US Politics

The close US election, with the twists and turns involved in the vote-counting process – as well as seeming rival claims of victory – was a messy outcome anticipated by the region’s investors and political punditry. Speaking to South China Morning Post reporters across Asia, observers and analysts said a rising stock market on Wednesday and Thursday reflected the distinct lack of panic in the region. Still, there remained some anxiety about the knock-on effects for security in flashpoint regions such as the Taiwan Strait and the Korean peninsula if Washington remains distracted with internal politics for an extended period. As of press time, the outcome was being decided based on the final

President Donald Trump said his administration would “do something” within days about the situation in Hong Kong after the Chinese government decided to impose controversial national security legislation on the city. Critics said the proposed law threatened the civil liberties in the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 as a highly autonomous special administrative region. On Wednesday, Hong Kong was embroiled in city-wide protests as the local legislature debated a bill that would criminalize booing the Chinese national anthem.  When asked if he was prepared to use sanctions against China over the national security legislation, Trump said: “We’re doing something now

As Beijing steps up its defense of its mass internment measures targeting Muslims in China’s far west, one key target of its messaging campaign remains decidedly unconvinced: the US Congress. On Monday, representatives of the regional government in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region said that all “trainees” in what China calls vocational training centers have “graduated” and found stable employment. Foreign governments and international human rights watchdogs remain skeptical of China’s efforts to ward off accusations of a campaign to forcibly bring ethnic minority groups in the region into line. And Uygurs living overseas point to silence from their relatives in Xinjiang as proof they a

The US Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that could put diplomatic and economic pressure on the Hong Kong and Beijing governments over what American lawmakers said were human rights abuses.  While not yet law, the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act could alter the relationships between Washington, Beijing and Hong Kong. What does the act do? The bill’s sponsor, Florida Republican Marco Rubio, said it would hold accountable officials for Hong Kong’s “eroding autonomy and human rights violations.” In practice, the act calls for sanctions against anyone deemed to have violated freedoms guaranteed under Hong Kong’s Basic Law, a constitutional document that underpins the city’s special statu

How do you pronounce the surname of the US presidential candidate Andrew Yang? Does it rhyme with “gang,” as in “Yang Gang”?  While this pronunciation may be intuitive to Americans – it’s how the Democratic hopeful says his name – it might sound a little off to Chinese ears. In the video above, we explain the difference between how Mandarin speakers pronounce the popular Chinese last name and how most Americans say it.

Donald Trump has lost the House to the Democrats, but it won’t offer any more breathing space for China. In fact, some analysts say the Trump administration will now act more aggressively in foreign policymaking, now that he is facing hurdles pushing forward his domestic agenda. Ian Bremmer, president of political risk consultancy Eurasia Group and a vocal Trump critic, predicted on Wednesday that Trump will make more surprise moves in the coming two years as he competes with the House Democrats for attention. “He’s going to work harder so that [the media] is covering what he wants them to cover. When that becomes a problem for him, he escalates,” Bremmer said on the sidelines of the Bloombe

Donald Trump has won a victory for himself – and for China, as well. Senate lawmakers have reached a deal not to reinstate a crippling ban on Chinese telecommunications company ZTE for violating US business laws. That’s a win for Trump, who had ordered the lifting of the ban in what he said was part of his trade war negotiations with China. Several senators backed down from their attempt to reimpose the block placed by the Commerce Department in April that prevented ZTE from buying any American components – from processor chips to urinal parts – according to a conference report released on Tuesday. A compromise amendment, which is part of the must-pass Defense Appropriation Bill, instead ad

President Donald Trump has suggested that China is to blame for what appears to be faltering talks between the United States and North Korea. On Monday, Trump said that China “may be” doing something to sabotage his deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, as it became clear to the president that the US and North Korea were not on the same page when it came to denuclearization. I have confidence that Kim Jong Un will honor the contract we signed &, even more importantly, our handshake. We agreed to the denuclearization of North Korea. China, on the other hand, may be exerting negative pressure on a deal because of our posture on Chinese Trade-Hope Not! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)