Disappearing ministers show the strength – and weakness – of Xi’s regime
Less than three months after China’s foreign minister vanished, the defence minister is missing and rumoured to be under investigation.
ByXi Jinping
Xi Jinping is general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (since 2012) and president of China (since 2013). He was born in 1953 and joined the Communist Party in 1974. He studied chemical engineering at Tsinghua University. From 1999 to 2002 he was governor of Fujian province, and was governor of Zhejiang for the next five years; he was first secretary of the Central Secretariat from 2007 and became the presumed successor to the presidency in 2008.
Britain is asking the wrong questions about China
A new realism is needed to deal with the threat from Beijing.
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How China’s foreign minister Qin Gang disappeared into the political void
After going missing for a month, Qin Gang has been removed as foreign minister. His rapid rise and sudden downfall…
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Resolving US-China tensions needs more than just superpower diplomacy
Antony Blinken’s visit to Beijing suggests there is reason for hope – but improving relations relies as much on national…
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US Congress goes to “war” over Taiwan
The House select committee on China simulated war with the Chinese Communist Party over the island. The results were sobering.
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Xi and Putin: are there limits to the “no limits” friendship?
The two leaders seek to remake the global order, while Turkey braces itself for a hotly contested May election.
The world according to Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin
China and Russia are united in an epic struggle against the West – and their leaders seek nothing less than…
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The meaning of the battle for Bakhmut
Without taking the city Vladimir Putin cannot achieve his war aims.
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Best friends forever? What we learned from Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin’s meeting in Moscow
China’s leader vows changes not seen in 100 years, plus the legacy of the Iraq war.
Xi Jinping’s desperate gamble on Vladimir Putin
The Chinese leader is framing his visit to Moscow as a “journey for peace” but his calculations go far beyond…
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How Xi Jinping views the world
China’s leader came to power determined to ensure the country's continuing rise, but he may yet turn out to be…
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The diplomatic battle for Taiwan
Taiwan’s remaining allies are being whittled away as Beijing positions itself as a peacemaker between Russia and Ukraine.
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The US is readying itself for another moral crusade, this time against China
The drumbeat of war is growing louder in Washington, where the political class is transfixed by Beijing.
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China is laying out a path to conflict with the US
Qin Gang, the foreign minister, has warned that the two powers are heading toward a confrontation that would risk “the…
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Xi Jinping lashes out at the US
China’s leadership took aim at America in an uncharacteristically direct attack during Beijing’s annual parliamentary session.
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Qin Gang: China’s new foreign minister and the taming of “wolf warrior” diplomacy
A former ambassador to the US, Qin Gang has a ferocious reputation. Who is he, and what does his rise…
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Axis of Autocrats: Putin, Xi and Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko’s Beijing visit undermines China’s claim to neutrality as drone strikes hit Russia.
Why Alexander Lukashenko’s trip to China matters
The Belarusian autocrat is a close ally of Vladimir Putin, and a useful friend in Beijing’s contest with the West.
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China’s hollow peace plan for Ukraine
Any hopes that Wang Yi’s visit to the Kremlin might have been to broker an end to the conflict have…
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This is how China wants the war in Ukraine to end
Chinese officials have called for peace talks on the first anniversary of the war, but Beijing has already chosen sides.
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