#us-china-rivalry

#us-china-rivalry

Orsi's seven-day trip to China began on Sunday and will next take him to Shanghai. A 150-person delegation, including business leaders and other government officials, is accompanying the president. His trip is being closely watched as he becomes the first Latin American leader to visit China since US special forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a bloody night raid on Caracas in early January.

China's official discourse centres on the idea of peaceful rise, the commitment to non-interference in internal affairs, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and economic partnerships based on mutual benefit. Beijing insists that relations with Washington should not slide into conflict, calling for a system of global governance built on cooperation rather than confrontation. Yet the geopolitical landscape reveals a wide gap between this discourse and reality. Donald Trump's return to the White House has brought back rhetorical escalation and increased geopolitical pressure.

The US Department of Justice has detained two men for allegedly violating export control laws by attempting to smuggle at least $160 million worth of Nvidia Corp. AI chips to China. A third, the owner of a Houston company, has already pleaded guilty. The department alleges the men operated a smuggling network that spanned the Houston business, run by Alan Hao Hsu, and several warehouses across the US, which replaced Nvidia labels from H100 and H200 AI chips with the fictional Sandkyan brand before shipping them.

"in the dead of night, in fair weather or foul, to go to dangerous places to find those who would do our nation harm, and deliver justice on behalf of the American people in close and brutal combat if necessary," Hegseth said. "In this profession," he went on, "you feel comfortable inside the violence so that our citizens can live peacefully. Lethality is our calling card, and victory our only acceptable end state."

US president's visit to Malaysia puts spotlight on Southeast Asian country's efforts to walk a fine line between great powers. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia When US President Donald Trump lands in Malaysia for Southeast Asia's headline summit this weekend, he will be delivering Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim a diplomatic coup. US presidents rarely visit Malaysia, a multiracial nation of 35 million people sandwiched between Thailand and Singapore, which for decades has maintained a policy of not picking sides in rivalries between great powers.

New Zealand's foreign mininster discusses the decision not to recognise a Palestinian state, shifting geopolitical alliances, and diplomacy. In a shifting world order, New Zealand's foreign policy faces new tests, from Gaza to the Pacific. Foreign Minister Winston Peters speaks to Talk to Al Jazeera about why his government has stopped short of recognising a Palestinian state, how small nations can stay neutral amid the United States-China rivalry, and whether multilateralism still protects the weak from the will of the powerful.

President Donald Trump on Thursday suggested that he is working to reestablish a U.S. presence at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, four years after America's chaotic withdrawal from the country left the base in the Taliban's hands. Trump floated the idea during a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as he wrapped up a state visit to the U.K. and tied it to the need for the U.S. to counter its top rival, China.

"The time may well be coming when the U.S. and China will face off and we will need to ask our Gulf partners to stand with us in that tough moment," former National Intelligence Manager for Iran at ODNI Norm Roule. "To do this, we need closer and more regular visits by the Saudi Crown Prince, as well as the Emirati President of the United Arab Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed."