South East Asia

Can China broker peace in Ukraine? Don’t rule it out

Xi Jinping’s phone call with Volodymyr Zelenskiy was a long time coming, but it should not have come as a surprise. Beijing is on everyone’s shortlist when it comes to prospective peacemakers in Ukraine. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, is no exception. “I know I can count on you to …

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A New Opening for EU–Central Asia Relations?

Summary: The EU has been stepping up its engagement with Central Asia, including on regional cooperation, energy, and connectivity. But to gain more clout, the union must present a positive alternative to powers like China and Russia. The EU’s stakes in Central Asia—a region the union has traditionally kept at …

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Judy Asks: Can Europe Forge a Common China Policy?

EU member states’ policies toward China have been hardening, but different national interests prevent a joint, coherent approach to Beijing. It may take a conflict over Taiwan to unify Europe. Krzysztof BłędowskiVisiting adjunct professor at the Rzeszów University of Information Technology and Management Europe is not united on China because …

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Why The Chinese Yuan Won’t Kill The Dollar – Analysis

Former US President Donald Trump has expressed concern that China could displace the US dollar as the global reserve currency. The warning follows reports of agreements between various nations to use the yuan in commodity transactions. For years, rumors have circulated about the demise of the US dollar as a …

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What’s at stake for China in Sudan as fighting drags on?

China’s economic interests, deep-rooted diplomatic relations with Khartoum, leaves Beijing worried about instability in Sudan and the Horn of Africa. China has thus far not taken sides in the fighting between the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary, which has entered its second week. Beijing’s cautious …

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EU Mulls Diplomatic Reach-Out To Sway Four Key Partners Away From Russia, China

Brazil, Chile, Nigeria, and Kazakhstan are four key “priority countries” the EU aims to keep close in its efforts to deal with Russia and contain China, according to an internal memo seen by EURACTIV. “We find ourselves in a competitive geopolitical environment: not only a battle of narratives but also …

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BRICS To Pass G7 In Economic Power, Says Bloomberg

Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – is expected to increase their share of the global economy to nearly 35% by 2028, Bloomberg reported on Monday. According to Bloomberg’s calculations based on the latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) data, this year, the BRICS countries will contribute 32.1% of the …

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How to Survive a Great-Power Competition

Southeast Asia’s Precarious Balancing Act As relations between China and the United States grow more antagonistic, the rest of the world is watching with unease. Washington has repeatedly accused Beijing of spying on Americans and trying to steal its secrets, most recently by sending a balloon over the United States. …

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Afghanistan Counterinsurgency: The RIP/TOA Blues – OpEd

United States Counterinsurgency Operations (COIN) in Afghanistan and Iraq were significantly hampered by the haphazard manner in which the United States military deploys units to combat zones. Replacement in Place/Transfer of Authority (RIP/TOA) is the process of the outgoing military unit in a respective Area of Operations (AO) transferring the …

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AUKUS Warms Up The Taiwan Straits – Analysis

Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (AUKUS) laid out the sail plan for Canberra’s $368 billion, multiyear program to acquire its own nuclear-powered submarine (SSN) fleet. It is Australia’s biggest defense buildup since the end of World War II and will induct it to an elite club of …

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