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Mr. Trump is widely regarded around the world as a transactional leader. Chinese officials do see a potential upside if Mr. Trump pulls the United States back from its role as a global leader. But the Kremlin seems skeptical that Mr. Trump would actually push for such a deal, especially because of his track record: There was jubilation in Moscow when Mr. Trump won in 2016, but over the next four years, U.S. sanctions against Russia only increased, and Mr. Trump sent antitank weapons to Ukraine. On Wednesday, he quickly made clear that he would seek to have Mr. Trump on his side, as one of the first world leaders to congratulate Mr. Trump in a post on X. Mr. Trump has been effective in demanding more military spending from fellow NATO members, said Mr. Heisbourg.

Persons: David Pierson, Trump, Donald Trump’s, India Mujib Mashal, Narendra Modi, Trump’s, Africa Abdi Latif Dahir, —, Gaza Patrick Kingsley, Benjamin Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Mr, Netanyahu, “, ”, Basem Naim, ” Read, Mexico Natalie Kitroeff, Claudia Sheinbaum, Read, Ukraine Anton Troianovski, J.D, Vance, Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald J, Somini Sengupta, NATO Steven Erlanger, Georgina Wright, Vladimir V, Putin, François Heisbourg, Heisbourg Organizations: The Times, Global, Trump, West Bank, Second Trump, NATO, Mr, Russia, Signals, U.S, Biden, International Studies, Institut Montaigne, Republican Locations: China, Beijing, United States, Taiwan, India, Asia, Africa, U.S, Russia, Niger, Chad, Israel, Gaza, Jerusalem, Iran, Mexico, Mexico City, Stake, Ukraine, Moscow, Kyiv, Paris, Europe, “, French

China began holding military drills in areas surrounding Taiwan on Monday, days after Beijing accused the self-governing island’s president of promoting independence in a National Day address. China said its army, navy, air force, rocket force and other forces were taking part in the drills to test their ability to fight alongside each other, and to send a warning to Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory. It did not say when the exercises would conclude. “This is a powerful deterrent against the separatist activities of ‘Taiwan independence’ forces and a legitimate and necessary action to defend national sovereignty and maintain national unity,” said Senior Col. Li Xi, a spokesman for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command, which oversees an area including Taiwan, according to state media. In a social media post, the Eastern Theater Command said it was “ready to fight at all times.”Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, in a statement, expressed “strong condemnation for such irrational and provocative behavior” and said it had dispatched troops to respond to the Chinese drills.

Persons: ”, Li Xi Organizations: China, People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command, Eastern Theater Command, ” Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, China

☆ Why China’s and Russia’s Militaries Are Training Together
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China and Russia have pressed an informal political and economic alliance against the West. Now they are stepping up the cooperation between their militaries with increasingly provocative joint war games. Days earlier, the countries held live-fire naval drills in the hotly contested South China Sea for the first time in eight years. China has been frustrated by American trade restrictions and Washington’s building of security alliances in Asia. It has pushed back by trying to court European countries with trade and building its influence among poorer countries with investments.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: China Locations: China, Russia, Alaska, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, America, United States, Asia

☆ Russia and North Korea’s Defense Pact Is a New Headache for China
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( David Pierson | Choe Sang-Hun | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the contest of global narratives, China has sought to cast itself as a peaceful nation opposed to dividing the world into rival camps. In contrast, it has accused the United States of building alliances that will drive the world toward a new Cold War. Yet Russia and North Korea’s mutual defense treaty, which calls for the two countries to provide immediate military assistance to each other in the event of war, is exactly the kind of bloc-building that China has charged the United States with. China’s closest strategic partner and its only treaty ally — Russia and North Korea — are now the ones heightening the risk of Cold War-style confrontation in northeast Asia. The pact also creates more headaches for Beijing by appearing to deepen the semblance of a trilateral axis between China, Russia and North Korea, which China has sought to avoid.

Persons: —, ”, Yun Sun Organizations: “, Stimson Locations: China, United States, Russia, North, — Russia, North Korea, Asia, Beijing, “ Beijing, Washington

On Today’s Episode:Trump Jurors to Review Evidence as They Consider a Verdict in His Trial, by Jesse McKinleyAlito Refuses Calls for Recusal Over Display of Provocative Flags, by Adam LiptakBiden Asks What Trump Would Have Done if Capitol Rioters Were Black, by Nicholas Nehamas and Maya KingHong Kong Convicts Democracy Activists in Largest National Security Trial, by Tiffany MayThe 47 Pro-Democracy Figures in Hong Kong’s Largest National Security Trial, by K.K. Rebecca Lai, David Pierson and Tiffany MayNew Delhi Sweats Through Its Hottest Recorded Day, by Hari Kumar and Mujib Mashal

Persons: Trump, Jesse McKinley Alito, Adam Liptak Biden, Nicholas Nehamas, King, Tiffany May, K.K, Rebecca Lai, David Pierson, Tiffany, Hari Kumar, Mujib Mashal Organizations: Capitol, King Hong Kong Convicts Democracy, Hong Locations: Delhi

is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and co-author of “She Said,” which recounts how she and Megan Twohey broke the story of sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein, helping to ignite the #MeToo movement. Instagram •

Persons: “, Said, Megan Twohey, Harvey Weinstein, Instagram

China launched two days of military drills starting Thursday surrounding Taiwan in what it called a “strong punishment” to its opponents on the self-governing island, after Taiwan’s new president pledged to defend its sovereignty as he took office. The drills were the first substantive response by China to the swearing in of President Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing dislikes, in Taipei on Monday. Mr. Lai’s party asserts Taiwan’s separate status from China, and in a high-profile inaugural speech on Monday, he vowed to keep Taiwan’s democracy safe from Chinese pressure. China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, has mainly responded to Mr. Lai’s speech with sharply worded criticisms. China did not say how many planes and ships it was deploying in the exercise, but the last major drill in multiple locations around Taiwan that China has conducted was in April of last year in response to the visit to Taiwan by the former House speaker, Kevin McCarthy.

Persons: Lai Ching, Kevin McCarthy Locations: China, Taiwan, Beijing, Taipei, Kinmen, Taiwan Strait

☆ Xi’s Warm Embrace of Putin in China Is a Defiance of the West
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Days after returning from a trip to Europe where he was lectured about the need to rein in Russia, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, used a summit with President Vladimir V. Putin to convey an uncomfortable reality to the West: His support for Mr. Putin remains steadfast. Mr. Xi’s talks with Mr. Putin this week were a show of solidarity between two autocrats battling Western pressure. The two leaders put out a lengthy statement that denounced what they saw as American interference and bullying and laid out their alignment on China’s claim to self-ruled Taiwan and Russia’s “legitimate security interests” in Ukraine. They pledged to expand economic and military ties, highlighted by Mr. Putin’s visit to a cutting-edge Chinese institute for defense research. Mr. Xi even initiated a cheek-to-cheek hug as he bade Mr. Putin farewell on Thursday after an evening stroll in the Chinese Communist Party leadership compound in Beijing.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir V, Putin, Xi’s, Mr, Russia’s, Putin’s, Xi Organizations: West, Chinese Communist Party Locations: Europe, Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine, Beijing

☆ Putin’s China Visit Highlights Military Ties That Worry the West
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin attended a trade fair on Friday in a northeastern Chinese city and toured a state-backed university famous for its cutting edge defense research, highlighting how economic and military ties between the countries have grown despite, or perhaps because of, Western pressure. Mr. Putin’s visit to Harbin, a Chinese city with a Russian past, is part of a trip aimed at demonstrating that he has powerful friends even as his war against Ukraine — a campaign that he is escalating — has isolated him from the West. The visit followed a day of talks between him and President Xi Jinping of China that seemed orchestrated to convey not only the strategic alignment of the two powerful, autocratic leaders against the West, but a personal connection. State media showed Mr. Putin and Mr. Xi, neck ties off after formal talks on Thursday, strolling under willow trees and sipping tea at a traditional pavilion on the sprawling grounds of Zhongnanhai, the walled leadership compound in Beijing, with only their interpreters. As Mr. Xi saw Mr. Putin off in the evening, he even initiated a hug — a rare expression of affection for the Chinese leader.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Putin’s, Ukraine —, Xi Jinping, Xi Organizations: Ukraine Locations: Harbin, Russian, China, Zhongnanhai, Beijing

☆ In Talks With Putin, Xi Hails ‘Powerful Driving Force’ of Cooperation
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( David Pierson | Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Putin, whose economy remains largely isolated because of Western sanctions over his invasion of Ukraine, relies on Mr. Xi, China’s leader, for diplomatic cover and a financial lifeline, including huge purchases of Russian oil. But Mr. Putin will need more help to sustain his war machine, especially now as his military makes a push near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, before billions of dollars’ worth of arms arrives from the United States to shore up Ukraine’s depleted forces. In Beijing, Mr. Putin sought to show that Moscow was deepening its ties with Beijing as a bulwark against Western attempts to contain their countries. “We are working in solidarity on the formulation of a more just and democratic multipolar world order,” he said. He also said the leaders discussed working more closely in energy and nuclear power research, though made no mention of a proposed natural gas pipeline to China that Moscow would like to see built.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin of, ” Xi, Mr, Putin, Xi, ” Organizations: Russian Locations: Ukraine, Putin of Russia, Beijing, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s, United States, Moscow, China

covers Chinese foreign policy and China’s economic and cultural engagement with the world. He has been a journalist for more than two decades.

☆ What to Know About the Summit Between Putin and Xi in China
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, hosts President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia this week, the two leaders are expected to present a united front. Mr. Putin is trying to escalate his war in Ukraine before Ukrainian forces can receive a replenishment of arms from the United States, and likely wants to know he can rely on China. Mr. Xi will seek to bolster his strategic partner and “old friend,” but is also under pressure to avoid further alienating the West over his support for Russia. Mr. Putin will most likely seek more help from Beijing, which has provided a lifeline to the Kremlin ever since Western sanctions were imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. China purchases huge quantities of Russian oil and provides technologies that help Moscow withstand its economic isolation and sustain its war machine.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Xi, Putin’s Organizations: West, Russia, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, United States, China, Beijing, Harbin

☆ What’s in Our Queue? ‘Anita’ and More
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

What’s in Our Queue? ‘Anita’ and MoreI’m a foreign correspondent covering China. Much of what I’ve been watching and listening to is helping me rediscover Hong Kong, a city I was born and raised in, but left three decades ago when I was a teenager. Here are five things that I’ve enjoyed →

Persons: Anita ’, I’ve Locations: China, Hong Kong

☆ Putin Will Visit Xi, Testing a ‘No Limits’ Partnership
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( David Pierson | Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, hosts President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in China this week, it will be more than two years since the two autocratic leaders declared a “no limits” partnership to push back against what they consider American bullying and interference. Growing challenges from the West have tested the limits of that partnership. Mr. Xi is walking a narrowing tightrope, coming under increasing diplomatic and economic pressure to curtail Chinese support for Russia and its war in Ukraine. “China sees Russia as an important strategic partner and wants to give Putin proper respect, but it also wants to maintain sound relations with Europe and the United States for economic reasons and beyond. It is a very difficult balancing act,” said Shen Dingli, a Shanghai-based international relations scholar.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir V, Putin, ”, Shen Dingli Locations: Russia, China, Ukraine, Europe, Beijing, United States, Shanghai

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is meeting officials in China this week as disputes over wars, trade, technology and security are testing the two countries’ efforts to stabilize the relationship. China is courting foreign investment to help its sluggish economy. At the same time, its leader, Xi Jinping, has been bolstering national security and expanding China’s military footprint around Taiwan and the South China Sea in ways that have alarmed its neighbors. Mr. Biden and Mr. Xi have held talks to prevent their countries’ disputes from spiraling into conflict, after relations sank to their lowest point in decades last year. But an array of challenges could make steadying the relationship difficult.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Biden, Xi Jinping, Xi Locations: China, United States, Taiwan, South

☆ China Feels Boxed In by the U.S. but Has Few Ways to Push Back
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( David Pierson | Olivia Wang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden’s effort to build American security alliances in China’s backyard is likely to reinforce the Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s view that Washington is leading an all-out campaign of “containment, encirclement and suppression” of his country. And there is not much Mr. Xi can do about it. To China, Mr. Biden’s campaign looks nothing short of a reprise of the Cold War, when the world was split into opposing blocs. That pressure on China expanded Thursday when Mr. Biden hosted the leaders of Japan and the Philippines at the White House, marking the first-ever trilateral summit between the countries. American officials said the meeting was aimed at projecting a united front against China’s increasingly aggressive behavior against the Philippines in the South China Sea and against Japan in the East China Sea.

Persons: Biden’s, Xi, Biden, China’s, Camp David Organizations: U.S, White, Japan, Camp, Mr Locations: Washington, China, Beijing, Japan, Philippines, India, South, East, South Korea, Australia, Britain

☆ Hong Kong Detains and Expels Journalism Advocate, Group Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( David Pierson | More About David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A representative of Reporters Without Borders was denied entry to Hong Kong on Wednesday while attempting to enter the city on a fact-finding mission about shrinking press freedoms there, the organization said. Aleksandra Bielakowska, a Taipei-based advocacy officer for the group, said she had been detained for six hours at Hong Kong International Airport, where she was questioned and her belongings searched several times. She was later expelled without explanation. Reporters Without Borders, which is based in Paris and advocates on behalf of journalists around the world, said it was the first time one of its representatives had been denied entry or held in Hong Kong. “We are appalled by this unacceptable treatment of our colleague, who was simply trying to do her job,” Rebecca Vincent, director of campaigns for Reporters Without Borders, said in a statement.

Persons: Aleksandra Bielakowska, ” Rebecca Vincent Organizations: Borders, Wednesday, Hong Kong International Airport Locations: Hong Kong, Taipei, Paris

☆ Xi Meets With Russia’s Foreign Minister, Reaffirming Ties
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( David Pierson | Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, and Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, met in Beijing on Tuesday, in a session seen as laying the groundwork for an expected visit to China by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and pushing back against mounting pressure from the United States and its allies. Mr. Lavrov’s visit came just days after Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen warned of “significant consequences” if Chinese companies provided material support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. It also took place as President Biden was set to host the leaders of Japan and the Philippines on Wednesday to boost economic and security ties to counter China’s growing assertiveness in Asia. Earlier in the day, Mr. Lavrov met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, and said the two sides had talked about deepening security ties to resist the West's “anti-Chinese” and “anti-Russian orientation.” In a sign of the Kremlin’s continued deference to China, Mr. Lavrov reaffirmed Russia’s rejection of any “outside interference” over Beijing’s claims to the de facto independent island of Taiwan. “There is no place for dictatorships, hegemony, neocolonial and colonial practices, which are now being widely used by the United States and the rest of the ‘collective West,’” Mr. Lavrov said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Sergey V, Lavrov, Vladimir V, Putin, Lavrov’s, Janet L, Yellen, Biden, Wang Yi, ’, Mr Locations: Beijing, China, Russia, United States, Ukraine, Japan, Philippines, Asia, Taiwan

☆ The Bizarre Chinese Murder Plot Behind Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The video game tycoon had wanted to turn one of China’s most famous science-fiction novels, “The Three-Body Problem,” into a global hit. He had started working with Netflix and the creators of the HBO series “Game of Thrones” to bring the alien invasion saga to international audiences. But Mr. Lin did not live to see “3 Body Problem” premiere on Netflix last month, drawing millions of viewers. Sidelined at work, Mr. Xu reportedly exacted vengeance with meticulous planning, including by testing poisons on small animals in a makeshift lab. (He not only killed Mr. Lin, but also poisoned his own replacement.)

Persons: Lin Qi, “, Lin, Xu Yao, Lin’s, Xu Organizations: Netflix, HBO Locations: Shanghai

☆ U.S.-Funded Broadcaster Leaves Hong Kong, Citing Security Law
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The authorities in China have long accused Radio Free Asia, also known as R.F.A., of being a front for the U.S. government. In its statement, the news organization noted that officials in Hong Kong had also recently referred to R.F.A. as a “foreign force” in the context of how it covered the discussion over the new security law. Hong Kong enacted the security law on March 23, giving the city’s authorities more power to investigate such offenses as “external interference” and the theft of state secrets. The government declined a request to comment on Radio Free Asia’s departure, pointing instead to national security laws in other countries to justify legislation in Hong Kong.

Persons: Bay Fang, Chris Tang Organizations: Radio Free Asia, Radio Free, U.S . Locations: States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, United States, China, Radio Free Asia

☆ Hong Kong Adopts Sweeping Security Laws, Bowing to Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Tiffany May | David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hong Kong on Tuesday passed national security laws at the behest of Beijing, thwarting decades of public resistance in a move that critics say will strike a lasting blow to the partial autonomy the city had been promised by China. The new legislation, which was passed with extraordinary speed, grants the authorities even more powers to crack down on opposition to Beijing and the Hong Kong government, establishing penalties — including life imprisonment — for political crimes like treason and insurrection, which are vaguely defined. It also targets offenses like “external interference” and the theft of state secrets, creating potential risks for multinational companies and international groups operating in the Asian financial center. Many of the opposition figures who might have challenged the legislation have either been jailed or have gone into exile since China’s ruling Communist Party, under Xi Jinping, its most powerful leader in decades, imposed the first national security law, in 2020. That law gave the authorities a powerful tool to quash dissent after months of antigovernment demonstrations engulfed the city in 2019.

Persons: —, Hong, China’s, Xi Jinping Organizations: Hong, Communist Party Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China

☆ As China Tries to Present a Friendlier Image, a New Face Emerges
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Faced with declining foreign investment at home, China has sought to soften its image in the United States and Europe and make nice with some of its neighbors. One Communist Party official has played an unusually prominent role in the shift in tone. In New York, he told an audience of scholars and businesspeople that China did not seek to rewrite the United States-led global order. In Beijing, he told the ambassador of India, a regional rival, that China hoped relations would “return to a healthy and stable” track. The official, Liu Jianchao, heads the Communist Party’s diplomatic arm, a body that promotes the party’s ideology and influence abroad.

Persons: Liu Jianchao, China’s Organizations: Communist Party, Communist Locations: China, United States, Europe, New York, States, Paris, Beijing, India

☆ China and the U.S. Are Talking, but Their Détente Has Limits
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( David Pierson | Olivia Wang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China and the United States are back at the negotiating table. Days later, in Beijing, officials restarted long-stalled talks on curbing the flow of fentanyl to the United States. And the White House says Mr. Biden plans to speak by phone with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, in the spring. The developments point to a tentative détente struck by Mr. Biden and Mr. Xi at a summit near San Francisco in November — and both the potential and the limitations of that thaw in relations. In the meetings, they have pushed a new catchphrase, the “San Francisco Vision,” claiming that Mr. Xi and Mr. Biden agreed at the summit to stabilize relations and put competition aside.

Persons: Mr, Biden, Xi Jinping, Xi Organizations: San Francisco Vision Locations: China, United States, Bangkok, China’s, Korea, Iran, Beijing, San Francisco, —

As the most powerful Chinese leader in generations, Xi Jinping rarely bothers to glad-hand or to try charming a crowd. His public appearances in China are carefully crafted, with fawning cadres and adoring fans positioned around him. So when Mr. Xi landed in San Francisco this week to meet with President Biden, to try to stabilize a relationship with the United States that has been spiraling downward, it provided a rare opportunity to see the Chinese leader up close and, at times, less filtered than usual. Earlier, the Chinese leader had compared presidential limousines with Mr. Biden as they met on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. And he thanked Mr. Biden for reminding him that his wife, Peng Liyuan, a famous Chinese soprano and folk singer, has a birthday on Monday, as does Mr. Biden.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, Biden, Mr, Peng Liyuan Organizations: Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Locations: China, San Francisco, United States, Iowa, Hebei

Meeting with President Biden for the first time in a year, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, reiterated his determination to unify with Taiwan, but stopped short of mentioning the potential use of force. He denounced what he called futile American efforts at containing China, but also acknowledged that U.S. tech restrictions had taken a toll. And he broadcast that China had global ambitions for its influence — while also trying to reassure the world that those ambitions did not have to lead to conflict with the United States. Mr. Xi wants to convince Washington, and the world, that he is willing to engage with the United States, in part to lure back foreign investment to bolster China’s ailing economy. But he also wants to demonstrate to the Chinese people that he strongly defended Beijing’s interests, and burnished its image as a world power on a par with the United States, not a secondary one making concessions.

Persons: Biden, Xi Jinping, Xi Locations: Taiwan, China, United States, San Francisco, Washington

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