Month: September 2025

As China drafts its 15th five-year plan – the next entry in a line of expansive blueprints that have set the tone for the country’s development over more than seven decades – we examine how these documents inform and reflect high-level policy priorities, what to expect in the coming iteration and whether it will expand on existing initiatives to boost domestic consumption. Advertisement For more stories in this ongoing series, click here. Five years ago, Joe Zhang was a high-flying analyst at a Beijing-based foreign company. And he was content…

Eighty years ago, the people of the world won a great victory in the war against fascism. In its wake, the United Nations was born, to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind”, opening a new chapter in global governance. Advertisement Today, though the historical trends of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit remain unchanged, a Cold War mentality, hegemonism and protectionism continue to haunt the world. With new threats and challenges emerging, global governance is at a…

Despite frictions on trade and geopolitics that hang over their bilateral ties, leaders from the European Union and China vowed to work together to tackle global challenges on Wednesday, a day after US President Donald Trump ridiculed the “green scam” of climate change. Advertisement Europe wants to work more with China on climate and biodiversity, even as it called on Beijing to help “stop the killing in Ukraine”, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen following a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the margins of the United…

India and China, recently seen moving towards rapprochement after years of strained ties, held separate meetings with Global South countries on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, highlighting a quiet rivalry for leadership of the developing world. Advertisement The world’s two most-populous countries had been expected to present a united front as global trade and multilateralism face increasing headwinds under US President Donald Trump’s second term. Instead, their parallel diplomacy shows a persistent competition for influence. Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who chaired Beijing’s…