Italy has announced its formal withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative after joining the China-centered infrastructure and investment project in 2019.
The timing of the announcement that Rome won’t renew its BRI commitment is notable. It came only a day before the EU-China summit, which kicks off on Thursday. The summit will likely be more contentious than usual, with European leaders expected to push China on the treatment of EU firms amid discussions ...
Day: March 15, 2023
U.S., UK and Australia Sign Landmark Defense Pact, Prompting Dark Warning from Beijing
The leaders of the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, members of the so-called AUKUS alliance, signed a landmark pact valued at nearly $400 billion that will allow Australia to deploy long-range nuclear-powered submarines for the first time. Australia will procure at ...
Chinese Government Warns AUKUS Submarine Deal Will Trigger a New Arms Race in Asia-Pacific
The Chinese government warned that the deployment of nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia would provoke a dangerous new arms race and undermine the increasingly fragile stability in the Asia-Pacific region. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin issued a blunt response when ...
Uneasy About Australia’s New Submarine Deal with the U.S. and UK, Indonesia Echoes China’s Concerns About Asia-Pacific Arms Race
Indonesia's Foreign Ministry took to Twitter on Tuesday to restate its longstanding concern that Australia's acquisition of U.S. and UK-made nuclear-powered attack submarines could destabilize the Asia-Pacific region and violate the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) of which Australia is a signatory. Jakarta's statement ...
Why “Encirclement” has Become a Chinese Talking Point
This year-old map produced by the UK-based think tank Council on Geostrategy is circulating widely on Twitter this week following Tuesday's AUKUS summit in California and last week's comments by President Xi Jinping that the U.S. and its allies are "encircling" China.
China Issues Fresh Warning to the Philippines About Expanding Military Ties With the U.S.
For the second time in a week, the Chinese government has issued a warning to the Philippines not to grant the U.S. military access to more bases in the country. An editorial in Tuesday's edition of the state-run China Daily ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Awkward Timing as Italy Withdraws from BRI
What to Make of China’s Mideast Diplomatic Breakthrough?
New details are emerging about the landmark diplomatic deal brokered by China for Saudi Arabia and Iran to restore diplomatic relations. The initial excitement about the prospects for peace between these two Persian Gulf rivals has given way to a more ...