international relations

international-relations

Adapt or Die: U.S. Tariffs Fire Textiles Firm’s Global Ambitions

Translations, cross-publications, and collaborative projects from Sixth Tone’s external partners. 

SIXTH TONE ×

Like many Chinese apparel makers, Kane Top is looking to accelerate its overseas expansion plans amid international trade uncertainty.

Jiemian News

‘Too Big a Risk’: Chinese Students Rethink the American Dream

Articles that cut to the core of contemporary China. In-depth, informed, and carefully crafted, every piece is carried by the voices of the story’s participants.

FEATURES

After an abrupt visa freeze and a vague policy reversal, many Chinese students find themselves locked out, or walking away, from what had long been the default path to opportunity.

Chen Yiru

Hats Off: A Chinese Cap Maker Rides the MAGA Wave

An entrepreneur in eastern China won big selling “Make America Great Again” hats in the U.S. — then came Trump’s tariffs.

Jiang Yifan

With Tariffs Paused, China’s Holiday Goods Hub Races to Fill Orders

Inside Yiwu’s market stalls and factory floors, the Halloween and Christmas rush is back on after weeks of uncertainty. But as long-term risks grow, many are now looking beyond the U.S.

Ding Rui

Think Twice: China Tells Tourists and Students Eyeing the U.S.

Timely reports on issues and events from across China. Drawing on a vast range of sources, these succinct articles provide insights into the significance of each issue in a wider context.

NEWS

Warnings on safety, visas, and sentiment reflect how U.S.-bound travel, once routine, is now anything but.

After Five Years, Chinese Travel Agencies Eye a Return to North Korea

The country briefly reopened to non-Russian tourists for the first time in five years in February, only to suspend entry again in March.

Experts Push for Joint US-China Action on Climate and AI

Over the last week, American experts explored China’s climate solutions and AI innovations through academic exchanges and discussions.

Sixth Tone

Our Water: Inspiration Flows at Paris Forum

Experts gathered beside the Seine to offer their insights on opportunities for China-France cooperation as part of Shanghai’s cultural exchange campaign.

Our Water

Changing Course: Why More Chinese Students Are Eyeing Southeast Asia

Stricter visa rules, rising geopolitical tensions, and higher costs in the West, along with intense competition and pressure at home, are steering some Chinese students to Southeast Asia’s more welcoming shores.

To Boost Bilateral Tourism, China and Singapore Ease Visa Rules

The move is part of China’s strategic efforts to enhance the travel sector through measures including additional visa exemptions, streamlined applications, and reduced visa fees.

Yang Caini

Ye Zhanhang

Myriam Kryger on How Rivers Inspire the Flow of Art, Ideas

The former French cultural attache on the importance of creating space for face-to-face interactions that inspire fresh ideas and exchanges.

Suzhou Creek, Seine Meet in First Season of Our Water

Our Water: Shanghai Launches Program to Promote Global Culture Flow

City teams up with Paris for the first year of a river-inspired initiative that aims to promote international exchanges and cooperation with world metropolises.

The Private Practice Heirs of China’s Socialist Aid Program 

Contributions from individuals with unique perspectives to share. Hear from everyone, from experts and commentators to those whose voices are often marginalized.

VOICES & OPINION

China has sent more than 20,000 trained medical professionals on aid missions to Africa over the last 60 years. Some have never left.

Jodie Yuzhou Sun

How the BRI Reshaped China’s Medical Aid Spending

After decades focused on Africa, the rise of the Belt and Road Initiative has refocused Chinese aid closer to home.

Liang Di

Power Fantasies: The Truth About Chinese ‘Chiefs’ in West Africa

From “infrastructure chiefs” to “chiefs of the Chinese,” a number of Chinese have been awarded chieftainships in Africa. Their powers are less glamorous than many imagine, however.

Xu Liang

The Four Key Issues Facing China at the COP27 Climate Summit

China will be at the very center of discussions at the crunch climate talks in Egypt next week. Here are the main issues to look out for.

You Xiaoying

The Sweeping Impact of New U.S. Semiconductor Restrictions

China’s chip industry faces a brain drain under personnel rules; supercomputers take a hit; and chipmakers may have to just make do with old technology.

Caixin Global

How the Cold War Challenged Sino-African American Solidarity 

Your questions, answered. In-depth interviews with the minds and makers shaping today’s China.

Q & A

Facing a rising tide of reaction, the links between Black intellectuals and nationalist and left Chinese took on new importance.

Liu Zifeng

The Alliance That Shook the World

Beginning in the 1930s, African American intellectuals and nationalist Chinese, bound by a shared oppression, forged a bond that would last decades.