International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) was inaugurated at its headquarters in Wan Chai on Monday, bringing the new China-led mechanism into operation to fill the void in dispute resolution. With 37 signatories, the organisation is attracting Western interest, particularly from Switzerland. The IOMed is just one among several bodies announced by or established in China this year. They include the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation, Unesco’s International...

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Creating a new diamond used to be a process spanning millions or even billions of years. Now, it takes about a week. Inside specialised factories, hulking 50-tonne machines simulate the crushing pressure and extreme temperatures inside the Earth’s crust, transforming seed crystals into flawless, glittering stones in just a few days. Zhongjing Diamond, a company based in China’s central province of Hubei, has nearly 300 of the machines humming around the clock, which together mint some 600,000...

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Few outside China might know that e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD.com host the country’s largest online platforms for distressed property sales. On any given day, their auction websites offer a front-row view of China’s housing downturn where properties are foreclosed and liquidated under court orders, often at market-shaking discounts. A month ago, 66 flat units in a Shanghai project owned by indebted developer Sunac were put up for auction after being seized by courts. Buyers were found but...

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Digital currency is emerging as a powerful, disruptive tool in global geopolitics, fundamentally reshaping the financial battlefield in times of conflict, according to a commentary in a key Communist Party publication. Nations are increasingly leveraging digital assets to bypass international sanctions, mobilise vital resources and maintain economic stability during regional conflicts, according to the author of an article published on Monday in Study Times, the official newspaper of the Central...

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Chinese President Xi Jinping put his personal stamp on the national master plan for the next five years, with state media describing the plan’s framework as Xi’s brainchild – an indication of the document’s political weight. In a lengthy article on Saturday detailing some of the build-up to the Communist Party’s fourth plenum this week, state news agency Xinhua and party mouthpiece People’s Daily said Xi “personally headed” the team that drafted the outline for the next five-year plan. “[He]...

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Chinese scientists have created a ghostlike jellyfish robot that can carry out covert underwater missions. Described as an “underwater phantom”, the bionic jellyfish robot was developed by Tao Kai from Northwestern Polytechnical University’s school of mechanical and electrical engineering in Xian, Shaanxi province. According to the university, the robot is nearly indistinguishable from real jellyfish when submerged, enabling intelligent detection and real-time monitoring in aquatic...

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Beijing will leave no room for any form of “Taiwan independence” separatist activities, one of Beijing’s most senior leaders said on Saturday, marking the 80th anniversary of the island’s return from Japanese rule. “We should work together to advance the cause of national reunification and must leave no room for any form of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities,” Wang Huning, Beijing’s No 4 official and top political adviser, said at an event to commemorate “Taiwan Restoration Day”. “[We]...

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Flagship Chinese companies, spanning sectors from tech to retail, are increasingly shunning the United States and expanding in less-developed markets such as Southeast Asia, where they can leverage historic low-cost advantages and build out supply chains, a Goldman Sachs strategist said. Chinese exports to non-US markets have grown at a compound annual rate of about 7.5 per cent since 2018, according to a research note by the investment bank. In contrast, exports to the US have declined by 0.6...

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The European Union is ready to retaliate against China’s export restrictions on rare earths, commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a hardline speech on Saturday. “In the short term, we are focusing on finding solutions with our Chinese counterparts. But we are ready to use all of the instruments in our toolbox to respond if needed. And we will work with our G7 partners on a coordinated response,” von der Leyen told the Berlin Global Dialogue conference. She also announced a new plan to...

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Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a wreath on Friday to mourn Chen-ning Yang, a Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist who died in Beijing last Saturday at the age of 103. Cai Qi, the president’s chief of staff, was also among the Communist Party dignitaries to offer floral tributes for the funeral held at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in western Beijing, where many of the country’s leaders are interred. The farewell ceremony began at around 9am on Friday, with the late professor...

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