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Climate Graph of the Day: After a Rapid Increase, China’s Oil Demand May Have Peaked

After decades of ever-growing oil use, China's oil demand may have peaked this year, according to Chinese oil executives cited by FT. This has significant implications for countries from Angola to Russia to Brazil, which depend on selling oil to China.

WEEK IN REVIEW: ASEAN Kicked off First-Ever Joint Naval Drills in South China Sea on Tuesday

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) kicked off its first-ever joint naval drills in the South China Sea on Tuesday near Indonesia's Nantuna island. The five-day exercise comes at a sensitive time when many ASEAN members are locked in bitter maritime territorial disputes with China. 

This Chart Explains Why Xi Jinping Will Probably Go to Next Year’s G20 Summit in Brazil

Until recently, there was never any doubt that a Chinese president would participate in major summits like the G20 or ASEAN. Chinese leaders in the post-Mao era saw their attendance at these events as a symbol of China's resurgence as a major world power. ...

Key Policy Differences Emerge on Day 1 of BRICS Summit

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pushed back against the suggestion that the BRICS group should become an ideological opponent against the West. "We do not want to be a counterpoint to the G7, G20 or the United States," Brazil's Lula 

New Development Bank Moves Forward With Local Currency Bonds in Bid to Reduce Dependence on the U.S. Dollar

The Shanghai-based New Development Bank, aka the BRICS Bank, said it is proceeding with plans to issue bonds and lend more money in local currencies as part of a larger effort to reduce reliance on the dollar. “We expect to lend ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Philippine Fishing Fleets Urged to Maintain Presence at Disputed Shoal as Tensions Build

The Philippine coastguard called on its country’s fishing fleets to keep operating around the Scarborough Shoal (known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines and Huangyan Dao in China) despite the large Chinese presence in the disputed South China Sea area.
Coastguard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said while Philippine government vessels can’t maintain a constant presence, they are committed to protecting the country’s fishing rights in what it sees as its Exclusive Economic Zone.

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Graph of the Day: How Chinese Demand Is Shifting the Global Soybean Market from the U.S. to Brazil

China is now the largest buyer of Brazil’s soybean crop, as part of a move away from U.S. exports. Chinese buyers have consistently bought large quantities of Brazilian soybeans but are now even putting in orders for delivery in October, traditionally a quiet time in Brazil’s soybean ...

Are the BRICS a Bloc? A Group? A Threat? It All Depends on Where You Sit.

If you haven't watched Netflix’s popular TV show, the Diplomat, do not worry. In 2023, international diplomacy in the real world seems more thrilling and dramatic. With the approaching of this year’s BRICS (i.e., Brazil, China, India, South Africa, and Russia) Summit to be held in Johannesburg, ...

WSJ: Shanghai-Based New Development Bank “Fighting For Its Very Survival”

The Chinese-initiated New Development Bank (aka "BRICS Bank") is reportedly facing a severe liquidity crisis as Wall Street has backed away from supporting a bank that's 20% owned by Russia, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. That's made ...

Huawei is Now the Must-See Stop in China for Visiting Global South Leaders

Honduran President Xiomara Castro is the third leader from a developing country in just the past two months to include a stop at a Huawei research facility during their state visit to China. Castro visited the telecom giant's Shanghai research ...

Prioritizing Socio-Ecological Protections: Study Shows Deregulation Doesn’t Attract Chinese Investment

By Christina Duran In a March 2023 synthetic report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emphasized that Central and South America face adverse impacts from increased climate damage “without rapid, deep and sustained mitigation and accelerated adaptation action,” which ...
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