China on Wednesday announced a $31 million aid package for Afghanistan, in what appears to be one of the first new foreign aid pledges for the Taliban-ruled country. The aid will include food, winter weather supplies and COVID-19 vaccines. “China has decided to urgently provide $30.96 million (200 million yuan) …

China’s growing demand for natural gas has been driving closer engagement with Turkmenistan, renewing questions about Russia’s role in Central Asia, once regarded as Moscow’s backyard. Soaring gas prices appear to be the main motivator behind China’s agreement to restart an unfinished and technically challenging project to drill three new …

As crises continue to unfold in Lebanon, the inaction and silence of decision-makers goes beyond the limit, raising red flags over the purpose of such a behavior and whether such governance stems from ignorance, poor management, and thirst for power, or perhaps an orchestrated plan aiming to dissolve the state …