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Where U.S. Tariff Talks Stand with Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand

The U.S. is ramping up pressure on Southeast Asia to curb the flow of Chinese-made goods rebranded through regional supply chains, with all four key countries scrambling to finalize bilateral concessions ahead of a July 8 tariff decision. Vietnam and ...

China Elevates Ties with Central Asia Amid Growing Security Concerns

Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a treaty on Tuesday to upgrade ties with five Central Asian countries. China is increasingly deepening ties with the region amid growing conflict in West Asia. Xi said the new Treaty of Permanent Good-Neighbourliness and ...

From Phones to E-Bikes: China’s Transsion Targets Africa’s Mobility Sector

For almost two decades, the Chinese smartphone giant behind Africa’s most popular mobile brands -Tecno, Infinix, and Itel- has grown to dominate the continent’s handset market. Now, it is making a bold move into Africa’s booming electric mobility sector with its TankVolt e-bikes, which have already become ...

Beijing Says Almost 800 Chinese Citizens Evacuated From Iran

Almost 800 Chinese citizens have been evacuated from Iran since Israel launched military strikes against the country last week, Beijing said Wednesday. "Currently... 791 Chinese nationals have been relocated from Iran to safe areas," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at ...

Q&A: Behind Xi’s “Eternal Friendship” Pitch in Central Asia

Chinese President Xi Jinping traveled to Astana this week for the second China–Central Asia Summit, meeting with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. At the summit, Xi emphasized China’s “eternal friendship” with the region and rolled out a slate of new initiatives, including cooperation ...

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 ...

How Middle Powers Are Navigating the U.S.–China Rivalry

In this new era of surging instability and geopolitical uncertainty, so-called "Middle Power" states are rapidly diversifying their foreign policies to deepen engagement with other countries in the Global South, while reducing their exposure to the U.S. and China. 

Israel Hits Tehran Hard, But Can’t Keep It Up, Says Chinese Commentator

The Israeli military claimed to have obtained “aerial superiority” over Tehran on Monday, saying they expected a shorter timeline for the Iran war. Yet despite this dramatic escalation, a recent analysis by Phoenix Weekly, a Chinese geopolitical outlet, argues ...

Three Moves to Avoid National Collapse, A Viral WeChat Commentary on Tehran’s Existential Crisis

“Iran faces grave dangers and must take three critical steps, or the nation’s collapse is near,” warns an influential commentator Zhan Hao on WeChat. According to the author, Iran’s years of insufficient war preparedness have left it deeply vulnerable, and ...

China’s Xi ‘Deeply Worried’ by Iran, Israel Conflict

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday he was "deeply worried" by Israel's military action against Iran, as China also accused U.S. leader Donald Trump of "pouring oil" on the mounting conflict. Following decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel ...

China’s Xi in Kazakhstan to Cement ‘Eternal’ Central Asia Ties

Xi Jinping celebrated China's "eternal friendship" with Central Asia at a summit in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, as the Chinese leader blasted tariffs and sought to assert Beijing's influence in a region historically dominated by Russia. The summit in Astana brought together ...