China
South China Sea: The “transparency initiative” success is plain to see
The spectre of conflict continues to haunt the South China Sea. After months of harassing Philippine naval vessels near the contested Second Thomas Shoal, Chinese maritime forces…
Can the US and China avoid a catastrophic clash?
Last week, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan travelled to China for a multi-day trip in an attempt to keep relations between Washington and Beijing on a somewhat even…
Hong Kong keeps Russia’s dark fleet afloat
As a fleet of between 600 and 1,000 mostly ageing vessels continues to sail under the umbrella of suspected flags of convenience to evade international sanctions against Russia,…
Antimony: The hidden metal fuelling global competition
Great power competition between the United States and China centres on technological supremacy. This extends beyond future-defining technologies such as high-end chip…
A pilgrimage to China for Vietnam’s new leader
A century ago, 1924, Ho Chi Minh arrived in Guangzhou, China, as a young revolutionary, where he “bonded with a core group of confidants and comrades” and spent his days …
Is Russia really European anymore?
The Russian government issued a strategic planning document on foreign policy in March 2023, a year after troops rolled across the Ukraine border for a full-scale invasion. The…
China puts the squeeze on Myanmar’s Tatmadaw
The extent to which China seeks to actively export authoritarianism has long divided commentators.There are indeed genuine examples of Chinese Communist Party (CCP)…
US shifts nuclear focus to counter China’s growing arsenal
The New York Times has reported that in March, US President Joe Biden approved a highly classified nuclear strategic plan for the United States. The paper goes on to say that for…
The geopolitical ripple effect of Asia’s ageing population
By 2050, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), one in four people in Asia will be aged over 60. This is a threefold increase compared to 2010. China, the…
