China
China and Russia cement their grip on global manufacturing
China now accounts for roughly 28% of global manufacturing value added, more than any other country or bloc and over triple its share in 2004, according to World Bank data.
Electrifying Asia – where EVs are reshaping power demand and fuel use
The winners are likely to be countries capable of building integrated ecosystems spanning renewable generation, batteries, charging networks and EV manufacturing.
Japan advances Pacific rare earth push after deep-sea discovery
The government-backed Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology said medium and heavy rare earths accounted for about 54% of the material extracted from mud samples. They included yttrium, gadolinium and dysprosium.
Europe's summer heat has broken the Bell curve, as record El Niño builds
This summer’s extreme temperatures have broken the normal “Bell curve” distribution of temperature variations and pushed it sharply to the right into record breaking highs. This is not normal – literally.
PANNIER: Afghan groups battle Taliban near Tajik border
If Afghanistan’s rulers lose control of Badakhshan province, route to Chinese border will be blocked and calculations in Central Asia’s capitals may change.
Chinese BRI investment announcements in Africa rise 254% y/y in H1 to record $33.5bn
Africa’s surge in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) investment was driven by several unusually large renewables, green ammonia, metals-processing and manufacturing projects, particularly in Ethiopia and Egypt.
CXMT jumps 472% in Shanghai debut to top China stock market
Chinese memory chipmaker CXMT surged 472% on its Shanghai debut, briefly becoming the most valuable listed company on the mainland and staking a domestic challenge to Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron in the global DRAM market.
Global population growth peaked six decades ago - OWID
The increase in the world’s population is not exponential. The global population is growing, but the growth rate has declined since its peak six decades ago.
Super El Niño arrives more than a month early
Sea surface temperatures in the Niño 3.4 region of the tropical Pacific have remained above the +2.0°C threshold for a "super" El Niño for more than a week, reaching an anomaly of around +2.1°C by mid-July — more than a month early.
Ukraine strikes more Wildberries warehouses
Ukrainian drones struck Wildberries logistics hubs in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk overnight, with the Nevinnomyssk facility left fully ablaze, Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim said on Telegram.
COMMENT: Is Kazakhstan quietly ditching Russia?
With Putin’s war and economy going badly, the suggestion is that China will soon be seen as the clear number one strategic partner to the Kazakhs.
Iran, China chamber officials float joint transport corridor to boost trade amid US strikes on rail network
Officials from Iran's Tehran Chamber and China's Khorgos International Chamber of Commerce have discussed a joint transport corridor to expand bilateral trade, with proposals to be drawn up into a memorandum of understanding.
Nicaragua buries democracy to build a Chinese-backed economic fortress
No more elections in Nicaragua: Ortega foregoes democratic facades and builds a Chinese-backed fortress economy to dodge US sanctions.
China to open Afghanistan border after nearly a century? Iran to bomb “Trump” route? “Cargo corridor” journalism is where it’s at nowadays
Wars are reshaping countries’ thinking on how to get goods in and out.
COMMENT: The four-power alliance that needs no treaty
An Ankara conference has urged a Turkey, Russia, China and Iran alliance to deter the US. The treaty may never be signed, but the trade flows, pipelines and payment systems suggest the bloc already exists in all but name.
AI boom gives Poland and Hungary new export opportunities
Central European economies are emerging as unexpected beneficiaries of the global artificial intelligence boom, with Poland and Hungary seeing growth in exports linked to AI infrastructure.
Xi positions China to challenge US grip on global AI rules
President Xi Jinping used the opening of China's flagship AI summit on July 17 to portray Beijing as an alternative rule-setter for artificial intelligence, unveiling a new intergovernmental body and a package of aid for developing nations.
Kazakhstan, China sign $15bn worth of deals as Tokayev visits Shanghai
Agreements range across AI, digital infrastructure, corridor freight, manufacturing, energy and critical minerals.
China's 'impossible' gas price risks killing off Power of Siberia-2
China has effectively priced Russia's flagship Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline out of existence, demanding a price for gas that analysts say would make the project uneconomic.
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China and Kazakhstan intensify nuclear ties
China-Central Asia Monitor: July 3-9, 2026.