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: Diplomacy
Indonesia’s Infrastructure Minister Beijing Visit: Key Takeaways
Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), Indonesia’s coordinating minister for infrastructure, traveled to Beijing in late August to meet President Xi Jinping and senior Chinese officials. The visit, carried out on behalf of President Prabowo Subianto, was focused on sustaining Indonesia–China dialogue on strategic infrastructure. ...
Why Chinese Companies Are Pouring Money Into Brazil
China’s economic ties with Brazil are booming, and 2024 saw a stunning 113% jump in Chinese investment, totaling $4.2 billion across 39 projects, the highest number ever, according to a new report by the Brazil-China Business Council.
China-Central Asia Weekly News: Building Skills and Local Capacity
This is a free preview of the upcoming China-Central Asia Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in 2026. China's engagement with Central Asia is entering a new phase that extends far beyond the traditional Belt and ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
For Chinese Viewers, a Serbian Blogger Replaces a Simple Story with a Complex Reality
In recent weeks, Serbia has once again found itself at the crossroads of global power politics. On Chinese social media, military enthusiasts have been celebrating the prominent role of Chinese-made equipment in Serbia’s preparations for its September 20 military parade — including the debut of two ...
Australia, Papua New Guinea Delay Mutual Defense Treaty
Australia and Papua New Guinea will not sign a long-awaited mutual defense treaty as expected on Wednesday, the two countries said. The deal was set to see the two nations commit to defending each other from armed attacks as they face ...
Pakistani President Becomes First Foreign Leader to Visit Chinese Weapons Factory
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari visited China’s largest manufacturer of military aircraft on Sunday, becoming the first foreign state leader to do so. He toured the assembly line of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the maker of the J-10C fighter jet.
Papua New Guinea, Australia Will Commit to Mutual Defense to Counter “Emerging Threats”
A new defense treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea commits to defending each other if they are attacked in the face of "emerging threats", a copy of the deal seen by AFP on Tuesday showed. The pact -- seen as ...
Taiwan Boosts Spending to Support Few Remaining Diplomatic Partners in Latin America
Three years after the Taiwan government said it would no longer compete with China using so-called "checkbook diplomacy," Taipei is now backtracking a bit on that pledge, with millions of dollars budgeted to bolster ties with its few remaining allies in Latin America.
Paraguay’s New Ambassador Presents Credentials to Taiwan’s President
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te accepted the credentials for Paraguay's new ambassador, Darío Filártiga Ruiz Díaz, on Friday at a ceremony at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei. Paraguay is among the island's staunchest diplomatic partners, even amid mounting pressure from China to switch ...
China Condemns U.S.–UK Taiwan Strait Transit, Tracks Warships
China’s military on Friday condemned the sailing of U.S. and British warships through the Taiwan Strait, saying it ordered naval and air forces to monitor and warn the two ships. The U.S. destroyer Higgins and the UK frigate HMS ...
Rubio Backs Philippines Against ‘Coercive’ Sea Nature Reserve
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday backed the Philippines in protesting Beijing's plan for a "nature reserve" on disputed Scarborough Shoal, saying it was part of a "coercive" strategy in the South China Sea.
Sheinbaum Denies Tariff Rise Is Chinese ‘Coercion’
Mexico's president denied Friday that a proposed new tariff of up to 50 percent on imports from certain countries was a coercive measure targeting China. Beijing said Thursday it "firmly opposes any coercion" after President Claudia Sheinbaum announced higher duties on ...
Pacific Leaders Agree New Summit Rules After China, Taiwan Bans
By Ben Strang Pacific Island leaders agreed on Friday to a new framework that would allow nations to join a key regional forum as strategic partners, after accusations that China was influencing regional decision-making. The ...
Tianjin Summit in Review: The Winner Takes It All (But Not Much)
By Felix Brender 王哲謙 “We should continue to unequivocally oppose hegemonism and power politics, practice true multilateralism,” Xi declared in Tianjin last week. Yet for many of the leaders in the room, multilateralism appears to chiefly mean “more of me” ...
Philippines to Protest Over China’s ‘Nature Reserve’ Plan
The Philippines said Thursday it will file a diplomatic protest and slammed as “illegitimate and unlawful” China’s plan to declare a “Huangyan Dao National Nature Reserve” at Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea. China rejected what it called “unreasonable” accusations and dismissed Manila’s “so-called” ...