China
Forget Washington, Pyongyang’s most important target has always been Beijing
It’s easily forgotten now, but just over five years ago North Korea and China were not getting along. Beijing was adamant about implementing United Nations sanctions as a…
Who leads the world as longest in charge of their country?
Hun Sen heads to the polls in Cambodia this weekend, even though, as Radio Free Asia noted, the result is preordained. Hun Sen will win. Just like he has ever since 1985.
Hun…
It might be plastic fantastic, but Barbie lends cartoonish credibility to China’s nine-dash line
To think that even before Hollywood actors and writers went out on strike, the year had already produced one of the biggest film controversies – Barbie stumbling across China’s …
The emergence of “collective strategic ambiguity” on Taiwan
Since terminating its formal alliance with Taiwan in 1979, the United States has adhered to a policy known as “strategic ambiguity”. The Taiwan Relations Act, which Congress…
Despite the excitement, India’s South China Sea policy remains unchanged
An India-Philippines joint statement last month has caused a stir. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s Foreign Minister, and his Filipino counterpart, Enrique Manalo, issued a…
Putin is Xi’s useful idiot
Almost from the moment Russia invaded Ukraine, analysts have debated China’s role in the conflict. The fact that Xi Jinping met Vladimir Putin in Beijing only a few weeks earlier…
Beijing’s bad bet on Moscow
Beijing must be suffering from a severe case of buyer’s remorse. China’s leaders may speak the language of steadfast “no limits” support to Moscow, yet they are surely…
Charting new paths for Antarctic protection despite China’s resistance
Calls to renegotiate the agreements that govern the Antarctic, out of frustration at China’s and Russia’s opposition to establishing new areas for protection, would only put at…
Geopolitical duel in the Pacific: Solomon Islands security at risk as Australia and China compete
Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles landed in Honiara, the capital of Solomon Islands, last week for talks on the future of Australia’s defence and policing presence…
China’s answer to Top Gun is a flat spin
In the battle for cultural supremacy, the Chinese film industry has released their counterpoint to the American blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick. The May 2023 release of Born to Fly,…