Analysis
Diverse voices, unique insights on key issues shaping China’s engagement throughout the Global South.
analysis
The Political Economy of Active Non-Alignment
By Jorge Heine The concept of Active Non-Alignment (ANA) came to the fore in 2019, the result of growing tensions between the United States and China and the ensuing need for Latin American countries to respond to what some
China Poised to Pick Off Another One of Taiwan’s South Pacific Allies as New PM Takes Office in Tuvalu
Lawmakers in Tuvalu have selected Feleti Teo as the Pacific island nation's new prime minister, a top official told AFP on Monday, weeks after an election that has put ties with Taiwan in focus. Former attorney general Teo secured the support ...
Non-Interference No More? China’s Evolving Approach to Global Security
By Giulia Sciorati China has begun renegotiating its once unwavering non-interference policy as the country has ascended to global power status. For years, China has attempted to reconcile its image of “responsible great power” with its narrative of “peaceful rise”, ...
Misadventures in the Skin Trade
This week I spent a few days in Cape Town, in time for a minor, if telling, crisis in international agricultural trade. A ship crammed with 19,000 (mostly still living) cows was stuck in Cape Town harbor, en route from Brazil to the Middle East.
Türkiye Detains Six Suspected of Spying on Uyghurs for China
Türkiye's intelligence agency detained six people suspected of spying on ethnic Uyghurs who have fled persecution in China, state media reports said Tuesday. A seventh person is wanted but remained at large, the reports said, without specifying the suspects' nationalities.
China Accuses U.S. and Philippines of “Stirring Up Trouble” Following Joint Air Patrols Over South China Sea
Three Philippine Air Force (PAF) fighter jets conducted joint exercises with a U.S. B-52 bomber over the South China Sea on Monday in the latest demonstration of the defense allies' bid to confront Chinese territorial claims in the region. The ...
Q&A: How Cambodia’s Chinese-backed Funan Techo Canal Risks Destabilizing the Lower Mekong Delta
In May 2023, the former prime minister of Cambodia – Hun Sen – led a cabinet meeting that gave the green light to the “Funan Techo Canal”, the first waterway system in Cambodia, which will connect Phnom Penh Autonomous Port to Kep Province of Cambodia.
Wang Yi Lays Out Sweeping Foreign Policy Vision Where China Will be a “Force for Stability”
Foreign Minister Wang Yi countered critics who contend Beijing is freeloading off the international system in the Mideast and fueling instability in Asia, saying China will be a "force for stability" in the world. "No matter the changes in the ...
Drawing in the Relational Net of Influence & Power
By Felix Brender 王哲謙 With analysts ruminating over the rise of China for the past decades, we have seen a more recent trend among the Western academy that attempts to see what China wants and does through a Chinese lens and perhaps ...
Can “Strongman” Prabowo Subianto Take Indonesia’s Nickel Dream Away From China’s Orbit?
Prabowo Subianto, an ex-military commander and former son-in-law of Indonesian dictator Suharto, is finally on his way to the presidency. During the campaign season, Prabowo drummed up the promise that he would continue Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s policies, including the promise of nickel-for-battery developments. Lo ...
Prabowo Subianto Set to Win Indonesia Presidency, Relations With China, U.S. Expected to Remain Stable
The clouds still hadn’t left the sky on Wednesday morning in Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta, where millions were preparing to elect their new president and vice president. Parts of the city were flooded due to heavy rains on the previous night, causing some polling stations to ...
If Trump Wins, What Happens to the Philippines?
Ever since Donald Trump Donald Trump told a campaign rally over the weekend that if re-elected, he would encourage Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" to European countries that failed to meet NATO's spending targets, I started to wonder what he would say about the ...