When President Xi Jinping visited the United Nations in Geneva last month, before his landmark pro-globalization speech in Davos, he said China’s proposition to the world was to “build a community of shared future for mankind and achieve shared and win-win development.” Then came the astonishing numbers. “In the coming five years, China will import US$8…
The ascension of Donald Trump to the US Presidency has introduced an additional element of uncertainty to the conduct of world affairs. Judging from Mr Trump’s rhetoric, and some of his initial executive orders, such as withdrawing the US from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), the proverbial cat has been set among the geopolitical pigeons….
From the Bab al-Mandab to the strait of Malacca, from the strait of Hormuz to the strait of Lombok, all the way to the key logistical hub of Diego Garcia 2,500 miles southeast of Hormuz, the question pops up: How will the unpredictable new normal in Washington – which is not exactly China-friendly – affect…
It’s not a matter of “if” but “when” there is a serious confrontation between Messrs Trump and Xi over “access” to the South China Sea. The stakes could not be higher. As we enter the Year of the Rooster, a fierce debate rages over whether Donald Trump is trying to stake his claim as the…
He did it, his way; Chinese President Xi Jinping descended on the Swiss Alps; profited from a geopolitical vacuum only three days before Donald Trump’s inauguration with the Atlanticist West mired in stagnation and/or protectionism; unleashed a charm offensive; and deftly positioned China in the lead of “inclusive” globalization. In a wide-ranging speech that went…
The Russian President is long overdue for a visit to one of the centerpiece regions of the emerging Indo-Pacific century, and the overlap of infrastructure, trade, and institutional interests there should give President Putin more than enough reasons to seriously consider taking a trip to South Asia. Global politics have been steadily shifting eastward over…
