South East Asia

China-Russia Ties Continue To Morph After Ukraine Invasion

As NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Beijing at a March 23 press conference not to aid Russia in the Ukraine war, a batch of e-mails believed to be sent by Chinese state-sponsored hackers landed in the inboxes of researchers and engineers at several Russian military-development institutes. The e-mails all carried …

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China’s Latest Power Grab Threatens Entire Pacific

All the Pacific Island nations invited to the foreign ministerial conference had already embraced Beijing’s “One China Policy.” Some of these states once had diplomatic links with Taiwan but were wooed away by Beijing’s offer of financial loans, investment and corrupt practices, such as direct interference in the domestic political …

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On Asia trip, Biden says he would be willing to use force if China invades Taiwan

President Joe Biden, speaking Monday during his first visit presidential visit to Japan, signaled an apparent end to the U.S. policy of strategic ambiguity by saying the United States would defend Taiwan against a Chinese invasion. “Yes,” Biden replied when asked by a reporter in Tokyo if he was willing …

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The Ukraine War Threatens Asia’s Regional Architecture

In 2022, there will be great interest in Asia’s summit season because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The annual East Asia Summit, ASEAN and APEC meetings always attract attention due to the proximity of many world leaders, but the less glamorous work of the multilateral mechanisms goes on throughout the …

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Risky Competition: Strengthening U.S.-China Crisis Management

As their strategic rivalry grows, China and the U.S. are increasingly operating in close proximity in the Asia Pacific. An accident or misinterpreted signal could set off a wider confrontation. The danger level is low, but dialogue is needed to dial it down further. What’s new? The risk of an unintended …

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The Food Insecurity Crisis is Not Going Away

On May 16, wheat prices reached a new high, as India banned exports amid a disastrous heat wave.India, the second largest producer of wheat worldwide, conveyed growing concerns about the status of its own food supply amid skyrocketing prices and decreased harvests. Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is a …

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China says it wants to expand BRICS bloc of emerging economies

China wants to expand the group of emerging economies known as BRICS, in the first shake up of the bloc in over a decade, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Thursday. Brazil, Russia, India and China initially formed the bloc in 2009, with South Africa joining in 2010. “China proposes …

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Concerning ‘China’s Master Plan to Destroy America’

China has been unabashed about making its intentions known. Already in 1999, two colonels in China’s People’s Liberation Army, Qiao Liang and Wang Xiansui, wrote, “Unrestricted Warfare: China’s Master Plan to Destroy America.” In it, the authors “suggest the significance of alternatives to direct military confrontation, including international policy, economic …

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La «sécurité indivisible», nouvel avatar du récit offensif chinois envers Taïwan

Face à ce nouvel argumentaire diplomatique un peu vaseux, la nécessité d’une stratégie occidentale globale Selon la Chine, Taïwan demeure la 23e province chinoise. Mais en réalité, depuis 1945, l’île est de facto indépendante de la république populaire de Chine – qui n’y a jamais exercé aucun pouvoir politique, mais …

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Something’s Brewing: China’s “Teapot” Refineries and Middle East Oil Producers

This year, China is expected to overtake the United States as the world’s largest oil refining country.[1] Although China’s bloated and fragmented crude oil refining sector has undergone major changes over the past decade, it remains saddled with overcapacity.[2] Privately owned unaffiliated refineries, known as “teapots,”[3] mainly clustered in Shandong …

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