Donald Trump raised the case of jailed Hong Kong democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai in talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping but was told it “is a tough one”. Family and supporters of the 78-year-old British citizen had hoped the US president could help secure his release. Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February under a security law imposed by Beijing. The media tycoon, who was an influential figure in the former British territory’s pro-democracy movement, was arrested in 2020 in a crackdown after massive anti-government protests. Lai’s…
Day: May 15, 2026
Can AI-assisted unmanned vessels be Beijing’s answer to South China Sea patrols?
Wave-powered unmanned surface vessels (USV) could be used for maritime rights and law enforcement, researchers said, as Beijing faces heightened tensions in contested waters including the South China Sea. Writing in the latest issue of Naval and Merchant Ships, owned by China State Shipbuilding Corporation, Chen Xin and Chen Ruimiao said the self-powered vessels could be “of great value” to the sustainable management of distant waters. By converting vertical wave motion into forward thrust using a submerged fin assembly attached below the boat, these small wave-powered autonomous vessels could be…
Trump’s lack of focus on human rights in China is big departure for US diplomacy
Asked before he departed for Beijing if he would raise with the Chinese president the case of Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy activist jailed in Hong Kong, Donald Trump said: “I’ll bring him up.” But, the US president added: “It’s like saying to me, ‘If Comey ever went to jail, would you let him out?’ It might be a hard one for me.” Trump was referring to James B Comey, a former FBI director and a frequent target of Trump’s ire. Trump’s flippant attitude towards human rights comes as no surprise.…
Trump leaves China after much pomp and pageantry, but little to show for it
As US President Donald Trump landed back in Washington on Friday after his two-day summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping, a quick US assessment on one of the most consequential diplomatic visits of Trump’s presidency was: impressive optics, trademark flawless Chinese hosting, but disappointing concrete achievements, according to analysts, industry trade groups and former US officials. “The economic deliverables coming out of the Trump-Xi meeting are way below expectations. In light of the priority Trump puts on the economic-trade leg of the bilateral relationship, it’s disappointing that more…
‘For Example, Putin’: How Xi Used a Private Garden Walk to Charm Trump
An off-the-cuff exchange between President Trump and China’s leader, Xi Jinping, on Friday provided a glimpse into how the two leaders interacted this week as they negotiated the rivalry between their countries. Mr. Xi, who is rarely shown in Chinese media without prepared remarks, was filmed by the U.S. press traveling with President Trump. The two leaders are seen chatting through translators as they walk through Zhongnanhai, a walled compound that houses China’s leaders. Mr. Xi puts his hand out to guide Mr. Trump through an archway, pointing to a…
How to deal with this ‘very Chinese time’ in Western lives
What comes to mind when you think of China, Japan and South Korea? This was a question posed in a second-year sociology seminar during my time at Bristol, and it has stayed with me ever since. We were split into three groups and given 10 minutes to create posters capturing our immediate associations. Japan came first. Sketches of anime, sushi platters and temples appeared. My classmates spoke with enthusiasm, drawing on travel memories or aspirations to visit. A country that, less than a century ago, had been ostracised for wartime…
Taiwan casts long shadow over Trump’s summit with Xi
Taiwan has emerged as the first test of Beijing and Washington’s new “strategic stability” formula, according to analysts. In the aftermath of the high-profile summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Beijing, subtle differences have emerged in how the two sides have characterised Taiwan, which Beijing defines as the most important issue in the bilateral relationship. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said on Friday that during Trump’s state visit to China from Wednesday to Friday, the Chinese side “feels during the meetings” that “the US…
AI supremacy, ‘secret police station’, Taiwan propaganda: 7 US-China relations reads
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. The Xi-Trump summit is over. What comes next in the US-China rivalry? Photo: AP Xi described Trump’s visit as “historical” and “a landmark”, adding that “important consensus was made on issues both sides are interested in”, according to the Chinese summary. Read the full story here. 2. US Senate warns of China’s nuclear capabilities hours before…
Trump’s ‘Learning Curve’ on China Ends With Conciliation at Summit
In 2024, Donald J. Trump said China was “killing us as a country.” Last year, he complained that President Xi Jinping of China was “very tough, and extremely hard to make a deal with.” His tariffs on China reached 145 percent at one point. The whiplash that followed culminated in the pageantry in Beijing this week. As Air Force One took off from the Chinese capital on Friday, it remained unclear what deals, if any, President Trump had clinched with Mr. Xi. But the two-day summit in Beijing underscored how…
Xi-Trump summit: all you need to know from the final day of the meeting in Beijing
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