China
China’s troubles may well get worse before they get better
China hoped its economy would rebound quickly after the lifting of its draconian zero-Covid policies late last year. But ten months on, China’s economic recovery is sputtering…
Coup d’État in Gabon: Oil, champagne, and China’s geopolitical opportunity
On Wednesday 30 August, a group of Gabonese military officers announced that they had assumed power and placed President Ali Bongo Ondimba under house arrest. Minutes earlier, the…
Under Xi, the Party is winning but China is losing
August was a bad month for China. Mounting reports buttressed the view that China’s economy is not only in a downturn, but faces daunting long-term obstacles and declining…
Climate justice: friendshoring, China’s supremacy and America’s IR Act
When the Inflation Reduction Act (IR Act) passed the US Congress in August 2022, it was acclaimed as the largest, most ambitious climate change investment in American history. The…
Can North Korea play off Russia against China?
Flanking North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the podium in Pyongyang several weeks ago, top Russian and Chinese officials watched a show of the country’s assembled missile forces…
Cambodia, Thailand and dealing with China: The more things change…
For a man who had vowed to retire by the age of 90, Hun Sen’s abrupt decision to step down this month, barely a few weeks after winning a national election and after almost four…
India’s hesitation as China pushes for BRICS expansion
With the latest BRICS summit kicking off today, much has been said about Russia’s announcement that Vladimir Putin will attend virtually, given South Africa’s obligation as a…
China’s slowdown is nothing to celebrate
US President Joe Biden recently referred to China’s economy as a “ticking time-bomb”. While his administration might like to think the increase in US restrictions on trade and…
Bridging the divide: the significance of the US-South Korea-Japan trilateral
The Philippines may be the oldest US treaty ally in Asia, but South Korea and Japan are arguably the closest. The US-South Korea mutual defence treaty will turn 70 years…
Pipe dreams: Turning an interconnected ASEAN gas market into a reality
The development began in the 1960s when the Southeast Asian natural gas sector grew significantly after discoveries in Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia. In the decades that followed…