Asian Insider: From the foreign editor

Dear reader, 

Thank you for subscribing to Asian Insider. Over the years we have been keeping you apprised of key developments in and around Asia, and now, we are switching things up a bit. I will helm this newsletter along with my colleague Clement Tan, and we hope to share the story behind stories by our network of award-winning correspondents in Asia-Pacific and Europe. 

So, let’s get to it. 

With President Donald Trump extending a US-China trade war detente for another 90 days, attention now turns to what could come next – a meeting between Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Optimists hope it will portend a stabilisation of the world’s most consequential relationship, though frankly, any kind of grand bargain is unlikely given the structural problems bedevilling ties.  

Still, Mr Trump has made no secret of his desire for a face-to-face chinwag. The question is when and where? Observers have noted the 90-day truce takes us to end-October when two summits are taking place –  Asean’s East Asia Summit (Oct 26-28) in Kuala Lumpur, and the Apec leaders’ meeting in South Korea (Oct 31-Nov 1). Note the window, just right for a skip and hop to China. 

In a more conventional White House, preparations for a presidential trip to China 2½ months away would be in full swing. But, as our US bureau chief Bhagyashree Garekar tells me, doubts remain as to whether things in DC are well-thought out. “They just tend to get lucky a lot,” is a comment she hears often, suggesting impulsiveness rather than strategy might be at play. This flows from Mr Trump’s tendency to concentrate negotiations in his hand because of his supreme faith in his dealmaking skills. 

Nevertheless, sources have told our correspondents that preparations are under way in Washington for a possible Trump visit to China between the two summits. Officials in Beijing are also on standby. 

Another development that has China watchers agog is news, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, that senior Chinese diplomat Liu Jianchao is purportedly under a cloud. Rumours have been swirling in Beijing that the head of the Communist Party of China International Department (CPCID) – who was tipped as a frontrunner to become the next foreign minister – has been taken away for questioning. 

Is it for graft? Chinese authorities have neither confirmed nor denied the report. Mr Liu remains listed as minister on the CPCID website. My China bureau colleagues note that unlike those in the military, Mr Liu was not in a position where he could liberally dispense lucrative procurement contracts. So the reason could lie elsewhere.  

The probe, if true, is untimely. As Dr Yun Sun from the Stimson Center in the US told us, “Liu is a long-time foreign policy veteran... We need to know the cause of the detention before evaluating the specific impact. But this will send repercussions across China’s foreign policy apparatus”.

Closer to home, upside down Malaysian flags displayed for the country’s national day has caused a fracas, exposing once again how racial tensions there simmer close to the surface and can be easily politicised.

It reminded me of a recent interview that Malaysia bureau chief Shannon Teoh did with Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The former PM defended his legacy including bumiputera policies meant to uplift the Malay community but which critics say have remained as a canker in the country’s communal ties. If you haven’t read the interview, you can find it here. For more insights from our bureau, you can sign up for our Malaysia edition Asian Insider newsletter here. 

I leave you with a selection of some of our best reads and podcasts from the past week. Meanwhile, if you have feedback or views you’d like to share, do drop me an email.

Until next week.

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