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In Bolivia, China’s Lithium Extraction Plans Went to the Polls and Lost Badly 

Bolivia’s presidential elections have thrown the future of its lithium sector into doubt — and the country’s relationship with China has gone along with it. The first round of voting in late August ended two decades of rule by leftist party Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS), and now, ...

Xi Pushes for Security Boost in Pakistan

Chinese President Xi Jinping increased pressure on Pakistan to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel working in the country during a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. Chinese work teams ...

China–Central Asia Weekly Digest: Vocational Training, Cultural Centers & Governance Programs

This is a free preview of the upcoming China-Central Asia Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in late 2025. This week’s developments highlight how China is deepening its engagement with Central Asian societies through education, culture, and ...

China’s Military Parade Cements Superpower Optics

China displayed a vast array of advanced weapons during a large military parade to mark the 80th commemoration of World War II. The parade snaked down Chang'an Avenue in central Beijing. President Xi Jinping delivered a speech on Tiananmen Square and inspected the soldiers from a parade ...

China “Unstoppable,” Says Xi With Kim, Putin at His Side

By James Edgar North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin flanked Chinese President Xi Jinping at a massive parade in Beijing on Wednesday, capping a week of diplomatic grandstanding by the Chinese president and his allies against ...

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 ...

SCO Summit Review: Xi, Modi & Putin Present a United Front

This week's Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin signaled China’s ambition to redefine global governance. Leaders from more than 20 countries endorsed the Tianjin Declaration, pressing for a multipolar order, tighter security cooperation, and expanded economic integration.

Q&A: China’s EV in Southeast Asia: Growth or Dependency Trap?

A few weeks ago at the Indonesian auto show, I stood near a cluster of visitors crowding around new electric cars EVs. I noticed three questions that came up repeatedly as people leaned in to quiz the sales reps: How far can it go? Will it last? ...

Kim, Putin at Xi’s Side for Massive China Military Parade

By James Edgar North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's Vladimir Putin arrived Wednesday morning ahead of a massive parade in Beijing to cap a week of diplomatic grandstanding by President Xi Jinping and his allies against the West.

Chinese Military Blogger Reviews Vietnam’s Parade on the Eve of Beijing’s Own

On the day before China’s September 3rd military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II, Vietnam staged its own large-scale celebration in Hanoi for the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day. On a Chinese WeChat public account focused on military ...

Why Chinese Flight Attendants Love Africa Routes

The most coveted international route among China Southern Airlines crew isn’t to glamorous destinations in Europe or the United States, but to Africa, a flight attendant recently revealed on Chinese video platform Bilibili.  Back in 2015, during China Southern’s peak ...

Rubio Presses Mexico on Cartels and Fentanyl as China Looms in U.S. Security Push

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio headed Tuesday on his first trip in office to Mexico, which has so far succeeded in navigating treacherous terrain with President Donald Trump who wants tough action on migration and cartels. Rubio is set to ...

Indonesian Leader U-Turns on China Visit Despite Deadly Protests

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will visit China for a military parade commemorating 80 years since the end of World War II on Wednesday, after earlier cancelling his trip over deadly domestic protests stoked by the death of a young delivery driver. ...
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