Day: July 14, 2026

A decade after a South China Sea ruling, analysts said Beijing should continue engaging in good-faith diplomacy and explore international mediation, arguing that the unenforced ruling had failed to curb rising regional maritime tensions. On the ruling’s 10-year anniversary, a coalition of 14 countries led by the United States and the Philippines in a joint statement called it “legally binding and definitive”, while criticising Beijing for refusing to recognise or implement it. In a strongly worded response on the same day, Beijing described US-led military deployments as the “primary threat”…

Great leadership doesn’t start with what you do but who you are. There are generally two leadership styles: loud and quiet. Loud leadership considers visibility for effectiveness and often focuses on showing dominance to drive results. Quiet leadership focuses on depth rather than volume. It is marked by clarity and consistency. If the West favours highly visible, charismatic leaders, in the East, leaders are often valued for their discipline and vision. The rivalry between the East and West for global influence, led by China and the United States, is often…

China’s fourth-ranked official, Wang Huning, will head to North Korea this week, the latest in a flurry of high-level exchanges between Beijing and Pyongyang. Chinese state news agency Xinhua on Tuesday reported that Wang would lead a Communist Party and government delegation on an “official goodwill visit” to the country from Wednesday to Friday. Wang is a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, the party’s leading decision-making body. He is also chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the top political advisory body. The trip…

Photos and discussions about China’s recent use of heavy-duty drones to “airlift” villagers affected by flooding in Guangxi have gone viral but almost two decades ago, the disaster-prone country once relied on risky, low-tech means to fight natural calamities. China’s rapid tech advancement, represented by the development and deployment of drones, has helped it better handle emergencies, such as how first responders have been rescuing residents from widespread rainstorms and floods since June. In the southern Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, swarms of drones carried out quick surveys of inundated areas…