The BRICS group wrapped up its two-day leaders’ summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. The summit’s final communique is a 16,000-word doorstop that covers numerous issues from economics to education.
The communique avoids any direct mention of the United States, and references to “unilateralism” and other coded criticism are also relatively scarce. Rather, the communique keeps the focus on the BRICS’ vision of the strengthening and reform of the global multilateral system ...
Category: Geopolitics
When Ideology Meets Inflation, Argentina’s Milei Turns to China
The cry “Cambio! Cambio! Cambio!” rings out along Calle Florida, the bustling commercial artery of Buenos Aires. Dozens of unofficial money changers—many of them migrants from Chile, Venezuela, and Bolivia—line the street, calling out to passersby. They offer mercado azul, or the “blue market” exchange rates, trading ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
China Says Australian PM Albanese to Visit This Week
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will begin a six-day visit to China on Saturday, his office and Beijing said. China lifted a ban on Australian rock lobster in December, the last barrier in a broader, multibillion-dollar trade war that erupted under ...
After the Revolution, Bangladesh Warms to China as India Fumes
By Sheikh Sabiha Alam with Arunabh Saikia in New Delhi Protests in Bangladesh that toppled the government last year triggered a diplomatic pivot, with Dhaka warming towards China after neighboring India was angered by the ousting of its old ally Sheikh ...
Modi Visits Ghana to Strengthen Ties as India Seeks to Rival China in Africa
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ghana's President John Mahama agreed on Wednesday to deepen security and mining ties during the first visit by an Indian leader in three decades. Resource-rich Ghana, seen as a beacon of democratic stability in Africa, ...
China Forced to Regroup After Israel-Iran War
China is emerging from the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran in a much weaker position. For years, Beijing counted on Tehran to serve as a bulwark against Washington. Today, though, that's no longer possible as the Iranian government and its proxies across ...
Japan Spots Chinese Ships Near Disputed Isles for Record 216 Straight Days
Japan spotted Chinese vessels sailing near disputed islets in the East China Sea for a record 216 consecutive days, Tokyo's coast guard said Sunday. The Tokyo-administered islands, known as the Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan, have long been a ...
How Middle Powers Are Navigating the U.S.–China Rivalry
In this new era of surging instability and geopolitical uncertainty, so-called "Middle Power" states are rapidly diversifying their foreign policies to deepen engagement with other countries in the Global South, while reducing their exposure to the U.S. and China.
Xi Wraps Up Southeast Asia Tour with Calls for Solidarity in Cambodia
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Cambodia, the final leg of his Southeast Asia tour. Xi urged Cambodia to oppose “hegemonism, power politics and camp-based confrontation” in an article published in the Cambodian media on Thursday, further emphasizing a theme that has run through all ...
Malaysia Says to Host China’s Xi From April 15
Malaysia's government announced Wednesday it will host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a three-day visit next week, as the two countries grapple with tariffs imposed by the United States. The state visit will go from April 15 to 17, Communications Minister ...
NATO Chief Says China Military Expansion ‘Staggering’
China's expansion of its armed forces is "staggering," NATO's chief said on a visit to Japan beginning Tuesday aimed at "projecting" the alliance's power in the Asia-Pacific region. "Let us not be naive about China," secretary general Mark Rutte told the ...
China Increasing Pressure on Panama Ports Deal
The Chinese authorities are reportedly telling state-owned enterprises to pause new business with companies linked to Li Ka-Shing and his family, the latest signal that Beijing is unhappy with the decision by Li’s CK Hutchison Holdings to sell two strategic ports in Panama to a U.S. consortium—part of ...
Toy Trouble: Vietnam Pulls Dolls Over South China Sea Map
By Lam Nguyen Seething international tensions over the South China Sea have struck an unlikely victim in Vietnam: popular children's dolls pulled from shops over a facial mark supposedly resembling Beijing's claims in the flashpoint waterway.
China Beams Approval of Indian PM’s Comments
China responded favorably to comments by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that emphasized friendly relations between the Asian powers. Speaking with U.S. podcaster Lex Fridman, Modi characterized the relationship as “a ballet between the dragon and the elephant” aiming for mutual success and noted that they have a ...