Tokyo is worried that if Trump returns to power he may seek some kind of trade or security pact with Beijing, undermining years of efforts to rein in the Asian giant.

Nearly three weeks since Cho Tae-yul became South Korean foreign minister, the first phone call with China’s Wang Yi has yet to take place.

The Western Pacific Naval Symposium will be held in Qingdao in April, the first time China has hosted for a decade.

Shipment of fuel from US to the Philippines raises suspicions the US is building up military supplies in the Southeast Asian nation.

Beijing’s foreign ministry lodges protest with US after top diplomat Antony Blinken congratulates Lai, as embassies oppose ‘wrong signals’ on Taiwan.

Voter turnout is expected to exceed the 74.9 per cent reported in 2020, thanks to good weather and fierce three-way race.

The island’s presidential election on Saturday emphasises the importance of its strategic location, world-leading chip industry and other geopolitical factors.

More than 60 national elections will be held this year; the US vote has greatest import for relations with China, but others elsewhere will also affect Beijing.

Washington and Beijing agreed to revive talks between the two militaries but a string of South China Sea confrontations threaten to complicate matters.

Pyongyang historically only negotiates when it feels weak, analysts say – but that isn’t the case currently with two of the five UN Security Council members on its side.

Ambassadors from eight Nato countries – the US, Britain, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Romania and Poland – met Japanese foreign minister before heading to Seoul to meet South Korean defence minister.

Vietnam has upgraded its ties with China following President Xi Jinping’s visit last week, just months after doing the same with Washington during US leader Joe Biden’s trip to the country.

War between Beijing and Washington ‘may become imminent and may become inevitable’ without American lawmakers’ approval of deals, says David Panuelo.

Island army officer agreed to a Chinese offer to fly a CH-47 Chinook onto a PLA aircraft carrier, prosecutors say.

The South China Sea dispute between China and Vietnam is not expected to become a sticking point during Xi’s meetings in Hanoi.

Chinese president and Vietnamese leaders will discuss upgrading bilateral relations, but maritime issues are a sticking point, as they have unresolved disputes in the South China Sea.

The changing geopolitical landscape and Asia’s ascent on the global stage are driving regional economies to collaborate more closely, leaders said at the first FII conference to be held in Hong Kong.

Lloyd Austin and Gilberto Teodoro ‘denounced the recent harassment’ by Chinese ships of Manila’s resupply vessels in the disputed Second Thomas Shoal.

Washington is hoping the meeting between the two leaders will lead to some crisis management safeguards such as a reconnected hotline.