Space Station Obliteration: Follow China’s Tiangong-1 as It Crashes to Earth

Space Station Obliteration: Follow China’s Tiangong-1 as It Crashes to Earth

Thanks to online trackers you can now follow doomed Chinese satellite Tiangong-1 as it continues on its collision course with Earth. The only question now is whether you’ll see it hurtling towards your house. Tiangong-1, China’s first-ever space station, is expected to crash into Earth in the coming days. You can follow its final journey…

China Taking the Long Road to Solve the Petro-Yuan Puzzle

China Taking the Long Road to Solve the Petro-Yuan Puzzle

Few geoeconomic game-changers are more spectacular than yuan-denominated future crude oil contracts – especially when set up by the largest importer of crude on the planet. And yet Beijing’s media strategy seems to have consisted in substantially play down the official launch of the petro-yuan at the Shanghai International Energy Exchange. Still, some euphoria was…

Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman Blames America for Spread of Wahhabism as Petro-Yuan Beckons

Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman Blames America for Spread of Wahhabism as Petro-Yuan Beckons

In a sensational interview with the Washington Post, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and de-facto leader Muhammad bin Salman has blamed the US and its allies for putting pressure on Saudi Arabia to export the extremist Wahhabi ideology during the Cold War as a means to counter the influence of the Soviet Union in the wider…

The “Taiwan Travel Act” is a Psy-Op Against China with Economic Dimensions

The “Taiwan Travel Act” is a Psy-Op Against China with Economic Dimensions

The US recently passed the so-called “Taiwan Travel Act”. This piece of legislation decrees that the American government should encourage bilateral visits between its officials and their Taiwanese counterparts, essentially formalizing a policy that has been unofficial for decades since the US switched its recognition of China’s legal government from Taipei to Beijing as part…

Death of US Dollar? China Launches Petro-Yuan to Challenge Greenback’s Dominance

Death of US Dollar? China Launches Petro-Yuan to Challenge Greenback’s Dominance

The highly anticipated yuan-backed crude oil futures have been launched in Shanghai. China is the world’s biggest oil consumer, with eyes on rival benchmarks Brent and WTI as well as the US currency. Trading of the new oil futures contracts for September settlement started on the Shanghai International Energy Exchange at 440.20 yuan ($69.70) per…

Regional Cooperation on Afghanistan Remains a Chimera

Regional Cooperation on Afghanistan Remains a Chimera

The international conference on Afghanistan, scheduled to take place in Tashkent on Monday, seems doomed to become yet another inconsequential event. Washington is the prime mover behind the conference, which will be co-chaired by the presidents of Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. But, ironically, the US has undermined its own initiative at the last minute. The Tashkent…