China
COMMENT: How Nepal and Bhutan navigate the India-China rivalry
While New Delhi flexes its military posture to signal resolve both to Beijing and Islamabad, neighbouring microstates like Nepal and Bhutan find themselves compelled to recalibrate their security interests and economic alignments.
US tariffs: threat or opportunity for ASEAN’s clean energy ambitions?
In April, when US President Donald Trump announced steep import tariffs targeting a swathe of sectors, reigniting concerns among many ASEAN countries that have flourished under the China+1 strategy.
South Korea and Japan eye strategic icebreaker advantage in US tariff talks
Japan’s Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, has signalled interest in positioning icebreaker cooperation as a key point in negotiations with President Donald Trump, scheduled for final talks during the G7 summit in Canada this June.
BERTRAND: China, leading Asian countries, set up rival to International Court of Justice
China and a group of about 20 other countries (including Indonesia, Pakistan, Algeria and Serbia) are launching this week the "International Organization for Mediation" to rival the International Court of Justice.
BERTRAND: Indonesian President Prabowo hails China as the new moral leader of geopolitics
President Prabowo Subianto has hailed Indonesia’s deepening ties with China, calling it a “pillar of peace and prosperity” in the Southeast Asia region, in an implicit rebuke of Western “imperialism and colonialism.”
COMMENT: Ranking the top 60 economies’ exposure to US tariffs
US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 50% tariff hike on the EU has put the cat amongst the pigeons again. If he follows through then Europe, which is highly dependent on US trade, will be amongst the most damaged economies in the world.
COMMENT: Why Japan-China relations remain key to Asian economic and regional stability
While headlines often dwell on the China-United States rivalry or regional disputes in the South China Sea, it is Sino-Japanese relations that may well determine the trajectory of Asia’s economic prosperity.
MACRO ADVISORY: Mongolia rising, but critically linked to China
Three years ago, Mongolia was broke and facing a possible debt default. It suffered a big drop in the volume and value of copper and coal exports to China during 2020-2021. Now it is doing better, but its fate is tied to China.
China accelerates push into “low-altitude economy” of drone deliveries and flying taxis
China is rapidly advancing plans to build a “low-altitude economy”, where groceries are delivered to your door by drone and workers can avoid the crowds by taking flying taxis home. It sounds like science fiction, but China is building it.
China launches first offshore carbon capture project to support emissions goals
China National Offshore Oil Corporation has commenced operations at the country’s first offshore carbon capture and storage facility, located in the Pearl River Mouth Basin.
COMMENT: China’s debt-trap diplomacy - lessons from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and beyond
For the nations affected this results in economic dependence on China and often the surrender of strategic assets - or both.
Countdown to disaster: timelines to cross temperature thresholds tabulated
The Climate Crisis is accelerating and all the main players predict that the world will warm by more than the 1.5C Paris Agreement target by next year and the 2C maximum will be broached by 2037 – far earlier than previously forecast.
BERTRAND: US criminalises using non-US AI microchips anywhere in the world
Anyone, anywhere using Huawei Ascend chips could be prosecuted for violating US export restrictions according to new rules issued by the White House in May.
Sunlight heating effect on earth more than doubles in the last decade
Global warming results from man-made greenhouse gas emissions that have doubled the heating effect from incoming sunlight, which is now more than the heat radiated by earth into space in the last decade, according to a research paper.
Vietnam rising - the future powerhouse of Southeast Asia
Looking ahead to the next 50 years, there is strong reason to believe that Vietnam will not just keep pace with Southeast Asia's leading economies – it may well outstrip most of them in influence and innovation.
India poised to become world's third-largest economy by FY2030–31
Despite this, India continues to maintain its status as the fastest-growing large economy, even amid a moderation in real GDP growth projected for FY2024–25.
Lee VS Kim; a look at South Korea’s leading presidential candidates on foreign policy issues
Whichever way it goes, the result of the presidential election in Korea will play a crucial role in shaping both South Korea and the wider East Asia region’s geopolitical landscape for the foreseeable future.
Uzbekistan: Hub for electric vehicles in Central Asia – report
China expanding share of global EV market.
COMMENT: A protracted Sino-US trade war is good news for Russia
The United States and China may have agreed to a temporary pause in their escalating tariff battle, but the underlying trade war shows no signs of abating. While markets remain wary of further shocks, one country – Russia – is the big winner.
COMMENT: How Europe can win the digital nomad race
Record levels of immigration are dominating political debate in the world’s wealthiest countries. But there is a latent trend, still bubbling under the surface, which might soon occupy the minds of Western policymakers: emigration.