South East Asia

Politically, everything seems to be going smoothly for Xi Jinping in his bid for an unprecedented third term at the 20th Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Congress which will begin on October 16. However, even as politics remains at the forefront in China, the country is besieged by a sea of …

As the USS Tripoli docks in Singapore, while China’s warships remain active near Japan. The latest amphibious assault ship of the US Navy, the USS Tripoli (LHA-7), recently arrived at the Changi Naval Base in Singapore days after navigating the waters of the South China Sea. Tripoli is the second …

How Hubris and Paranoia Threaten China’s Future Not long ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping was riding high. He had consolidated power within the Chinese Communist Party. He had elevated himself to the same official status as the CCP’s iconic leader, Mao Zedong, and done away with presidential term limits, freeing …

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet next week in Uzbekistan for talks that could signal warming relations between two powers that are increasingly facing off against the West. The meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization — a political, economic and security forum that …

Background Businesses are rightly more concerned now over the outbreak of hostilities in the Taiwan Strait and its impact on physical security, assets/investments, and business continuity. Given the Chinese response to US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s 2-3 Aug 2022 visit to Taiwan, the risk of significant business disruption …

China is the world’s most populous country (1.4 billion people in 2020) and has a fast-growing economy. It was the largest energy consumer and producer in the world in 2020.1 We expect that China’s energy demand will continue to increase. China’s real GDP grew by 8.1% in 2021, which is …

The US–China technology rivalry became overt when a dispute erupted over 5G and Huawei after Washington designated Huawei as an embargoed company on its ‘Entity List’ in May 2019. At the centre of the dispute are standards underpinning the fifth generation of mobile network technology. China is overtaking the United …

Background Businesses are rightly more concerned now over the outbreak of hostilities in the Taiwan Strait and its impact on physical security, assets/investments, and business continuity. Given the Chinese response to US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s 2-3 Aug 2022 visit to Taiwan, the risk of significant business disruption …

China published a white paper titled “The Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era” on August 10,2022 reiterating its claims over the self-ruled island. This is the third white paper, the two earlier were published in August 1993 and in February 2000. Chinese state media said the white …

How a Burst Real-Estate Bubble Threatens China’s Economy The Chinese real estate sector is teetering. The largest private Chinese developer has defaulted on its external bonds. Most developers are struggling to refinance their domestic bonds. Home prices have gone down for the last 11 months. New construction is down 45 …