By Hani Hazaimeh The renewed clashes in and around Aleppo between Syrian government forces and Kurdish armed groups come at a moment when Syria should be consolidating peace, not reopening old wounds. After more than a decade of devastating war, the country stands at a crossroads: either it moves toward stabilization and national recovery or […]
Read MoreBy Tom Hussain Pakistan is increasingly confident of making billion-dollar arms sales, headlined by the JF-17 fighters its co-produces with China, as up to six Muslim-majority countries look to upgrade their air forces amid growing geopolitical turbulence and civil wars. A preliminary deal worth US$4 billion was struck last month with the Libyan National Army […]
Read MoreBy Sam Beltran Washington’s recent offer of US$45 million in funding to reinforce the Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire is a sign that the US is scrambling to regain the upper hand over China in mediating the rift between the Southeast Asian neighbours, according to analysts. Announcing the funding on Friday, US Assistant Secretary of State for East […]
Read MoreBy Orange Wang China needs to legislate to protect itself against the risk of “external suppression” and safeguard its technology and supply chains, a legal expert with a top Beijing think tank has warned. Li Honglei, head of a Communist Party committee that oversees two law institutes under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said […]
Read MoreBy Park Chan-kyong When prosecutors in South Korea demanded the death penalty for ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol, he shook his head in disbelief and let out a contemptuous laugh – a moment that encapsulated his defiant posture throughout nine months of hearings. Yoon stands accused of being the “ringleader” of an insurrection stemming from his failed […]
Read MoreBy Junaid Kathju India plans to lift long-standing restrictions on Chinese companies bidding for government contracts, a move officials say is aimed at easing shortages and project delays as relations with Beijing show tentative signs of stabilising. The proposal, first reported by Reuters, would roll back curbs, imposed after the two countries’ deadly 2020 border […]
Read MoreBy Sam Beltran A visit by the Philippines’ foreign minister to Myanmar has raised concerns over how Asean will be perceived under Manila’s chairmanship this year, with critics arguing it risks appearing as tacit support for the junta amid an election widely condemned as a sham. Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro met Senior General Min Aung […]
Read MoreBy Zhao Ziwen in Hong Kong and Vanessa Cai in Shanghai As the US considers taking military action over a crackdown on unrest in Iran, there has been no official response from either the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or Brics. Iran is a member of the two Beijing-backed forums for the Global South, and analysts said […]
Read MoreThe Trump administration plans to replace the US ambassador to Vietnam with a nominee set on addressing “imbalanced” trade relations, as Hanoi’s goods trade surplus with Washington surpassed China’s in recent quarters while it was locked in unresolved tariff negotiations with Washington. On Sunday, current ambassador Marc Knapper will end his tenure after being abruptly […]
Read MoreBy Iman Muttaqin Yusof A well-intentioned US embassy post featuring a satellite image of Malaysia has sparked a distinctly local burst of self-deprecating humour, with social media users quipping in response to the picture: “Sorry, we don’t have oil.” On Friday, the embassy in Kuala Lumpur posted a 2016 photograph taken from the International Space […]
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