Trump in Beijing: Why even limited success is remarkable

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned visiting US President Donald Trump that mishandling the Taiwan issue could trigger a “clash or even conflict”, as Beijing raised the stakes in US-China ties. Analysts said the wording signals heightened urgency in Beijing’s Taiwan stance. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han reports.

China’s private security companies are rapidly expanding their capabilities and projecting power precisely where it counts most: the sea lanes of communication. This is especially significant when recent global conflicts are centred on the Strait of Hormuz and other maritime chokepoints of the world. Academic Alessandro Arduino analyses the situation.

Even as US-China rivalry deepens, Beijing may look back on Trump’s transactional unpredictability as a rare stabiliser in an increasingly ideological and uncertain post-Trump world, argues Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei.

As Trump makes his way to meet Xi in Beijing, the friction between the two countries will be difficult to resolve, and observers believe that the talks are unlikely to produce any major breakthroughs. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei finds out from academics that stability and guardrails for bilateral relations is the least one might expect for a positive outcome of the summit.

Chinese regulators are aggressively expanding its oversight on Chinese companies, moving beyond capital controls to prevent technology, data and talent from fleeing overseas. By scrutinising offshore “red-chip” structures and blocking high-profile acquisitions like Meta’s bid for Manus, authorities are signalling that corporate re-domiciliation can no longer bypass China’s tightening national security and tax net. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Sha explains.

The true drivers of the UAE’s decision to exit OPEC hinge on the shifting alliances of the Arabian peninsula, centred on the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, says Middle East Institute-NUS fellow Jing Lin. China stands to benefit, not only in oil supplies but in wider aims like the internationalisation of the RMB — but only if it plays its cards right in balancing between the two regional heavyweights.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s visit to honour Japanese-era engineer Yoichi Hatta at Wushantou Reservoir has triggered political backlash at home and criticism from Beijing, coming just days before the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, where Taiwan tensions loom. Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk looks into the matter.

Trump meets Xi in Beijing for a carefully choreographed summit dominated by trade, Taiwan and geopolitical tensions. Despite high ceremony and tightly managed optics, expectations for major breakthroughs remain limited on both sides. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei and journalist Meng Dandan break down what to expect.

China’s political debate finds a new home on YouTube, where overseas-based commentators build a parallel public sphere still widely accessed in China via VPN, even as some voices remain on the ground. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Zhang Guanghui explores the shift.

Southeast Asia is hoping the Trump-Xi meeting delivers something rare: stability. Despite Trump’s unpredictability, ASEAN sees calmer US-China ties as vital while diversifying beyond both powers, says ISEAS researcher Stephen Olson.

Concerns that similar distress seen in the Strait of Hormuz could happen in the Strait of Malacca during geopolitical conflicts are not so straightforward. The latter’s military geography is not the same. Not only that, the US and China have a whole other agenda in the region and the littoral states there are wired differently to guard their interests. Academic John Bradford analyses the situation.

As the global order fragments and great power tensions rise, Singapore’s leaders are signalling a new era of strategic vigilance — one shaped by resilience, credibility and long-term survival, observes Lianhe Zaobao editorial consultant Goh Sin Hwee.

From Wall Street to Shanghai, stock markets are hitting record highs as investors crowd into a narrowband of AI and semiconductor giants, turning the rally into a concentrated surge rather than a broad advance. But with gains increasingly reliant on a handful of megacap companies, is the AI boom an overstretched bubble?

China’s crackdown on corruption among high-level officials has recently meted out one of its most severe punishments for two former military leaders. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong takes a look at the downfall of the top brass over the years.

In this unnecessary war with Iran, the US now has no choice but to negotiate and make compromises. Iran may even emerge with its regional standing strengthened. To go into the US-China summit with the best hand, President Trump needs to settle the Iranian question quickly. Academic Fan Hongda explains.

Chinese motorcycle manufacturer ZXMOTO’s win in the World Superbike Championship has captured international attention towards China’s “Motorcycle Capital” Chongqing. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Liu speaks with motorcycle enthusiasts and industry insiders to trace the industry’s breakthrough, growth and trajectory.

China-born politician Li Chen-hsiu was recently expelled from Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan and the Taiwan People’s Party, highlighting the plight of mainland spouses in Taiwan. The existing legal framework provides ambiguity and thus some flexibility, but the status quo is changing under a government that increasingly defines Taiwan in opposition to China. Malaysian academic Ngeow Chow Bing explores the implications of this development.

While the battle for the Strait of Hormuz takes centre stage, it is merely a pawn in the intensifying China-US rivalry. The upcoming Xi-Trump summit looms as a decisive arena where the Taiwan issue, energy security, trade sanctions and the AI race will clash. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei tells us more.