Tag: Week in Review

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed new concerns about Chinese engagement in Latin America. “China’s military has too large of a presence in the Western Hemisphere,” Hegseth said at a security conference in Panama. “Make no mistake, Beijing is investing and operating in this region for military advantage ...

The Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD reportedly plans to double its annual sales outside of China to more than 800,000 cars in 2025. The company’s chairperson, Wang Chuanfu, said it plans to evade tariffs by expanding local assembling and that it sees “great opportunities” in Latin America and ...

India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri arrived in Beijing on Sunday for two days of talks with his counterpart, Vice-Foreign Minister Sun Weidong. The two, who were both ambassadors to each other's countries, are expected to discuss the resumption of direct flights and the easing of visa restrictions ...

Singapore's Senior Minister and former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong began a six-day visit to China on Monday that will include meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The visit, Lee's first since stepping down as PM, is widely seen as an effort to stabilize heightened geopolitical tensions in ...

Australia, Japan, and the U.S. on Sunday committed to closer military cooperation in training their forces as the countries deepened their ties in a bid to counter China’s military strength. Australia’s Minister of Defense Richard Marles hosted his counterparts for the trilateral ministers’ meeting- the first to be ...

On Saturday, the Chinese government updated the number of its nationals evacuated from Lebanon to 215. The embassy in Beirut has not confirmed how many of its citizens remain in the country. Last week, the embassy in Tehran issued a preliminary advisory that Chinese nationals should take "precautionary ...

China and the Philippines Inch Closer to Conflict in the South China Sea. Don McLain Gill, a Manila-based geopolitical analyst, said that the situation was now at “a critical juncture” and that “the ball is in the court of the U.S.-Philippines alliance.” (THE DIPLOMAT) ...

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will embark on a three-nation, week-long tour of Asia-Pacific countries on Thursday that will include stops in Malaysia, New Zealand, and Australia. Li's visit to both NZ and Australia will be the first by a Chinese premier in seven years and the first to ...

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit Cambodia next week after attending the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore. The visit is widely seen as an effort to counter China's enormous influence in the Southeast Asian country. (THE DIPLOMAT) China’s Premier ...

China-friendly former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele was elected prime minister of the Solomon Islands on Thursday, defeating an opposition leader intent on curbing Beijing’s reach in the Pacific nation. Manele won 31 votes in a secret ballot of 50 MPs, the climax of a national election that ...

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit China next month in a bid to "restore confidence" following a series of terrorist attacks against Chinese interests in the South Asia country. Sharif will try to reassure officials in Beijing that the development of the $65 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor remains ...

Russia is building new trade routes to Asia that will circumvent international sanctions by crossing the Arctic and passing through Iran to the Indian Ocean. The new routes will cut transport times to China and India by up to 50% while avoiding dangerous passages like the Red Sea.