A globally connected network of solar and wind energy could provide three times the global energy demand by 2050 at a lower cost than independent national power systems. This is the finding of a study led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with researchers from the United States and Denmark.
The study focused on how areas with high solar and wind capacity (such as deserts) can be linked ...
Category: Southeast Asia
U.S. Aircraft Carrier Makes Philippines Port Call
The nuclear-powered U.S. carrier George Washington arrived off the Philippine capital Thursday for a port visit, as the two allies increase defense cooperation aimed at contesting China's sweeping claims in the South China Sea. The Nimitz-class vessel's port call came the ...
China Warns Against Trade Deals That ‘Hurt’ Others After Vietnam-U.S. Pact
China warned on Thursday against trade deals that "hurt third parties" after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he had reached an agreement with Vietnam. "China has always advocated that all parties resolve economic and trade differences through equal dialogue and ...
U.S.-Vietnam Trade Deal Sows New China Uncertainty
By Tran Thi Minh Ha Vietnam's trade deal with the United States averts the most punishing of Donald Trump's "reciprocal" levies but analysts warned it could provoke a fresh standoff between Washington and Beijing. The ...
Trump’s Vietnam Trade Deal Signals Harder Line on China Supply Chain Diversions
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he had struck a trade deal with Vietnam under which the country would face a minimum 20 percent tariff and open its market to U.S. products. The deal comes a week ahead of Trump's self-imposed ...
Indonesia and China’s Battery Alliance Must Be Built on Sustainability
In a bold display of ambition and diplomacy, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto stood beside Chinese executives last week to break ground on what is touted as Asia’s largest integrated electric vehicle (EV) battery ecosystem. Backed by $5.9 billion in ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Thailand’s Political Crisis Poses Risk to China’s BRI, Warns Scholar
In a recent analysis published by Shanghai-based news outlet The Paper, Yu Haiqiu, a prominent Chinese scholar of Southeast Asian politics, offers a deeper look at the roots and implications of Thailand’s escalating political crisis, focusing on its historical tensions with Cambodia and the fallout for ...
Indonesia Begins $5.9 Billion Chinese EV Battery Project Despite Environment Fears
Indonesia broke ground on Sunday on a $5.9 billion megaproject for EV battery production, backed by the Chinese giant CATL, despite NGOs raising concerns over a lack of environmental guarantees. Indonesia is the world's largest nickel producer, and it is trying ...
China Eases Transit Rules for Indonesians. Jakarta Should Push for More.
China’s recent inclusion of Indonesia in its 240-hour visa-free transit program is a notable, if not entirely surprising, development. While Indonesia is now among the 55 countries benefiting from this arrangement, the move signals a step forward in the broader relationship between the two nations. For ...
China-Linked Mines in Myanmar Blamed for Toxic Pollution Flowing Into Thailand
By Chayanit Itthipongmaetee and Sally Jensen A sprawling new mine is gouged into the lush rolling hills of northeast Myanmar, where civil war has weakened the government's already feeble writ, and pollution levels are rising downstream in Thailand. ...
Little-Known Country on Track to Join ASEAN Suddenly Sparks Interest in China
According to a May 28 report by Vietnam News Agency, ASEAN leaders have agreed in principle to admit Timor-Leste as the bloc’s 11th member at the upcoming ASEAN Summit in October. The announcement initially flew under the radar on Chinese social ...
Why the China–ASEAN–GCC Summit Matters and What Comes Next
The recent China–ASEAN–GCC summit, held for the first time this May, was more than a symbolic gathering. It marked a formalization of growing and increasingly institutionalized cooperation among the three regions. Bringing together China, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), ...
Macron Gives Vietnamese Students a Lesson in ‘Impulsive’ Superpowers
By Francesco Fontemaggi Between jabs at Donald Trump's U.S. trade tariffs and criticism of Beijing's assertiveness in the South China Sea, French President Emmanuel Macron warned Vietnamese students Tuesday that "on the impulse of a superpower, everything can change".