Headlines

Designed to hurt Asia, Trump’s tariffs did the opposite

When the Trump administration announced sweeping tariffs on Asian economies on April 2, 2025, the political framing was simple. The tariffs would punish Asian exporters, shrink the US trade deficit and force capital home. Asia was cast as the vulnerable party in a contest the

Asia

What's at stake at the Trump-Xi summit

BEIJING, May 7 - U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing next week, as both countries seek to stabilise a relationship strained by tensions over trade, Taiwan and the Iran war.

Asia

Hormuz crisis heats up Asia’s Arctic scramble

The Strait of Hormuz crisis will be remembered for many things, but its most consequential legacy may be one that has barely entered the public debate. It has accelerated Asia’s geographic pivot away from the Middle East and toward a region most Asian capitals have until now

Asia

Crunch time for Japan-Russia as energy and security collide

An oil tanker from the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas extraction project arrived at Taiyo Oil’s refinery at Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, on May 5, signaling that Japan’s efforts to diversify away from the Persian Gulf have gone as far as to include some improvement in relations with

Asia

Why the world needs a China Shock 2.0

The global economic discourse in this spring of 2026 is dominated by a single, apprehensive phrase: China Shock 2.0. From the halls of the European Commission to the campaign trails in the United States, the narrative is remarkably consistent. It suggests that a second wave of

Asia

Iran’s long history of standing firm against foreign aggressors

US President Donald Trump’s threats against Iran since the war began have targeted not just the country’s military capabilities, but its entire civilization. In recent days, he has threatened that Iran would be “blown off the face of the earth” if it attacks US ships trying to

Asia

The cold, hard realism of Saudi hedging

When the missiles began arcing across the Persian Gulf in late February, falling on Riyadh’s Eastern Province as well as on American bases in Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE, the editorial pages in Washington reached for a familiar refrain: now, surely, the Saudis would have to

Asia