China
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Quality matters: how the Hormuz crisis tests refinery flexibility
The disruption highlights a key reality often overlooked in the oil market: while volumes may be globally fungible, crude quality is not.
Iran war is pushing the CRINK alliance closer together, turning it into a military alliance
One of the upsets of the war in Iran has been to drive the members of the CRINK alliance (China, Russia, Iran and North Korea) into a closer military cooperation that is not in the West's interests.
ADB projects slower growth in all of Asia
According to an outlook forecast report by the Asian Development Bank, the broad Asia region including its many developing high growth economies are facing what can be best described as the most complex set of headwinds in years.
Pakistan’s Ghazab Lil-Haq operation and the prospect of regime change in Afghanistan
A Eurasianet partner post from the Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst.
Naphtha shortages leading to petrochemical plants force majeures and record prices
Petrochemical producers across Asia have begun shutting down operations after disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz reduced supplies of the critical naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) feedstocks.
Battery costs have declined by 99% in the last three decades, making electrified transport a reality – OWID
Over 20mn electric cars were sold globally in 2025 — some for as little as $10,000. Even just two decades ago, that would have been impossible. The reason it's possible now? Batteries have gotten much cheaper.
EU paid €2.88bn for Russian Arctic LNG in first quarter
The EU paid an estimated €2.88bn ($3.33bn) to Russia for liquefied natural gas from the Yamal Arctic LNG project, majority owned by Novatek (NVTK.MM), in the first quarter of 2026.
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China's Xi hosts Taiwan's KMT chair in landmark Beijing meeting
Cheng is visiting China at the invitation of the CPC Central Committee and Xi. She is the first KMT chair to lead a delegation to China in a decade.
ASIA BLOG: How Taiwan’s KMT risks the nation’s sovereignty
As Taiwan’s opposition leader, Cheng Li-wun leads a delegation across China the fine line between opposition outreach and quasi-diplomacy is being blurred. It is an issue that should concern anyone with a stake in Taiwan’s democratic integrity.
BYD blacklisted in Brazil after 163 workers rescued from slave-like conditions
Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD has been added to Brazil's official forced labour blacklist after 163 Chinese workers were found in conditions analogous to slavery at the construction site of its new factory in Camaçari, Bahia, in 2024.
Taipei slams Cheng Li-wun's Beijing trip
Data from National Chengchi University shows a mere 2.5% of the population see themselves as Chinese, whereas 62% identify as Taiwanese.
Cheng Li-wun leads KMT tour across China
Cheng asserted that her visit mirrors the precedents set by previous KMT leaders which supports the notion of a single Chinese entity while rejecting separatist movements for Taiwan.
Falling electrotech costs create a fast catch up path for Global South
A new energy pathway is emerging for developing economies, one that challenges the assumption that fossil fuels are a prerequisite for growth, according to a new report by Ember.
US consumers under pressure as Gulf energy crisis expands
US consumers are coming under increasing pressure as the effects of the energy shock from the Gulf War ripple amounts across the world.
The world could run out of chocolate by 2050
The world could face a severe shortage of chocolate by 2050 as climate change disrupts cocoa production in key growing regions, according to scientific estimates and industry data.
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Taiwan opposition leader Cheng travels to China on 'peace mission'
Cheng, who leads Taiwan’s largest opposition party, is visiting a number of cities in China, as Chinese military pressure on the island reaches new heights.
China's invisible hand in Iran’s F-35 success
Just days before Iran claimed to have hit one of the US Air Force's most formidable jets - an F-35 stealth fighter - a Chinese social media account published a detailed guide on how such an attack could be carried out.
Iran war accelerates Chinese US treasure bill sell off
The war in Iran has triggered a potential step change in the rate that China is selling off its US Treasury bill holdings. T-bill holdings are a good barometer for geopolitical tensions. China and the BRICS are dumping their T-bills.
Middle East conflict could cut Indian fertiliser output by 10–15%
Due to the supply chain disruptions stemming from the conflict in the Middle East, India could potentially see a decline in fertiliser output.
China blames US-Israeli 'illegal' war for Hormuz crisis and refuses to back Trump's 'just take it' call
China blamed the Hormuz crisis squarely on "US-Israel illegal military operations" and rejected Trump's call for countries to seize the strait, while declining to join the UK-led 35-nation shipping summit.