East Asia

Nine of the world’s top 10 research institutions are now Chinese. By Imran Khalid ( Foreign Policy in Focus) – In the last decade, a profound shift has taken place in global academia that has fundamentally altered the hierarchy of scientific research. China, once considered a peripheral player in cutting-edge science, has now ascended to […]

China

Can Trump’s Plan to Target China for its Oil Imports from Iran Succeed?

Neil Thompson

London (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Since returning to office in January, US President Donald Trump has reinstated the maximum pressure campaign of his first administration on Iran. Trump wants to push Iran into ending its nuclear programme, and the White House has tried to severely curtail Iran’s oil exports as way of putting […]

China

How Trump’s Tariffs are driving Asia and the Gulf into China’s Arms

Neil Thompson

London (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – US President Donald Trump’s America First trade policy has seen the global economy enter a new era of protectionism in the two months since he took office. The US leader has embarked on a series of trade wars with countries that run trade deficits with the US, including […]

China

The Heart (or Graphite) of Greed: Why Donald Trump’s Obsession with Greenland Is All About China

Joshua Frank

( Tomdispatch.com ) – In early January, Donald Trump Jr.’s private plane landed on a snowy airfield in Greenland. There was little fanfare upon his arrival, but his 14 million social-media fans were certainly tagging along. “Greenland coming in hot…well, actually really really cold!!!” President Trump’s eldest son captioned a video he posted on X. […]

China

Moonbases and Solar Arrays: Will China win the Space Race as Musk’s DOGE cripples NASA?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The irrational, ignorant and often plain stupid cuts that rogue DOGE operatives of Elon Musk are making to the US government will endanger the health and well-being of American society for decades. Musk himself is a giant contractor for the government and many of his moves may be intended to […]

Asia

As Trump Shutters US Offshore Wind, Asia’s Renewables Promise Cheaper Manufacturing, Trade Surpluses

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump has halted the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management from granting new offshore wind licenses. This move will gut the growing US offshore wind industry, though it does not necessarily affect already-granted licenses. Gavin Maguire at Reuters explains the outcome of this policy will be high energy costs for Americans, […]

China

China dominates Middle East Solar Sector as Trump hobbles Renewables in US

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Chinese firms dominate the manufacture of photovoltaic solar panels, accounting for 80% of the global market (along with most elements of the supply chain). Volumes in China’s solar sector, including panels, batteries and EVs, expanded by a third in 2024, even though panel prices had plummeted. The Chinese will, however, […]

China

The Year ahead in the Middle East: A weakened Iran has big Implications for China

The Conversation

By Daniel Lincoln, University of Alberta (The Conversation) – The wheels of history have been turning rapidly in the Middle East over the last year. For a significant period of time, Iran’s status as a rising power within the region has been regarded as a consistent reality in assessing Middle Eastern geopolitics. But events since […]

China

Trump Confronts a Rising China: Can He Manage U.S.-China Relations Without Precipitating World War III?

Michael T. Klare

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Gaza, Haiti, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela: President-elect Donald Trump will face no shortage of foreign-policy challenges when he assumes office in January. None, however, comes close to China in scope, scale, or complexity. No other country has the capacity to resist his predictable antagonism with the same […]