Diplomacy

Trump to U.S. businesses in China: drop dead

5 Dec 2016

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's precedent-breaking call with Taiwan's president, followed by ominous tweets about Chinese policy and American firms' overseas production, has diplomats scrambling. One thing is clear: Trump doesn't care about U.S. investments in China.

Britain’s haul: 27 gold medals and a wooden spoon

22 Aug 2016

China underwhelmed in the Olympic medals table, while the tiny UK excelled. That’s a poor guide to more important competitions. Though Britain still has soft power, its value as a role model is on the wane. China no longer needs gold medals to secure its place on the podium.

Barnier’s Brexit gig better than it looks for UK

27 Jul 2016

Brussels' ex-financial services tsar is to lead EU talks over Britain's exit. Michel Barnier has at times raised British hackles, but he largely treated the City of London fairly. Arbitration won't be smooth, but the identity of the negotiator could have been worse.

China’s legal defeat is new threat to Asian trade

14 Jul 2016

The People's Republic has angrily rejected an international panel's denial of its claims in the South China Sea. Though rhetorical sabre-rattling is mostly harmless, an economic backlash would hurt already-weak imports and exports in the region. Such tactics have misfired before.

Damning Iraq report shows there’s hope for Britain

6 Jul 2016

A state inquiry has slated British lawmakers for the 2003 Iraq war. This, and a post-referendum political vacuum, may spur investors to wonder why they fund the UK’s big current account deficit. The answer - for now - is institutional resilience and a capacity for self-criticism.

Putin is slipping into Crimean economic sinkhole

14 Jun 2016

Russia’s struggle to build a bridge link to Crimea is a microcosm of President Vladimir Putin’s problem: his annexation carries high costs but is yielding meagre benefits. Public discontent risks flaring before September’s parliamentary elections and may spur a new crackdown.

Mass shootings erode U.S. soft power

13 Jun 2016

People the world over sympathize with the dozens killed in an Orlando nightclub. Whatever the attacker’s motives, though, Washington’s allies can’t fathom the richest nation’s continuing failure to control access to lethal weapons. It’s a blind spot that saps America’s influence.

Saudi pitches to U.S. in diminished circumstances

13 Jun 2016

Cheap oil, the opening up of Iran and shootings in Orlando could all make Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the United States unusually tense. Saudi needs security guarantees and oil demand as it tries to modernise its economy. That puts it on the back foot.