Related Posts

Firms in Vietnam Walk Tightrope as U.S. Cracks Down on China-Linked Trade

By Lam Nguyen with Sally Jensen in Bangkok As Donald Trump's eye-watering tariffs on Chinese products passing through Vietnam are set to kick in Friday, companies in the Southeast Asian country are cautiously waiting to see what falls into that category. ...

India and the Philippines to Launch Joint Military Exercises

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos reportedly will visit India next week, his first visit since taking office. The trip from 4 to 8 August will coincide with joint military exercises that will take place near the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, a focal point of ...

China Reiterates Support for Palestinian State Amid Starvation Crisis

China reiterated its long-term support for a Palestinian state this week, adding its voice to recent statements from the United Kingdom, Canada, and France that they could formally recognize statehood at the UN General Assembly. China’s special envoy to ...

China Hosts Informal Thailand-Cambodia Peace Talks in Shanghai

China hosted informal trilateral talks in Shanghai on Wednesday involving Cambodian and Thai representatives, aiming to reinforce the fragile ceasefire agreed upon earlier this week following deadly clashes along their disputed border. The discussions were facilitated by China's Vice-Minister for ...

Trump’s New Tariff to Impact Indian Economy, Could Reshape Bilateral Ties

U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to slap harsh tariffs on Indian exports and a "penalty" on purchases of Russian weapons and energy will cost thousands of jobs and could fundamentally change the nature of bilateral ties, experts said Wednesday. Months of ...

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 ...

“Civil War of Chinese Weapons?” Thai-Cambodian Clash Exposes a Regional Divide in Military Modernization

A military-focused WeChat public account recently published a detailed post analyzing the border skirmish between Thailand and Cambodia, which has since reportedly ended with a ceasefire agreement. But the post drew attention as it struck a nerve by asking: “Has the Thailand-Cambodia conflict turned into a ...

From Dali to Kathmandu: Why Burned-Out Chinese Millennials Are Fleeing to Nepal for a Better Chill

As burnout reaches critical levels among China’s young professionals, a new wave of job-quitters is quietly shifting their escape route. Once drawn to the artsy idyll of Dali in Yunnan, many have now set their sights on Nepal, where the pace is slower, the costs are lower, ...