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China-Brokered Ceasefire in Myanmar

China’s Foreign Ministry announced a ceasefire agreement between Myanmar’s ruling military junta and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) on Monday. The agreement triggered a cessation of fighting from Saturday. The MNDAA is part of the Three Brotherhood Alliance of ...

Trump’s Executive Orders, China, and the Global South

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a raft of executive orders on his first day in office that will significantly shift the United States’s relationship with the developing world. The orders, while framed as promoting the interests of the U.S. voters, will ...

Putin and Xi Praise Ties, Hours After Trump Sworn In

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping praised their deepening cooperation in a video call on Tuesday, hours after Donald Trump's inauguration as United States president. The Republican has promised to take a hard line on Washington's adversaries since ...

China Says Committed to WHO, Paris Climate Deal After U.S. Pulls Out

By Peter Catterall China vowed on Tuesday to continue participating in two cornerstone multinational arrangements -- the World Health Organization and Paris Climate Accord -- after newly sworn-in US President Donald Trump ordered withdrawals from them.

Germany Calls Trump’s Vow to Take Panama Canal “Unacceptable,” Dismisses Concerns About China

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Tuesday criticized Donald Trump's "unacceptable" pledge to seize the Panama Canal, which the returning U.S. president repeated in his inaugural address. Baerbock was asked in an interview about Trump's comments Monday on the waterway and ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Plugging into African Agency

After several years of declining funding, the African end of the Belt and Road Initiative seems to be roaring back. The newest Griffith University/Green Development Finance Center data on the Belt and Road Initiative shows that engagement with Africa jumped by 395%, while a few big projects boosted engagement in Nigeria alone more than twelvefold.
These shifts indicate a window of opportunity for African electrification. 60% of Africans still ...

Myanmar Junta Says It Deported Over 50,000 Scam Center Workers to China

Myanmar's ruling junta said Tuesday it had deported to China more than 50,000 people suspected of involvement in online scam operations since October 2023, as it made a rare call to neighboring countries to intervene. Scam compounds have mushroomed in Myanmar's ...

Japan PM Urges Trump To Pursue ‘Free and Open’ Pacific

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday congratulated Donald Trump on his return to the White House, urging him to work towards a "free and open" Asia-Pacific region. Japan and the United States, once World War II foes are today key ...

Low Expectations in Beijing of Trump’s Second Coming

By Matthew Walsh Chinese people on the streets of Beijing said Monday they were keeping expectations low about Donald Trump, as his second White House stint could push China-U.S. ties into a new era of uncertainty.

Philippines Arrests Chinese Man for ‘Spying’ on Military Camps

Philippine security officials said on Monday they had arrested a Chinese software engineer suspected of spying on Filipino military and police camps. The arrest comes as maritime confrontations between the Philippines and China over contested reefs and waters in the strategic ...

Former Top U.S. Diplomat for Africa Returns for New State Department Role

The top diplomat for Africa during the first Trump administration, Tibor Nagy, announced on X that he will rejoin the State Department for a new, expanded role that has yet to be announced.  WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Nagy was among the first Trump ...