South East Asia

“Proudly carry the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics and fight in unity to build a modern socialist country in all aspects.” This is the motto of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which regularly appears in official documents and proclamations of People’s Republic of China. It emphasizes socialist character …

On July 6, 2023, around 1,182 cadres, belonging to as many as eight Adivasi militant groups from Assam, laid down 304 sophisticated arms and 1,460 rounds of ammunition, at a ceremony held at the Srimanata Shankardeva Kalakshetra at Guwahati in the Kamrup (Metro) District of Assam (The tribal groups indigenous …

Another frenetic cycle has ended, not with a bang, but a whimper. There is a pattern here: every few months – sometimes less – Indian authorities drum up hysteria about a new and imminent catastrophe that, we are led to believe, the Khalistanis are preparing to inflict on the evidently …

Topped off by a curious ‘coup’ attempt in Russia, June was a fascinating month with new geopolitical economic developments, twists and turns on many fronts: As US President Biden wooed, wined and dined India’s Prime Minister Modi (who was once refused a visa to America), France’s Macron sought an invite …

The US and Chinese economies are closely interconnected, but their ties are eroding. Despite record levels of US–China bilateral trade in 2022, the trading relationship is becoming less interdependent. Rising tensions between Washington and Beijing are driving US and Chinese investors away from each market. Perhaps the most consequential aspect …

China may have the opportunity to turn Russia into its vassal, but it has no compelling reason to do so. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia-China cooperation has grown in all directions. Moscow makes no bones about the fact that it is betting on China in …

Amidst the ongoing stalemate in the Ukrainian war, a major internal conflict has erupted within Russia with the mutiny of the mercenary Wagner Group. On June 23, Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, took to social media to accuse the Russian Ministry of Defense of launching an attack on Wagner’s camp, resulting …

The Central Asian republics are self-organizing in the wake of the NATO evacuation from Afghanistan in August 2021. The republics are wedged between Russia, China, Iran, and Afghanistan, and are pursing multi-vector foreign policies to ensure economic growth, and to ensure they can navigate among the local powers, and the …

In recent years, the Chinese Yuan Renminbi (RMB) has emerged as a popular form of exchange on the foreign currency markets in the Middle East. This arose as a direct result of the current global events that have shattered economies all across the world. The supremacy of the US dollar …

On the heels of China’s weather/spy balloon downed by a US F-22 comes a report of the construction of a Chinese listening post in Cuba. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., supports the Biden administration’s claim that China is setting up a spy station in Cuba. Gaetz calls it a “stationary aircraft …