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 ...
Category: China-Asia
Wang Yi Heads to Pakistan as China Pursues Omnidirectional Ties
Following his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi continues to Pakistan for a two-day visit. He will meet with his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, for the China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue. The visit will ...
Chinese Experts Look at the Restart of Hostilities in Syria
By Miriam Verzellino On November 27, after years of relative calm, the Syrian civil war—now in its thirteenth year—took a dramatic new turn. Two simultaneous offensives began last Wednesday: the first, named “Repelling Aggression,” was spearheaded by the Islamist militant group Hayat ...
China’s Middle East Ambitions Face Test as Regional Tensions Escalate
Two Chinese families are mourning the loss of their loved ones who were murdered yesterday in a bomb attack in Karachi — the latest incident of militant violence targeting Chinese nationals in Pakistan. Sunday's car blast is a painful reminder that ...
De-Facto U.S. Envoy Warns Taiwan Is Not China’s Only Target
The new de-facto U.S. ambassador to Taiwan said Wednesday that the democratic island is "not the only target" of China's "intimidation and coercion", with more countries cooperating with Washington to "avoid war." China claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory ...
China Pushes Rivals’ Limits in Regional Disputes
By Isabel Kua and Matthew Walsh China's campaign of confrontation, from remote reefs in Southeast Asia to Taiwan and far-flung Japanese islands, is designed to wear down regional rivals competing with it for contested territories, analysts say.
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
The Iranian Elections through the Lens of Chinese Media
By Giorgia Facchini On May 19, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and five other passengers died in a helicopter crash. This unexpected event sent political shockwaves across Iran and the world as Raisi was not only one of the main architects ...
Chinese, Philippines Coast Guard Squabble Over South China Sea Fishers’ Rescue
A dispute broke out between the Chinese and Philippines Coast Guards on Saturday when a Filipino fishing craft issued a distress call after its engine exploded near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Two of the fishers were ...
What China’s Past Tells Us About the Future of its Foreign Policy in Asia
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim both wrapped up state visits to China last week and their discussions with President Xi Jinping revealed some fascinating linkages between contemporary Chinese foreign policy objectives and Beijing's historical ...
China Accuses Philippines of Lying About Laser Strike Against Coast Guard Ship in South China Sea
The feud between the Chinese and Philippine governments over a naval incident in the South China Sea earlier this month intensified when Beijing accused Manila of not telling the truth about what happened. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin did acknowledge on Wednesday ...
Chinese Social Media’s Unusual Response to the Indonesian Labor Riots
Production is up and running again at a Chinese-owned nickel smelting plant in Indonesia following last week's violent uprising by laborers over poor working conditions. Two people, one Chinese and one Indonesian, were killed during the riot.
Update on Riot at Chinese-owned Factory in Indonesia
New video footage is emerging of the riot at a Chinese-owned nickel smelter in Indonesia that killed two people over the weekend. Hundreds of security personnel were deployed to quell the protests by Indonesian laborers over poor working conditions. (REUTERS)
Afghanistan Signs New Oil Deal With China, Assures Beijing It Will Also Improve Security For Its People
The Afghan government signed a symbolically important oil extraction deal with a Chinese state-owned company, the first such agreement since the Taliban took power in 2021. The Chinese side will own 80% of the venture and invest $150 million annually in ...