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: Aviation
Bangladesh’s Eurofighter Move Is To Counter India’s Rafales, Not a Break With China
Bangladesh’s air force has quietly moved closer to acquiring one of Europe’s most advanced fighter jets. In recent days, Bangladesh and Italy’s Leonardo signed a letter of intent in Dhaka for the purchase of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. While neither side disclosed numbers or pricing, outside estimates based ...
U.S., Japan Hold Joint Air Exercise After China-Russia Patrols
Japan said Thursday it held a joint air exercise with the United States in a show of force, days after Chinese-Russian patrols in the region and following weeks of diplomatic feuding between Tokyo and Beijing. The Japanese joint chiefs of staff ...
Tokyo Says Chinese Jets Locked Radar Onto Japan Fighters
By Kyoko Hasegawa Chinese military aircraft locked radar onto Japanese fighter jets southeast of Okinawa's main island, Japan's defence ministry said on Sunday. Relations between Tokyo and Beijing have soured following remarks by new Japanese ...
Malaysia Says Search for Long-Missing Flight MH370 to Resume
By Isabelle Leong The search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will resume at the end of December, Malaysia said on Wednesday, more than a decade after the plane disappeared. The nation's Transport Minister, Anthony ...
Africa’s Embrace of Chinese Drones Signals New Economic Opportunities
African countries are increasingly adopting Chinese drone technology, a move that highlights both the potential of drones as a future economic growth driver and China's expanding role in the sector. Rwanda and Senegal, for example, recently signed an air transport agreement to expand cross-border routes and strengthen ...
‘Smooth and Easy’: India and China Resume Direct Flights as Ties Improve
By Sailendra Sil The resumption of direct flights between India and China after a five-year suspension was hailed by arriving passengers Monday, a move important both for trade and a symbolic step as Asia's giants cautiously rebuild relations. ...
Bookings Open for First India–China Direct Flights Since Pandemic Suspension
India and China will resume direct flights between their two countries this month after a five-year suspension, officials said, with bookings opening on Friday. Direct flights between the world's two most populous countries were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 ...
China’s COMAC in Advanced Talks With AirAsia on Jet Sales
China’s state-linked planemaker COMAC is in advanced talks with Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia to sell narrow-body jets. “We’re in active discussions. I can confirm that,” AirAsia Tony Fernandes said. “We are very serious about COMAC. We’re excited. It’s ...
China-India Direct Flights to Resume After Long Suspension
China and India will restart direct flights between selected cities “by late October,” India’s embassy in China said, calling the move part of New Delhi’s “approach towards gradual normalization of relations between India and China.” Direct flights between the two ...
China, India Pledge to Resume Flights as Beijing’s Top Diplomat Wraps up Visit
China and India announced they would restart direct flights in a string of diplomatic breakthroughs, state media reported Wednesday, as Beijing's foreign minister wrapped up a visit before heading to Pakistan. Following Wang Yi's trip to India, Beijing and New Delhi ...
China Denies Rafale Smear, France Points Finger, Indonesia Silent
China has forcefully denied allegations from France that it mounted a coordinated campaign to undermine and sabotage sales of France’s Rafale fighter jet, pushing back against claims made by French intelligence that Beijing used its embassies and online influence to steer countries like Indonesia toward Chinese-made alternatives ...
From J-10C to Kaan? Indonesia’s Fighter Jet Deal With Turkey Shocks Chinese Military Fans
Just one week after Chinese military enthusiasts were celebrating the possibility of Indonesia buying China’s J-10C fighter jet, news broke on June 11 that Türkiye has signed a deal to export 48 units of its fifth-generation Kaan fighter to Indonesia. The sudden shift left many Chinese observers ...