One morning in February 1784, a converted privateer called the Empress of China sailed out of New York harbour. It was bound for a country almost no one aboard had ever seen – China, then ruled by the Qing dynasty. Six months later, it dropped anchor at Canton, the only port where the Qing government allowed Western maritime trade. At the time, the Declaration of Independence was less than a decade old, and the Treaty of Paris recognising American independence had been signed less than a year...
Mid-July should have been a moment of quiet satisfaction in Beijing. Fresh data showed China’s favourability surpassing that of the United States in 25 of 37 nations surveyed by Pew Research Centre, including key European countries. Domestically, the second-quarter gross domestic product growth of 4.3 per cent, while softer than the first financial quarter, kept the annual target within reach. The logic was simple: with the US distracted by Donald Trump’s erratic trade wars and isolationist...
Scientific ties can be a stabilising force in relations between China and the US but as the two countries jostle for a hi-tech edge, maintaining these links will mean going beyond simple competition versus cooperation. To get there, Beijing and Washington will need to keep in continuous contact and have clearly defined boundaries, with narrower areas of collaboration. That was the finding Zhao Minghao, a professor at Fudan University’s Institute of International Studies, and Chen Yutong, a...
China and the United States have stayed in contact about exchanges between their leaders this year, Beijing said just hours after America’s top diplomat downplayed the possibility that allegations of Chinese meddling in US elections would derail high-level engagement. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Monday that the Chinese and American sides had “maintained communication regarding the arrangements for the heads of states’ interactions later this year”. “Head-of-state...
For policymakers in Beijing and Washington, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a high-stakes arena in their strategic rivalry, closely tied to national interests and security. From export controls on high-end semiconductors to heavy scrutiny of foreign investment, the future of AI would appear to represent a stark binary choice: one country’s technological leap is seen as a direct threat to the other. Yet, far from the halls of power, some developers and scientists contend that the true...
Washington’s decision to end sanctions on nine Hong Kong and mainland Chinese officials, including Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok and two national security staffers, is an olive branch from the US to China to improve relations after their two presidents met in May, political observers have said. They and legal experts said the lifting of sanctions on the nine individuals marked a “friendly gesture” and was “significant”, but little had changed for dozens of others whose sanctions had...
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China. In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. Here, Meredith Chen looks at how tensions and shrinking academic exchange may be eroding America’s deep, experience-based understanding of China. Long before China could be studied through satellite images, social media, big data or...
Delegates representing a United States congressional advisory panel are making their first trip to China in seven years to investigate how the two countries’ economic and trade relationship affects national security. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission has requested meetings with Chinese government officials, academics and industry leaders in key technology sectors such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology and robotics. It said it would also meet with US diplomats and...
Asian-American groups on Friday slammed US President Donald Trump’s speech delivered this week as a dangerous threat to citizens of US minority communities already facing attacks and hostility during troubled and deeply partisan times, even as China hawks praised its message and tone. On Thursday during a prime-time address from the East Room of the White House, Trump repeated unsubstantiated claims that Beijing was interfering in US elections, citing his suspicion of what he termed “China’s...
Chinese social media users reacted with mockery, scepticism and concern after US President Donald Trump accused Beijing of meddling in US elections in a prime-time address. In a speech on Thursday evening Washington time, Trump focused heavily on US election security and made explosive claims about China, accusing Beijing of orchestrating the “largest compromise of election data in history” and declaring an end to complacency in the face of “Chinese interference”. He alleged that China had...
Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the dual nature of artificial intelligence’s opportunities and challenges, calling for a principle of “openness” and regulations to keep the technology “secure and controllable” in a speech at the country’s flagship annual AI conference. Xi’s first speech to the World AI Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai showed AI is a national strategic priority as China seeks to build greater technological self-reliance amid its tech rivalry with the United States. Earlier...
The global race for artificial intelligence has transformed into a direct contest of governance, with the United States and China actively exporting rival models of technology, funding and regulation to the rest of the world. In the West African state of Burkina Faso, dozens of young people gather at a training centre in the capital, Ouagadougou, to learn the basics of digital technology and AI, in a US-sponsored effort to develop local digital skills based on the American tech ecosystem. At the...
US President Donald Trump’s prime-time attack on China over alleged election interference marks a significant escalation in the rivalry between Washington and Beijing, elevating the issue from a cyber dispute to a broader national security confrontation, analysts say. “This speech is significant not simply because it criticises China. It is significant because it elevates alleged Chinese election interference to the level of a central national security narrative, comparable to how Russia was...
Chinese foreign vice-minister Ma Zhaoxu is expected to head to the United States next week on a trip likely to lay the groundwork for President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington later this year, the South China Morning Post has learned. Sources familiar with the matter said Ma, who has played a prominent role in overseeing US-China relations, would be in Washington next week. According to the sources, a stop in Miami – host city of the Group of 20 (G20) summit in December – was also likely to be...
From rare earth elements to commercial drones, Washington has become all too familiar with the strongest weapons in Beijing’s manufacturing arsenal – the materials and products where China holds a strategic advantage in production, extraction or any other link in the supply chain. After those near-monopolies provided Chinese policymakers considerable leverage in last year’s trade dispute, US think tanks are asking whether pharmaceuticals represent the next critical dependency. Their concern is...
US lawmakers are pushing for more scrutiny of Chinese investment in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, as Washington’s strategic competition with Beijing expands beyond semiconductors and artificial intelligence into the healthcare sector. Bipartisan US senators on Wednesday unveiled legislation aimed at increasing transparency around foreign influence in the pharmaceutical industry, amid growing concerns over US dependence on China for critical drug ingredients and medical supply chains. “There...
The United States’ nominee for director of national intelligence told lawmakers on Wednesday he could be “extremely helpful” in shaping economic strategy with China during a confirmation hearing that framed Beijing as a leading economic and geopolitical challenge. Jay Clayton, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, appeared before the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on his nomination, where he was questioned on several key intelligence issues. When pressed on the top three threats...
We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. US lawmakers push for fewer tax breaks to reduce reliance on China technology A growing number of US lawmakers see the tax code as a way to shift corporate America’s reliance on Chinese technology, framing economic ties as a national security risk. Read the full story here. 2. Anthropic hits...
In the high‑stakes space race between the United States and China, the decisive advantage could come down to a metal cap that few outside the industry have ever heard of: the propellant tank dome. An ellipsoidal bulkhead several metres wide but only millimetres thick, the dome must withstand extreme internal pressures, vibration and shock. The rounded, capsule-like end cap is also very difficult to mass-produce. Whichever country can make these components faster, cheaper and more reliably will...
China is an existential threat to the United States, and Washington needs to slow Chinese momentum and accelerate US technological advances, or fall well behind the Asian giant, witnesses told lawmakers at a Congressional round table on Tuesday. Among the possible strategies needed to counter Beijing’s growing prowess, analysts said, included expanding the Silicon Shield – an attempt to remove China from semiconductor supply chains – to drone and other vital technologies; drastically reducing US...
The United States’ National Science Foundation (NSF) is set to ban collaborations with Chinese research institutions designated as restricted entities, as well as their employees, under a new policy that moves away from seeking to balance security risks with the benefits of international collaboration. The policy reflects a broader congressional push by House Republicans to curb academic partnerships between China and the US, amid lawmakers’ concerns that such ties could contribute to Beijing’s...
China has defended its inspections of Panama-flagged ships as routine safety checks, rejecting US and Panamanian accusations that it is weaponising shipping lines for geopolitical leverage. In Beijing on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said the measures were lawful and aimed at protecting navigation and the marine environment. “At present, port-state control inspections are an important measure for countries to manage the safety of foreign vessels calling at their ports and...
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China. In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. Here, Khushboo Razdan looks at how books shape public perceptions and inspire lifelong connections between the US and China even as their geopolitical rivalry intensifies. Alexander Boyd was 14 when a book about China altered the course...
US-imposed sanctions targeting other countries and a growing list of Chinese laws aimed at countering the measures are creating a compliance minefield for African businesses dealing with the world’s top two economies. At risk is a broad range of industries including mining, banking, telecommunications, technology, energy, infrastructure and others in which African businesses are simultaneously exposed to US and Chinese counterparties, according to analysts. Compliance consultants covering the...
China on Friday accused the United States of misusing its national power by blacklisting more than 60 Chinese companies, alleging that Washington has “disregarded the consensus” reached between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing in May. In early June, the Pentagon blacklisted dozens of Chinese companies – including Alibaba, Baidu and BYD – as “Chinese military companies operating in the United States”. Days later, China announced export controls against leading US...
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China. In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. Here, Xinyi Wu examines how changes to Washington’s trade policy have reverberated through the formerly secure international economic order. When US President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs against virtually all Washington’s...
A new round of US-China dialogue on the risks of artificial intelligence, even just for the sake of dialogue, will be important for furthering US national security, according to former senior US officials responsible for China affairs. The assessment comes after the world’s two leading AI superpowers agreed to a new round of intergovernmental talks on AI safety following the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing in May, though few details about the dialogue have been announced. Jeannette Chu, one of the...
China must fundamentally overhaul its innovation ecosystem or risk losing technological sovereignty and national security in an existential AI “knockout game” with the US, a Chinese academic has warned. Huang Ping, assistant dean of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen)’s school of public policy, said the country must strongly back open-source artificial intelligence (AI) to counter costly, closed-source American models and their market dominance. China must also implement...
China made its largest daily purchase of soybeans from the United States since November on Wednesday, the latest sign of improving trade ties as Beijing moves towards fulfilling commitments announced after US President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The US Department of Agriculture said private exporters reported sales of 472,000 tonnes of soybeans for delivery to China, the greatest daily export sale to the country since November. “China has a long way to go to reach...
Washington criticised China on Wednesday for providing only a few hours’ notice ahead of its launch of a submarine-fired ballistic missile into the Pacific, saying Beijing’s actions fell short of standards followed by other major nuclear powers. The US State Department said China failed to provide sufficient information ahead of Sunday’s test, which it said took place amid Beijing’s “rapid and opaque nuclear weapons build-up”. “We monitored China’s submarine-launched ballistic missile test on...
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China. In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. Here, Dannie Peng looks at what is at stake amid the countries’ historic low in scientific collaboration. In late May, Zhang Ning, founder of TopEdit, a Maryland-based company that provides editing services for academic publications,...
A significant generational gap over China is emerging in the United States, with younger Americans significantly less likely to see Beijing as a cause for concern, according to a new survey. “Across almost every potential concern tested regarding Beijing, American unease climbs steeply with age,” the 2026 Reagan Institute Summer Survey said. It also found that despite the deep political divisions within the US over foreign and domestic policy, there was less sign of a bipartisan split over China...
Experts warn that cuts to US research funding is weakening the country’s scientific and technological capacity.
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China. In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. In this article, Sylvia Ma examines the numerous financial links between the two economies that make a true decoupling a difficult affair. On a landmark visit to Beijing in 1986, the New York Stock Exchange chairman at the time, John...
In a departure from convention, Chinese leader Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to the United States on Independence Day. “This year marks the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States. President Xi Jinping, on behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, has already sent a congratulatory message to US President Trump,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in Beijing on Monday. Beijing does not usually publicise presidential greetings on July 4...
Wu Xinbo is the dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai and a leading Chinese researcher on the US. In this interview, he analyses how shifts in US foreign policy are changing the relationship between the two countries. This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here. As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, how do you assess US foreign policy and the future direction of its relations...
While local bread-and-butter issues will dominate the November election in the US, former House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s endorsement of Connie Chan to succeed her in Congress could lead to opportunities at the margins of US-China relations, analysts said. Pelosi, the first female speaker, now honoured as speaker emerita, is one of Washington’s fiercest China hawks. Chan, 47, a San Francisco supervisor, is a progressive of Chinese ethnicity. According to observers, Chan’s candidacy opens up a range...
China and the United States may have agreed to establish a “constructive” relationship characterised by “strategic stability” but deep-seated differences have left the future shape of the relationship looking uncertain, a forum in Beijing heard on Saturday. Looking ahead to President Xi Jinping’s possible US visit later this year, Sun Yun, director of the China programme at US think tank the Stimson Centre, said such trips typically required a list of deliverables, “but to my knowledge, both the...
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China. In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. Here, Lucy Quaggin looks at how Gen Z Chinese-Americans are navigating identity amid shifting US-China tensions. As a high school student on New York City’s Upper East Side, Chinese-American Hannah Liu would take the subway downtown on...
An unmistakable pattern has emerged in the US’ strategy to contain China. Washington has sought to deny China access to frontier technologies and key commodities, and to redirect related supply chains to revitalise American industries. In this context, US President Donald Trump’s intense interest in America taking over Denmark’s Greenland becomes clear. Deny the Chinese their favourite seafood, which many can’t live without, and revive the US food industry. You think I am pulling your leg. This...
China is such a giant player in the global economy that understanding how the US-China contest of the century for international primacy will evolve has become crucial. Some Westerners, especially those in the United States, feel so threatened that they have resorted to protectionism, with global fragmentation and perhaps even preparations for a third world war already in the cards. Kishore Mahbubani’s book Has China Won? highlighted deep misunderstandings and structural tensions between China...
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China. In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. Here, Teresa Elena Frontado and Igor Patrick look at how Beijing is testing long-standing US influence in the western hemisphere. Asked during the 2024 presidential campaign whether he was concerned about Brazil and Mexico drifting...
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China. In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. In this article, Jane Cai and Yuanyue Dang examine Chinese people’s changing attitudes towards the US. As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary this month – marking its journey from a revolutionary experiment to a...
Riding a wave of booming cross-border dealmaking, China’s AI-driven drug-design firms are charging onto the global stage despite Washington’s growing scrutiny of Chinese biotech firms. The value of out-licensing deals struck by Chinese biotech companies with top global multinational pharmaceutical companies climbed to US$75 billion in the first five months of 2026, up from zero before 2020, according to Linda Shu, head of China healthcare research at HSBC. In total, over the five months, these...
Wu Xinbo is the dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai and a leading Chinese researcher on the US. In this interview, he analyses how shifts in US foreign policy are changing the relationship between the two countries. SCMP Plus readers get early access to articles in the Open Questions series. As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, how do you assess US foreign policy and the future direction of its relations with China? Simply put, US...
China’s foreign minister Wang Yi warned the US to approach Taiwan affairs with “utmost caution” in a call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, calling for Washington to expand cooperation and manage risks with Beijing. According to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, the two top diplomats held a “positive and constructive” phone call on Tuesday. It is the first reported cabinet-level communication since US President Donald Trump’s landmark visit to China in mid-May. During that visit, the two...
We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump thinks he is playing hardball. But China is playing Trump: analysts As the summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump fades in the rear-view mirror, marked by anaemic deliverables, poor transparency and missed opportunities, analysts and former US...
A “Chinese heart” could be helping to save lives in the United States despite efforts to decouple the two countries’ biotechnology sectors as a result of rising political tensions. The fully magnetically levitated pump, which is slightly bigger than a table tennis ball, has been fitted to more than 100 patients with advanced heart failure across the United States as part of a nationwide clinical trial. The BrioVAD is a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) that helps pump oxygen-rich blood to...
US Senator Steve Daines has urged Washington and Beijing to avoid escalating tensions through tit-for-tat actions, citing China’s recent export controls against American rare earth firms and the Pentagon’s decision to blacklist several Chinese technology companies. “These are unfortunate developments,” the Republican Senator from Montana said on Monday. Daines is a member of two of the most powerful committees in the US Senate: the Foreign Relations and Finance Committees. “The escalation on...
A US congressional hearing on Tuesday urged the United States to innovate faster, smarter and better to counter China’s growing technological muscle, even as several lawmakers slammed the US President Donald Trump administration for policies they said undercut US national interests. The testimony before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce comes as the two economic giants increasingly and aggressively face off over standards, economic models and supply chains, despite last month’s summit...
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China. In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. Here, Ling Xin and Meredith Chen look at how the fight against discrimination continues to this day. The rise of the United States to superpower status was fuelled by the untold millions of immigrants who arrived from foreign...