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Trump, China and the New Power Politics in Asia

Chinese exports are booming—but ties with the U.S. are collapsing. Across Asia, from Beijing to Manila, Washington’s shifting strategy under Trump is reshaping alliances and testing security guarantees that have underpinned the region for decades. ...

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 ...

German Foreign Minister Says China’s ‘Assertiveness’ Threatens European Interests

China's assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea and tensions in the Taiwan Strait threaten international security and European interests, Germany's foreign minister said on Wednesday. "What happens here in the Indo-Pacific has a direct impact on European security and vice ...

China Slams Germany for ‘Hyping’ Regional Tensions in Asia

China lashed out at Germany on Monday, warning Berlin against "inciting confrontation and hyping up tensions" after its foreign minister said Beijing was "increasingly aggressive" in the Asia-Pacific region. During a visit to Japan, Johann Wadephul said China had made repeated ...

Marcos Says Philippines Would Be Dragged ‘Kicking and Screaming’ Into Taiwan War

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos warned Monday that his country would be dragged "kicking and screaming" into any war over Taiwan, but must prepare for it. China considers self-ruled Taiwan, Manila's closest neighbor to the north, to be part of its territory ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The G20 Summit and the Half-Life of a Joke

When it was announced in 2023 that the African Union would become a full member of the G20, I darkly joked on a podcast that the AU’s entry into the body could very well mark the moment the G20 lost its status as one of the most important global coordination forums. Mark my words, I said, soon The Economist will be like “Uhhh, the G20 is OVER – it’s the ...

Rubio to Meet China’s Wang on Sidelines of ASEAN Talks

By Léon Bruneau U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday on the sidelines of an ASEAN foreign ministers' meet in Malaysia, the State Department said. The meeting ...

Taiwan Says China Deploys Shandong Aircraft Carrier Group Near Island

China has deployed its Shandong aircraft carrier group and other vessels around Taiwan, the island's defense ministry said Tuesday after Beijing announced military exercises to surround the self-ruled island. Taiwan has dispatched its own aircraft and ships, and deployed land-based missile ...

China’s $249 Billion 2025 Military Budget: Modernization, Tensions, and Comparisons

On Wednesday, China announced a 7.2% increase in its 2025 national defense and military budget, bringing total military spending to $249 billion. This marks the 10th consecutive year of single-digit growth in defense expenditure, a pattern Beijing maintains is measured ...

Taipei Says Chinese Aircraft Carrier Group Sailed Through Taiwan Strait

By Joy Chiang and Amber Wang A Chinese aircraft carrier group sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, Taiwan's defense minister said, a day after Beijing held a live-fire exercise near the self-ruled island. China ...

Letter From Taipei: Why Taiwan Remains Such a Surreal Place

I’ve been in Taipei for the past week, reacquainting myself with a city that I first fell in love with back in 1989 when I came here right out of high school to study Mandarin. Living in Taipei back then was a somewhat surreal experience. People were ...

Japan Warship Asserts Right to Sail Through Taiwan Strait: Media

By Kyoko Hasegawa A Japanese warship cruised through the Taiwan Strait for the first time to assert its freedom of navigation, local media said Thursday, just a week after a Chinese aircraft carrier sailed between two Japanese islands near Taiwan.

Philippines Pushing for Permanent Structure on Second Thomas Shoal

The Philippine parliament is reportedly calling for funding to construct a permanent structure on the Second Thomas Shoal (known as the Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines and Ren’ai Jiao in China.) The atoll is at the heart of competing territorial claims between the two countries. ...