We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2021: the arrest of a Tibetan New York city cop on spying charges plays into the community’s long-held suspicions that the People’s Republic is watching them By Lauren Hilgers. Read by Emily Woo Zeller The Guardian
Tag: Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping cracks joke about spying with phones given to South Korean president
It would take someone with nerves of steel to joke about the security of Chinese smartphones in front of Xi Jinping. Step forward the South Korean president, Lee Jae Myung, who, after being given a pair of smartphones by the Chinese leader before their state banquet at the weekend, wondered out loud if the devices were secure. Xi, who is not known for public displays of humour, laughed and smiled as Lee’s quip was translated into Chinese, before displaying some sharp wit of his own. Pointing at the phones, he…
‘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
Xi Jinping’s moment and whirlwind diplomatic tours: key takeaways from the Apec summit in South Korea
1. After Trump went awol, this was Xi’s moment Having dominated the headlines for several days during visits to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, Donald Trump flew back to Washington on the eve of the Apec summit in Gyeongju, leaving his treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, to do his bidding. Whether by accident or design, Trump’s absence allowed Xi to fill the void and position himself as a unifying voice and champion of the region’s economic interests, and an alternative to “America first” protectionism. While Trump – who was showered with…
Era of free trade and investment is over, Canada’s PM tells Apec summit
The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has warned that the era of free trade and investment that formed the foundations of the postwar global economy has ended. In a stark message to Asia-Pacific leaders at the Apec summit in South Korea on Friday, Carney said rules-based open trade no longer worked in a global economy that was undergoing one of its most profound periods of change since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. “The old world of steady expansion of rules-based liberalised trade and investment, a world on…
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…