Headlines

Salesman Trump leaves China with very little in his bag

Few things enrage Donald Trump more than being upstaged, particularly when he is on the biggest stage of both his stints as US president — in Beijing. Though Trump World will deny that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang did just that this week, he did. And global markets know it. Just as

Asia

Bangladesh barrage bet holds no water for India’s diplomacy

May 15 occupies a charged place in Bangladesh’s political memory. The date is observed as “Farakka Day”, commemorating the 1976 long march led by Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani protesting India’s diversion of Ganges water through the Farakka Barrage. Nearly half a century

Asia

Europe shouldn’t buy Myanmar junta’s Suu Kyi ploy

Myanmar’s military is trying to sell former State Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi’s transfer from prison to a “designated residence” as a gesture of mercy. But the move has raised basic questions: where is she, who has seen her and can anyone outside the junta verify her health and

Asia

What’s really driving Europe’s pro-Russian supporters?

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 sparked the most significant military conflict in Europe’s post-Second World War history. While European public opinion is overwhelmingly pro-Ukrainian, significant segments of Europe’s population hold ambivalent or even

Asia

How low will Indonesia’s falling rupiah go?

Indonesia’s psychological and economic guardrails officially cracked in mid-May when the rupiah plunged to 17,513 against the US dollar, the weakest level in the currency’s history. The decline has become a warning signal of the country’s macroeconomic framework, which is now

Asia

The misread storytelling behind Xi Jinping’s speeches

For many in the West, China still feels hard to fully understand. Public debate and media coverage too often focus on the “China threat.” Critics highlight the flaws of China’s political system and limits on freedom, yet China has still managed to rise as a major power that can

Asia

Miles of smiles belie a fraught and fragile Trump-Xi summit

Diplomacy involves the art of telling lies with a straight face or even a reassuring smile. On day one of Donald Trump’s China visit, political correctness and diplomatic finesse were in ample display from the US leader, while Chinese sources reported that Xi Jinping issued a

Asia