East Asia

In the Western Pacific, the U.S. has stepped up its naval patrols and forged new basing arrangements

A New Space Race? China First to Land on Far Side of Moon

The probe, Chang’e 4, is symbolic of the growth of the Chinese space program and the capabilities it has amassed

New Cold War or New Global Tinderbox?

the United States and its rivals are engaged in an accelerating arms race, focused on nuclear and “conventional” weaponry

Featured

Tokyo’s Net Carbon Zero Olympics, as Japan surges toward 65 GW Solar

Juan Cole

But will it be enough to avoid turning the Pacific Ocean into Godzilla?

Featured

“We Fell in Love”: The Trump-Kim Jong Un RomCom

Juan Cole

Also, “I love Saudi Arabia!”

China

US Ports Hurting from Trump’s anti-China Trade War, Warn of Severe Crisis in Six Months

AFP

“We can probably take another six months, but at some point it’s going to be very hard to face the situation.”

China

Pakistan Invites Saudi Arabia to Invest in China Economic Corridor

AFP

Islamabad (AFP) – Islamabad has invited Saudi Arabia to invest in the Beijing-funded, multi-billion dollar infrastructure corridor being constructed in Pakistan, its information minister said Thursday, as concerns grow over the country’s debt levels. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is an ambitious plan to build energy and transport links connecting the western Chinese region of […]

China

Dragon Waiting: After Idlib, Will Beijing Bring Syria into its One Belt Network?

Neil Thompson

As speculation grows that the Syrian army under the regime of Bashar al-Assad is preparing to strike at the Idlib de-escalation zone, the last piece of Syrian territory with a significant rebel presence left active, it seems as if the brutal civil there is at last drawing to a bloody conclusion. Like Iraq, Syria may […]

China

China defies Trump on Iran, Creating new Benchmark Crude Market in Yuan

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – China’s new futures market in Shanghai is trading in the Chinese currency, the Yuan, rather than dollars. One reason for dumping the dollar in this regard is that the Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Asset Control is trying to stop countries from buying Iranian petroleum. The Dept of […]