China
LONG READ: De-dollarisation gathering momentum, driven by geopolitics and ballooning debt fears
De-dollarisation is gathering momentum, but the process of switching to settling global trade in multiple currencies is going at a glacial pace. The problem is that once glaciers start moving, they are impossible to stop.
Japan’s Koizumi to head to Washington for defence talks amid China spat
Tokyo and Washington have been exploring an accelerated timetable for co-producing the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, a system central to both countries’ air-defence posture.
Surging US and Russian LNG exports push gas prices to 18-month low
LNG prices in Europe have dropped to their lowest levels in 18 months, thanks to surging supply and subdued demand across the continent.
Situation along Afghan-Tajik border “not stable” – Dushanbe
Tajikistan asks for Russian help to thwart Islamic militant attacks.
South Africa charges international shipping lines with alleged cartel conduct on key China trade routes
Eight cargo shipping companies are accused of colluding to charge the same rate increases on routes between China and South Africa, with some routes to West Africa also affected.
Beijing and Tokyo trade barbs after maritime standoff
The islands are, however, Japan held and Tokyo has long rejected China’s territorial claim and a lesser claim by a Taiwanese county in the east of the self-governing island nation.
China once more moves to escalate tensions with Japan
China has escalated its diplomatic confrontation with Japan by issuing a further formal complaint to the United Nations over remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi concerning Taiwan.
Beijing tells nationals to evacuate Tajik-Afghan border area as number of Chinese citizens killed in cross-frontier attacks rises to five
Identity of group, or groups, that mounted armed assaults remains unknown.
Cambodia reaffirms one-China policy support amid Taiwan tensions
Cambodia has restated its support for the One-China Policy, declaring its opposition to any form of “Taiwan independence” as tensions rise between China and Japan.
Putin admits he’s behind massive truck snarl-ups on Russia-Kazakhstan border
Tells press conference he ordered random roadside checks in crackdown on illegal imports.
Beijing flags Malaysia–US trade pact, urges Kuala Lumpur to re-examine priorities
China has registered firm objections to unspecified elements within the Malaysia–US reciprocal trading accord, advising Malaysian policymakers to prioritise enduring economic advantages and assess strategic outcomes before moving forward.
Three Chinese citizens killed in Tajikistan in drone attack launched from Afghanistan
Incident comes week after Tajik security forces for first time used an armed drone to "neutralise" drug smugglers on Tajik-Afghan border.
COMMENT: China’s choreographed fury at Japan is backfiring
Beijing, with every threat pushes Japan further out of China’s orbit and deeper into a security posture Beijing will one day wish it had not provoked.
China's latest anti-India move focuses on transit travellers
China’s refusal to acknowledge the validity of an Indian passport held by a UK-based Arunachal Pradesh born traveller illustrates a widening pattern in which Beijing links territorial claims to the movement of ordinary Indian citizens.
Panama Canal presses forward with port tenders despite US unease over Chinese bidders
Panama’s canal authority has confirmed that preparations for two port concessions and a cross-isthmus gas pipeline are entering defined stages.
ADB follows World Bank in revising policy on support for nuclear power financing
The Asian Development Bank has revised its energy policy to allow direct support for nuclear power, signalling a notable shift in how multilateral lenders approach baseload generation in emerging Asian economies.
COP30 didn’t go far enough to address the Climes Crisis – Carbon Brief
The UN climate summit in Belém concluded with delegates agreeing to a series of measures aimed at accelerating climate action, but the outcomes fell short of what many scientists and vulnerable countries had hoped for.
COMMENT: Xi’s call to Trump smacks of a leader whose bark is worse than his bite
That Japan’s Takaichi – a known fan of Britain’s Iron Lady of the late 70s, 80s, and early 90s, Margaret Thatcher – has refused to bend, break or back down under a barrage of Chinese abuse speaks volumes.
COP30 another failure
The UN climate summit, COP30 in Brazil, ended in the same sort of failure to take the decisive action needed to avoid a planetary eco-crisis, hijacked once again by energy lobbyists and marred by the total absence of the US.
Asian utilities locked into coal as long-term contracts slow transition
Asia’s shift towards cleaner energy is being hampered by decades-long coal power agreements that continue to bind utilities to fossil-fuel generation, even at times when cheaper renewable supplies are readily available.