Headlines

Bangladesh braces for a December of converging crises

Last December was one of the most turbulent months in Bangladesh’s recent history. The country was looking ahead to the February election when Sharif Osman Hadi, a young political leader, was shot and later died on December 18. His death was followed by mob attacks on Prothom

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US-Pakistan relations beyond the Trump factor

In July 1971, Henry Kissinger, then National Security Adviser to US President Richard Nixon, was unwell and resting at a mountain resort in Nathiagali, outside Islamabad. That was the story Pakistani officials allowed to circulate. In reality, Kissinger was on his way to

Asia •

Wartime memory shows China-Russia ties far from ‘limitless’

For more than a decade, China and Russia have sought to align their official memories of the Second World War. They have staged prominent joint commemorations and military parades, while also coordinating remembrance dates and harmonizing their official discourses about the

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China’s tech export boom is hiding a weakening economy

NEW YORK — A week after US voters rebuked Donald Trump’s Republican Party, China delivered a stinging reminder that his presidency is going awry from all directions. China’s trade surplus swelled to just over US$1 trillion for the year despite Trump World’s best efforts to

Asia •

AIIB isn’t the Chinese weapon Washington and Tokyo feared

Ten years ago, Washington worried that China would use the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) as a means of imposing its political will on Asia’s infrastructure. But after a decade in operation, it may be time to reconsider that view. The AIIB now holds triple-A

Asia •

Myanmar’s rare earth pitch to US risks China’s wrath

When Myanmar’s military-backed government urged Washington to invest in its rare earths, its leader Min Aung Hlaing was offering more than minerals. He was inviting the United States into a business China dominates and a peace process Beijing has long sought to influence. On

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