Category: Diplomacy
Cambodia Looks to ‘Breathe’ With Controversial New Canal
By Suy Se Dust covers everything in Lim Tong Eng's yard, thrown up by excavators toiling next door to enlarge a channel that Cambodia's government hopes will soon be a major shipping canal. Next month, ...
China’s Ambassador to Vietnam Meets With Vietnam’s Newest President
China's ambassador to Vietnam, Xiong Bo, met with Vietnam's newest president Tô Lâm on Wednesday in Hanoi. Lam was named to the role in May after his predecessor resigned amid a sweeping anti-corruption crackdown. While Lâm is new to the presidency, he is ...
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 ...
Gulf and Levantine Perspectives on the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum
By Francesco Scala and Viola Rubeca On May 30, 2024, China welcomed representatives from across the Arab world to Beijing for the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF). Two documents were adopted: the “Beijing Declaration” and the Action Implementation ...
Philippines, China to Boost Communication Lines on Sea Disputes
The Philippines and China have agreed to raise the number of communication channels that can be used to resolve maritime spats, a diplomatic source told AFP on Wednesday. Manila and Beijing have a long history of territorial disputes in the South ...
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 ...
China Props up Solomon Islands’ Budget With $20 Million Injection
The Solomon Islands will prop up its government budget with a $20 million injection from China, the developing Pacific state said Tuesday, as Beijing looks to strengthen its strategic foothold in the region. Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele announced the funding after ...
Beijing Launches Media Counterattack on Anniversary of South China Sea Tribunal Ruling
Last week, we marked the eighth anniversary of the decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to validate the Philippines' territorial borders in the South China Sea. ...
China Says Wants to Facilitate Palestinian ‘Reconciliation’
China on Tuesday expressed willingness to facilitate "reconciliation" between rival Palestinian factions after Fatah said its officials would meet in Beijing this month with Hamas counterparts. Fatah's central committee deputy secretary general Sabri Saidam said Monday that the factions would meet ...
Letter From DC: Is Africa Holding Itself Back?
Whoo boy…We picked a doozy of a week to be in town. The overlapping reverberations from leadership fights within the Democratic Party, the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, and the announcement of JD Vance as his vice-presidential candidate are understandably focusing attention inwards.
Hamas and Palestinian Rivals Fatah to Meet in Beijing: Officials
Senior officials from the rival Palestinian groups Hamas, which is at war with Israel, and Fatah have agreed to meet in Beijing this month in a renewed bid for reconciliation, officials said Monday. Fatah sources said the Hamas delegation will be ...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio Wants to Use Massive Tariffs to Unseat China’s Dominance in Critical Resources
U.S. Senator and Republican party vice presidential hopeful Marco Rubio submitted legislation this month that aims to break China's current control of critical mineral supply chains with punishing tariffs up to 800%. Rubio's Critical Mineral Supply Chain Realignment Act of 2024 calls ...