South East Asia

Washington is to set up a new fund that could eventually serve as a mechanism to free up Afghanistan’s frozen assets in order to promote economic stability in the country, senior US officials told CNN. According to the officials, the Biden administration has worked with Switzerland and Afghan economists to …

The Chinese company DJI controls nearly 90% of the world market for consumer and commercial grade drones. The excellent reporting on DJI by Kitchen tracks efforts by the company to lobby against passage of a bill called the American Security Drone Act (ASDA), now before Congress, to outlaw federal government …

Вступая в прямое столкновение с Россией вокруг Украины, страны Запада недооценили масштабы и глубину китайско-российского стратегического партнёрства в новую эпоху. События последних месяцев опровергли ожидания по поводу «хрупкости» отношений Москвы и Пекина, показали общее стратегическое видение сторон и готовность поддержать друг друга в решении сложных внешнеполитических задач. Уже к середине …

The National Resistance Front (NRF) of Afghanistan, an anti-Taliban resistance group led by Ahmad Massoud, is fighting against the Afghan Taliban in six provinces of Afghanistan, according to an Afghan website. The report published by Afghan newspaper Hasht-e-Subh quoted Ali Maisam Nazary, head of NRF’s foreign relations, as saying that …

As the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) marks the 46th anniversary of the death of its late leader Mao Zedong, concerns are being raised in some quarters that current leader Xi Jinping is hoping to emulate the “Great Helmsman’s” supreme status in the party hierarchy. At the CCP’s 20th National …

As the new UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss intends to designate China as a ‘threat’ rather than simply a ‘systemic competitor’. Her designation is consistent with the latest United Kingdom defence review, which calls China ‘the biggest state-based threat’ to the country’s economic security. There have been actions to match …

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 …