Zheng Yongnian is a political scientist in China and a government adviser. His academic work is mainly about contemporary China, particularly politics, the country’s transformation and its external relations.
This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here.
Many have offered a lukewarm assessment of the Xi-Trump summit in Washington, citing the lack of a breakthrough. What is your take?
There are two primary views right now. One is...
Bosnian Serb nationalist politician Milorad Dodik has declared victory for his party in an election in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday that was shaped by economic pressures, the prospect of the Balkan nation joining the European Union and ethnic tensions that have divided the country since its brutal 1992–95 war.
Dodik is a staunchly pro-Russia politician who, despite not appearing on the ballot, has dominated the campaign and inflamed divisions with separatist rhetoric that have sparked fears...
Police in Moscow detained about 60 people at a rally on Sunday held by Russia’s Kremlin-friendly Communist Party, the party said.
The party said in a statement that the detentions happened as the rally was ending and that its Moscow branch was working to get those who were detained – mostly young people – released.
The rally marked the anniversary of the Kremlin’s 1993 crushing of a parliamentary uprising.
The Telegram news channel Ostorozhno Novosti said protesters chanted slogans including...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he believed Russia may have shared jet-drone technology with its long-standing ally North Korea.
In recent weeks, Russia has sharply increased its use of jet-drones against Ukraine, which so far has no effective means of countering them other than using combat aircraft.
Earlier in the war, North Korea supplied Russia with millions of artillery shells and it has since provided ballistic missiles that Moscow regularly uses to attack...
For American and Chinese people interested in the outcome of the latest summit between China’s President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, their conclusions could not be more different if they turn to the media and pundits for guidance.
Chinese state media spared no superlative, echoing the official description of the summit as: forging the right way for the major powers to get along and writing a new chapter in ties. It played up the fact that Trump gave Xi the highest-level reception...
Russia struck a bridge in Kyiv on Sunday soon after Germany’s chancellor arrived in Ukraine’s capital on a surprise visit to demonstrate European support in the face of an upsurge in attacks.
Air raid sirens blared across Kyiv, urging residents to shelter soon after Friedrich Merz arrived under tight security, with warnings of approaching Russian attack drones.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko then confirmed that a strike had damaged the road surface on the Northern Bridge – one of several connecting...
At a two-day trade exhibition in Hong Kong earlier this week, Vera Nikitina, a representative of Russian confectionery producer Belyov Pastila Manufacture, was looking for new buyers – while also trying to reassure them that the company’s products were genuinely made in Russia.
The company made its first attempt to enter China in 2019, before beginning regular shipments and establishing a local office in 2022-23. Its sales grew in 2024 amid booming Chinese demand for Russian consumer goods.
That...
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs’ party was on course to win the largest share of votes in an election on Saturday amid growing security threats from Russia, putting him in a strong position ahead of coalition talks to form the next government.
The United List secured 35.6 per cent of the vote, according to an exit poll released by LTV public broadcaster. If confirmed, this would be the best result of any party in Latvian parliamentary elections since the Baltic nation regained...
