Elon Musk’s awkward selfie moment with rival Chinese billionaire in Beijing – The Irish Times

The New Power Play: What the Musk-Lei Jun “Awkwardness” Tells Us About Tech Diplomacy When a few seconds of a stilted selfie encounter between Elon Musk and Xiaomi founder Lei Jun go viral, the world sees a “cringe” moment. But for those of us tracking the intersection of global capital and geopolitics, it’s a masterclass … Read more

On This Day | In 2021, China becomes the third country to safely land a rover on Mars – SCMP archive

The New Space Race: From First Footprints to Sample Returns The successful landing of the Zhurong rover on the Utopia Plain wasn’t just a technical victory for the China National Space Administration (CNSA); it was a signal to the world that the “Mars Club” is expanding. For decades, Mars exploration was a slow-burn endeavor, but … Read more

The US-China trade war is entering a worrying new phase: a legal arms race

The Great Regulatory Divide: Navigating the US-China Legal Arms Race For decades, the global economy operated on a relatively shared set of rules. Whether you were a tech giant in Silicon Valley or a manufacturer in Shenzhen, the goal was efficiency and market access. But that era of stability has evaporated. We have entered a … Read more

Five highlights from Trump-Xi talks

Beyond the Thucydides Trap: The Future of Great Power Competition The recurring mention of the “Thucydides Trap” in high-level diplomacy isn’t just a nod to ancient Greek history; We see a roadmap for the next century of global stability. When a rising power threatens to displace an established hegemon, the historical tendency is toward conflict. … Read more

Xi-Trump summit as it happened: after fanfare and banquet, day 1 of Trump’s China visit draws to a close

The New Era of Managed Rivalry: Navigating the US-China Power Struggle For decades, the relationship between Washington and Beijing was defined by a cautious dance of engagement and friction. However, we have entered a period of “managed rivalry.” This isn’t about total decoupling—which would be economically catastrophic—but rather a strategic effort to compartmentalize conflict while … Read more

Trump’s China visit turns icy after Taiwan clash

The New Cold Peace: Navigating the Future of US-China Relations The spectacle of red carpets, cannon salutes, and marching bands often masks a far grimmer reality in international diplomacy. When the world’s two largest economies meet, the gap between the “performance” of friendship and the “reality” of strategic competition has never been wider. View this … Read more

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are meeting in China but only one has the upper hand

The New Geopolitical Chessboard: Decoding the US-China Power Shift The arrival of US President Donald Trump in Beijing isn’t just another diplomatic visit; It’s a signal of a shifting global order. For years, the narrative was one of American hegemony. Today, we are witnessing a transition toward a “bipolar” stability where leverage is the only … Read more

Trump vows to push Xi to ‘open up’ China at superpower summit

The New Era of ‘CEO Diplomacy’: Why Corporate Giants are Now Geopolitical Players For decades, high-stakes diplomacy was the exclusive domain of ambassadors and secretaries of state. However, the current trajectory of US-China relations suggests a pivot toward what People can call “CEO Diplomacy.” When leaders like Jensen Huang of Nvidia and Elon Musk of … Read more

Trump set to arrive in Beijing for talks with Xi

The Silicon Shield: Why AI Chips Are the New Global Currency For decades, global power was measured by oil reserves and naval dominance. Today, the metric has shifted to compute. The strategic importance of Taiwan is no longer just about territorial sovereignty; This proves about the semiconductors that power everything from smartphones to advanced AI … Read more

Trump heads to Beijing for talks with Xi as Iran war looms

President Donald Trump is set to depart Tuesday for Beijing to meet with President Xi Jinping, following weeks of unsuccessful U.S. Efforts to convince the Chinese government to use its influence to end a two-month war with Iran or secure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The high-stakes visit comes amid a complex diplomatic … Read more