The BRICS group wrapped up its two-day leaders’ summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. The summit’s final communique is a 16,000-word doorstop that covers numerous issues from economics to education.
The communique avoids any direct mention of the United States, and references to “unilateralism” and other coded criticism are also relatively scarce. Rather, the communique keeps the focus on the BRICS’ vision of the strengthening and reform of the global multilateral system ...
Category: Analysis
“I Really Don’t Get It,” Says Top Currency Scholar in Response to Trump’s Threat to Retaliate Against a BRICS Currency
Donald Trump's threat to retaliate against BRICS countries if the bloc moves forward with a plan to introduce a new currency prompted a lot of head-scratching over the weekend among analysts, who said the president-elect's announcement was baffling. President-elect Trump was ...
Attention Shifts to Chinese Debt Following Ethiopia’s IMF, World Bank Deals
This week, the Ethiopian government struck a pair of deals with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank that will pave the way to restructure the country's $29 billion external debt, a quarter of which is owed to Chinese creditors.
“We Need to Do More” to Challenge China in the Global South, Says Washington’s No. 2 Diplomat
The second in command at the U.S. State Department told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday that the United States has to step up to compete more effectively with China around the world. China is the "defining geopolitical challenge confronting ...
U.S. Will Reportedly Increase Military Funding to the Philippines
This week’s joint visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Manila will reportedly see the announcement of $500 million in additional military funding to the Philippines to bolster its defenses, and a possible new military pact between the countries.
China and the Gaza Crisis
In case you needed your geopolitical optics even starker than usual, this week rushed to comply. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi watched as representatives of fourteen Palestinian movements, including Hamas and Fatah, signed the Beijing Declaration.
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Widespread Skepticism Emerges in Response to Beijing-Brokered Palestinian Reconciliation Deal
Chinese state media moved quickly after Beijing brokered a Palestinian national unity deal that it portrayed as another example of its increasingly prominent role as Mideast mediator. The "Beijing Declaration" was widely seen as a breakthrough as it brought together 14 ...
With a Little Help From My Friends: What Russia and North Korea’s Defense Treaty Tells Us About Global China
By Felix Brender 王哲謙 We all know matchmaking between two wildcards in your circle can be a bit of a gamble. It’s like introducing two sparks and hoping they ignite a friendly bonfire without starting a blaze that burns down the ...
If Trump Wins, the Philippines Better Have a Good Back-Up Plan
In February, I wrote a column that wondered, "If Trump Wins, What Happens to the Philippines?" Back then, it was an open-ended question. Today, the answer is becoming increasingly apparent. In an interview with Bloomberg, the former president reiterated ...
Letter From Washington: The Narrowing Space for Democracy
Greetings from Washington, D.C., Over the last two and a half months, I’ve spent time in Washington, D.C. and several European capitals meeting with folks from think tanks, civil society, and policy circles to talk about critical minerals and the West’s ...
Tunisian and Egyptian Media on the 10th China-Arab States Cooperation Forum
By Mariateresa Natuzzi and Bianca Pasquier On May 30, 2024, Beijing hosted the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, a platform for China and Arab states to discuss international issues and strengthen bilateral relations. During the Forum, three important documents ...
Peru’s Pivot to China is a Major Setback for the United States
There was a brief moment earlier this year when it looked like the United States was going to succeed in its effort to put some distance between Peru and China. U.S. diplomats had lobbied hard behind the scenes to get the Peruvian government to reassess the ...
Dissecting China’s Response to Iran’s Drone Attack on Israel
China's rather subdued response to Iran's weekend attack on Israel is loaded with strategic complexity. William Figueroa, an assistant professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and one of the world's foremost scholars on Sino-Iran relations, posted a multi-part ...