When Vickie Wang, a budding standup comedian, gets on stage in New York, she’s not just thinking about what jokes to crack. She’s also thinking about which ones to avoid. “I don’t criticise the administration directly,” she said. Or if she does, she makes sure it’s not recorded for social media. “I would never publicly publish something where I directly criticise the government … I think it’s a learned behaviour from China”. Wang, 39, lived in Shanghai for nearly a decade, leaving in 2022. In 2025 she relocated to the…
Tag: Donald Trump
‘Americans are democracy’s equivalent of second-generation wealth’: a Chinese journalist on the US under Trump – podcast
Once a stalwart of Hong Kong’s journalism scene, Wang Jian has found a new audience on YouTube, dissecting global politics and US-China relations since the pandemic. To his fans, he’s part newscaster, part professor, part friend By Lauren Hilgers. Read by G Cheng The Guardian
Trump says Maduro’s days are numbered but ‘doubts’ US will go to war with Venezuela
Donald Trump has sent mixed signals about potential US intervention in Venezuela, playing down concerns of imminent war against the South American nation but saying its leader Nicolás Maduro’s days were numbered. The president’s remarks, made during a CBS interview released on Sunday, come as the US amasses military units in the Caribbean and has conducted multiple strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels, killing dozens. Asked during the 60 Minutes program if the US was going to war against Venezuela, Trump said: “I doubt it. I don’t think so.” However, when…
Why is Trump talking about nuclear weapons? – podcast
Less than an hour before Donald Trump met the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, to discuss a deal that could end the trade war between the two superpowers, the US president posted on Truth Social that he had directed the Pentagon to match Russia and China in nuclear weapons testing. Jonathan Freedland speaks to Jonathan Czin, the former director for China at the National Security Council, about why Trump did this and whether he or Xi left South Korea feeling the strongest The Guardian
The Guardian view on Trump and China: stepping back from the brink, but not solving problems | Editorial
The diverging verdicts offered by the Chinese and American leaders after their talks in South Korea on Thursday reflected more than the chasms between their personal styles and political cultures. Donald Trump gushed about an “amazing” meeting, scoring it 12 out of 10; Xi Jinping reportedly noted that a consensus had been reached, with the two sides needing to finalise follow-up steps rapidly. Mr Trump’s usual trade approach – shout loudly and wave a big stick – faltered when Beijing raised its own bludgeon. No tribute of gold crowns or…
Trump-Xi meeting shows price of confrontation was too high for both sides
Outcome appears closer to truce than durable peace but outline of broader diplomatic relationship is visible Five key takeaways from Trump-Xi meeting When Donald Trump launched his trade war against China in April, threatening tariffs as high as 145%, the Chinese government said it would never bow to blackmail and vowed to “fight to the end”. The question now is whether the consensus reached between Trump and Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday means that the fight really has come to an end, and if so on whose…
Five key takeaways from Donald Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping
As Donald Trump flew out of Busan airport in South Korea after his meeting with China’s Xi Jinping, the US president sounded upbeat about progress made during less than two hours of talks. Trump discussed the outcome of the meeting, which he described as a 12 on a scale of one to 10, with “an outstanding group of decisions made”. He added: “We’ve come to a conclusion on many important points.” A Chinese statement quoted Xi saying the two countries had “good prospects for cooperation”, and relations had maintained “overall…
Trump directs Pentagon to match Russia and China in nuclear weapons testing
Donald Trump has instructed the Pentagon to immediately start matching other nuclear powers in their testing of nuclear weapons, specifically citing Russia and China. In a post to Truth Social, Trump said that “because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately.” The post came less than an hour before Trump met the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, in South Korea on Thursday morning in an effort to come to a trade…
‘We don’t always see eye to eye’: Xi and Trump on crunch trade talks – video
Donald Trump said the US and China had agreed ‘to a lot of things’ during trade talks in South Korea, and would be having further discussions. The US president described Xi Jinping as ‘distinguished and respected’, while the Chinese leader said: ‘We do not always see eye to eye with each other, and it is normal.’ Trump hailed the trade talks as ‘amazing’, saying the dispute over the supply of rare earths had been settled and that he would visit China in April The Guardian
Trump-Xi meeting: US president says rare earths deal and tariff reduction agreed in crunch trade talks
Donald Trump has described crucial trade talks with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, in South Korea as “amazing”, saying their dispute over the supply of rare earths had been settled and that he would visit China in April. In early comments, Chinese state media reported Xi as saying a “consensus” with Trump had been reached on trade issues, and that there were good prospects for cooperation on trade, immigration and fraud. After their meeting, the two shook hands and Trump immediately boarded Air Force One to return to Washington. He…