South East Asia

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 …

The US dollar may be losing its dominance in the Middle East to the yuan. Egypt has decided to issue bond’s denominated in China’s currency, the yuan. Egyptian Finance Minister Mohamed Maait said at a press conference today that Egypt will issue $1.5 and $2 billion’s worth of the yuan-denominated …

The U.S. has deployed two of its warships to the Taiwan Strait in a first such mission since the controversial visit of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taipei, the Navy said on Saturday. Media reports said: USS Chancellorsville and USS Antietam, guided-missile cruisers, are sailing through international waters in …

An armada of warplanes deployed to the Indo-Pacific by the United Kingdom, France and Germany signals the Europeans’ commitment to reinforce the region in a crisis, even during the challenge posed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to security experts. The NATO members sent 13 Typhoon and Rafale fighters, seven …

A year has now passed since the tumultuous U.S. withdrawal from decades of war and occupation in Afghanistan. With the Taliban functionally in charge, the country faces a deteriorating humanitarian crisis and economic collapse. But instead of taking action to promote stability and reinvigorate the economy, the U.S. has made …

Recent weeks in Syria have witnessed an escalation of violence between U.S. forces and militias backed by Iran. Recent weeks in Syria have witnessed an escalation of violence between U.S. forces and militias backed by Iran. According to the opposition website Baladi News, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has stated …