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Vietnam’s leader is likely to warn of threats to middle powers.

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The podium of the United Nations was an unusual setting for the leader of a global superpower to threaten to “annihilate the Islamic republic” of Iran or to declare that, in another conflict, “to the victor belong the spoils.” Yet that was exactly what President Trump did on Tuesday, in threatening Iran if it failed to make a deal to end a war that had stretched far longer than Mr. Trump anticipated, and justifying his claims on Venezuelan oil reserves after American forces deposed its leader. Mr. Trump has long…

3 Ts Will Dominate the Trump-Xi Summit

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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…

A Debate Is Raging in China Over English Education

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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…

China’s Leader Xi Seeks to Extend Truce with Trump During U.S. Summit

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When China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, and President Trump meet in Washington this week, the two men will be operating on vastly different clocks. The American president is constrained by the immediate demands of a midterm election in November and a grinding war. The Chinese leader is gearing up for a norm-shattering fourth term as head of the ruling Communist Party, that will keep him in power for another five years. For Mr. Xi, the disparity in political realities gives him an edge in maintaining the truce that the two…

Watch: Six-year-old girl from China sets new Rubik’s Cube world record

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A young girl has broken the women’s world record for the 3x3x3 Rubik’s Cube twice in three days at the World Cube Association. At age six, Lian Yunzhi has become the only female cuber in the world to have an average time under 4.5 seconds. She first broke the record with an average of 4.52 seconds and then 4.27 seconds at competitions in Wuhan and Guangzhou, China. The young competitor from Sichuan Province has mastered more than 1,300 Rubik’s Cube solving algorithms after vigorous training that involved spending two to…

South Korean President Calls for Easing Sanctions on the North

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Breaking with decades of policy on North Korea, the president of South Korea, Lee Jae Myung, is now urging the United States to ease sanctions on Pyongyang in exchange for an agreement that it freeze its weapons programs. “I believe there is significant value in a trade-off between sanctions — which are not particularly effective anyway — and a stop to the development of additional nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile technology,” Mr. Lee said in an interview with The New York Times on Friday. However unpalatable such a bargain…

Why Egypt Is Looking Beyond Its Trade Deficit With China

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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…