South East Asia

In the three decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation and China have pursued divergent interests in post-Soviet Central Asia, as Moscow seeks to retain its influence even as Beijing’s “soft power” grows, underpinned by its dynamic economy. In a recent sign of the latter, Chinese …

On April 9, Haruhiko Kuroda stepped down as the Bank of Japan (BOJ) governor after serving for a decade, and the newly appointed governor Kazuo Ueda officially took office. While both have emphasized the stability of BOJ’s monetary policy, there is a growing concern regarding a potential change in the …

In the aftermath of global financial exclusion, Russia has had to make some strategic adaptations. The West’s sanctions had crippling consequences, and the Kremlin scrambled to find alternatives. In light of these developments, China became an important ally, and the Yuan—its currency—has taken on a more prominent role. It is …

Being the world’s leading reserve currency has allowed the United States to enjoy a massively inflated standard of living: that one is coming to an end. For decades, the US dollar has been the undisputed king of global currencies, but dramatic changes are happening. China, Russia, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia …

Hemingway’s law of motion says change comes gradually, then suddenly. The other China deal Much attention has been rightly focused on China’s role in closing the deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran to reestablish diplomatic relations. Another deal has gotten less attention, but may be just as telling in serving …

The Biden Administration has created a vacuum of leadership on the global stage. If the US further pulls out of Asia, the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, Ukraine, Latin America — anywhere — the vacuum created will surely be filled by the new axis of China-Russia-Iran. A US pull-out is, most …

A Lack of Dialogue, Visits, and Exchanges Is Raising the Risk of Conflict Relations between the United States and China have fallen to their darkest depths since the early 1970s, when U.S. President Richard Nixon met with Chinese leader Mao Zedong (and Nixon’s national security adviser, Henry Kissinger, met with …

CICC has about five to six people in its Middle East offices serving the entire region with a mix of Chinese and regional staff. China International Capital Corporation (CICC) plans to expand its reach in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, as China’s ties with the Middle East …

On March 10, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and China issued a joint statement announcing an agreement to resume diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Tehran. After seven years of military and diplomatic hostility, the two Gulf powers agreed to work toward resolving their disagreements based on a set of international rules and …

China’s mediation of the Saudi-Iran normalization agreement signals a potential break from its long-standing policy of keeping to a minimal and economically oriented regional footprint. By successfully bringing two of the Middle East’s bitterest rivals to the negotiation table, China aims to build credibility as a capable partner in a …