Category: The Diplomat

Beijing formally confirmed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s September 23-25 visit to the United States on September 21, just two days before the trip began. The news had barely registered among many of the Chinese people I spoke with the following day. Official coverage began appearing online following the announcement, but visible discussion among ordinary users on platforms such as Weibo, WeChat, and Xiaohongshu (RedNote) remained scarce. That changed once Xi’s visit was underway. Chinese social media filled with reports about the summit, with much of the visible content coming from…

When Chinese President Xi Jinping held a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump on September 24, Trump made sure Xi knew how he felt. The U.S. leader expressed no fewer than three times in the first minute of their joint remarks that it was his “honor” – or even “great honor” – to host Xi.  The “honor,” apparently was all Trump’s. Xi made no similar expression of feeling “honored” to be hosted by the U.S. president, simply saying he was “glad” to be in Washington.  That set the tone for…

If you read The Diplomat, you probably follow Asia-Pacific affairs – and thus you probably already know that Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to arrive in Washington, D.C. today for a much-anticipated summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. According to the White House’s itinerary, Xi will land at Andrews Air Force Base on September 23, where he will be personally received by Trump himself. The next day, he’ll receive a formal welcome ceremony at the White House, followed by the actual summit and a state dinner. On September 25,…

When Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping last sat down in May 2026, talk was centered on three Ts: trade, technology and Taiwan. Their next summit, due to begin in the United States on September 24, looks set to focus on the same set of issues again. The main difference will be that the technology element has been given added urgency by the sudden and rapid shift in developments in artificial intelligence. What’s less clear is whether the two sides will be able to come to any sort of transformative…

In the heated public discussions in China over English education, those calling to downgrade or abandon English in Chinese schools and colleges are using an ancient saying: 刻舟求剑 (ke zhou qiu jian), literally “notching the boat to find a sword.” Less literally, the phrase describes a foolish approach to solving problems that fails to account for changing circumstances. The phrase refers to an ancient fable from the Warring States period (475 BC to 221 BC). In the story, a traveler from the State of Chu was crossing a river in…

When Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Egypt from September 1-2, much of the international attention focused on the security and geopolitical significance of the moment. The visit came amid continued instability across the Middle East and was widely interpreted in the context of China’s expanding regional engagement and growing diplomatic role in an area historically shaped by significant U.S. involvement.  Security considerations are undoubtedly an important dimension of the relationship. Yet they are not the only lens through which to understand China-Egypt ties. Egypt’s importance in Africa-China relations is also…

After a six-year hiatus, the China-India border trade via Shipki Pass, a 3,930-meter pass in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district, resumed on August 1, 2026. After the 2020 Galwan military standoff, the border trade from this pass, often called the “Gateway to Tibet,” was suspended. With limited operations and economic scope but significant political symbolism, the resumption of border trade has also rejuvenated interest in the competing legitimacy narratives over the Tibet question.  According to China’s state-affiliated think tanks and media, border trade via the Shipki L Pass dates to the…

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet next week at the White House in Washington, D.C., provided that the “conditionalities” attached to the summit are met. This will be the second leaders’ summit between Trump and Xi this year, following the U.S. president’s visit to Beijing in May.  This will be Xi’s first visit to the U.S. capital in a decade, after he met then-U.S. President Barack Obama in 2016. Back then, the agenda centered on the much-touted issues of cyberespionage and commercial hacking.…

Since Beijing announced special maritime operations on June 6, its forces have grown more assertive – pushing patrols into new waters, rotating formations to regularize presence, and deploying research vessels that can conduct military reconnaissance. This all points to a new form of coercion taking shape.  On July 4, the Global Times – a mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party – declared that China’s maritime patrols had entered “a new phase,” defined by a move towards “a more systematic, institutionalized, and long-term framework” and away from “isolated military exercises or…

On September 4, Lingang New Area in Shanghai launched an AI+micro-drama overseas service station, with initial service points in Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland. The initiative is designed to help Chinese companies navigate overseas regulations, localize content, and connect production with distribution in foreign markets. The service station covers the full export chain including content development, production, translation, and distribution. Rather than simply helping companies sell finished dramas abroad, it brings several stages of the export process into one system.  Online literature, games, and micro-dramas are increasingly…