Headlines

Sino-West trade strains deepen on new tariffs and rules

New US tariffs and tougher EU regulations heighten pressure on China, raising the risk of retaliation and broader global trade conflagration. Mounting trade tensions involving China have become a significant source of concern for the global economy, reflecting a broader trend

Asia

How I learned to stop worrying and love American monopolies

For many years, I was a big proponent of the idea that increased market power was harming the US economy in various ways. In the 2010s, in the economics world, circumstantial evidence began to pile up, implicating increased industrial concentration as the culprit behind a

Asia

War heats up as Russia, Ukraine trade drone and missile attacks

Over the past month, there has been a notable increase in the intensity of the air war in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Strikes in mid- and late-May and early June have been characterised by significantly larger numbers of drones and missiles deployed by Russia in single

Asia

Beijing vows to retaliate as EU warns of China Shock 2.0

Beijing has threatened to retaliate after the European Union’s executive body called for a more robust response to the surge in cheap Chinese goods flooding its markets. Amid fears that a new wave of Chinese exports was gutting European manufacturing, the European Commission

Asia

Russia’s Afghan pivot risks entanglement in old traps

As Russia deepens cooperation with Afghanistan’s rulers, it faces a growing tension between regional influence, connectivity ambitions and its own security concerns. Few countries have warned more consistently about the dangers emanating from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan than

Asia

Israel’s military creep killing Gaza peace plan

In recent days, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli army to seize 70% of Gaza – a sizeable increase from the 60% it currently controls. This follows an updated map sent to aid agencies in Gaza in late March featuring a new “orange line” demarcating

Asia

China’s sailless submarine takes warfare to the seabed

China’s newly revealed sailless submarine may be designed not only to evade detection but also to threaten the undersea infrastructure underpinning Indo-Pacific military and economic power. This month, Naval News reported that China has covertly launched a highly advanced,

Asia

India is repeating China’s mistake in Myanmar

When Senior General Min Aung Hlaing arrived in India on May 30 for his first official overseas visit as Myanmar’s new “president,” the photo op was exactly what he wanted. The man who seized power in a coup, jailed elected leaders, crushed a nationwide uprising and drove

Asia