When it was announced in 2023 that the African Union would become a full member of the G20, I darkly joked on a podcast that the AU’s entry into the body could very well mark the moment the G20 lost its status as one of the most important global coordination forums. Mark my words, I said, soon The Economist will be like “Uhhh, the G20 is OVER – it’s the ...
Category: Asia
China, Japan in Fresh Incident Around Disputed Islands
Japanese and Chinese vessels engaged in a fresh standoff around disputed islands on Tuesday, the two countries' coast guards said. Relations have been strained since Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested last month that her country could intervene militarily in ...
China Escalates Pressure on Japan and the Philippines With Coordinated Military Moves
China put on a major show of military force across its maritime periphery over the course of three days beginning on Friday in a bid to send a warning to its rivals in both Japan and the Philippines. Beijing deployed ...
South Korea Hosts Xi as Chinese Leader Rekindles Fraught Ties
By Claire Lee South Korean President Lee Jae Myung hosted Xi Jinping for their first meeting on Saturday as the Chinese head of state took center stage and reforged old ties at an Asian summit from which U.S. leader Donald Trump ...
Pentagon Chief Hegseth Set for Multi-Country Asia Tour
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will visit four Asian countries in the coming days, the Pentagon announced Sunday, his second tour of the "priority" region where Washington is urging increased spending by allies to counter China. The Pentagon said in a ...
Japan Sidelines Chinese Immigrants as It Opens Door to India, Says Chinese Commentator
In August, India and Japan finalized a significant human resources partnership, agreeing to facilitate the exchange of 500,000 people over the next five years, including 50,000 skilled and semi-skilled Indian workers who will be employed in Japan. Recently, popular online ...
Trump, China and the New Power Politics in Asia
Chinese exports are booming—but ties with the U.S. are collapsing. Across Asia, from Beijing to Manila, Washington’s shifting strategy under Trump is reshaping alliances and testing security guarantees that have underpinned the region for decades. ...
North Korea’s Kim Hails ‘Cooperative’ Ties With China at State Celebration
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday, praising the two countries' "friendly and cooperative relations", as Kim oversaw celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party, state media reported. Li's visit ...
Taiwan Leader Vows Stronger Air Defenses to Counter ‘Enemy Threats’
By Amber Wang Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te vowed Friday to speed up construction of a multi-layered air defense system as part of efforts to counter "enemy threats." Lai's government has been under U.S. pressure to ...
China’s Premier to Visit North Korea This Week
China's premier will pay an official visit to North Korea this week, Beijing said Tuesday, announcing the high-level diplomatic engagement to the isolated nuclear state. Despite periods of strained ties between China and North Korea over Pyongyang's nuclear programme, the neighbours ...
China Calls on North Korea to Oppose ‘Hegemony’
Beijing wants to strengthen cooperation with Pyongyang and work together to oppose hegemony, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his North Korean counterpart, in a thinly veiled reference to the United States. North Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui met Wang Sunday ...
Africa-Asia Relations Beyond China
Africa was especially hard hit by Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs, which ended years of duty-free access to the U.S. and triggered a rush to find new markets. China's announcement that it will remove all tariffs on African imports undoubtedly provides ...
After Years of Acrimony, Xi and Modi Signal a Thaw: ‘Partners, Not Rivals’
"Partners not rivals" was the key message that emerged from highly anticipated talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin. The two leaders, both under mounting pressure ...