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Rays of Hope Following China Settlement in Sri Lanka

China’s commitment to supporting Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring in line with other bilateral creditors is a major step towards securing a rescue package from the International Monetary Fund. However, it’s still unclear how negotiations will proceed, as the country suffers from food and ...

China Announces Double-Digit Budget Increase for Diplomacy

China is sharply increasing its budget for diplomacy and influence-building around the world after three years of retreat from the world stage. The announcement of a 12.2% increase follows Foreign Minister Qin Gang’s recent comment that “Chinese ...

U.S. Generals Warn Congress About China’s Growing Presence in the Americas

China featured prominently in this week’s U.S. House Armed Services Committee testimony on U.S. national security challenges in North and South America. This follows an annual threat assessment by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which emphasized cooperation between China and Russia.  ...

China Shouldn’t be Surprised More Countries in Asia Are Turning to the U.S., Says Envoy to Japan

Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, blamed China for increasing tensions in East Asia. Speaking with CNN, he framed regional military buildups and the strengthening of U.S.-centric blocs like the Quad (a defense-focused alliance between the U.S., Australia, Japan and India) as responses to Chinese aggression. Beijing tends to ...

China is the “Clear and Present Danger” Facing Australia, Warn Security Analysts

Australia should prepare for a U.S.-China war within three years and should consider reinstating the draft and reintroducing nuclear weapons.  These were some of the talking points at a recent roundtable convened by the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on national ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Revealing Reactions to China’s Festival of Optics

In terms of geopolitical optics, this week was nothing short of a banquet. It served up at least two sets of images that seem to crystallize our historical moment and that will live on in the Wikipedia of history as shorthand for where the world was in 2025.
One is the waves of uncannily synchronized soldiers and a bewildering array of high-tech weaponry gliding down Beijing’s Chang’an Avenue. The ...