China
COMMENT: Why Beijing will never take Taiwan
Xi Jinping needs to think again before he sends so many young Chinese men and women to their deaths on Taiwan, for if the PLA does one day dare to land, they will be buried here.
Taiwan releases updated civil defence guide focusing on wartime scenarios
Taiwan releases updated civil defence guide focusing on wartime scenarios, including protection tips and warnings about false surrender messages during potential conflicts.
Chinese teens slapped with $300,000 bill for peeing in hotpot
Although no diners were actually served the tainted broth, the video sparked outrage across China. Haidilao rushed to ‘mop up’ the mess – quite literally – by handing out refunds and payouts to punters.
China launches Hongqi H5 sedan in Middle Eastern markets
Luxury Chinese off-brand Rolls-Royce launches in the Iranian auto market at $42,000 massively undercutting European and Japanese sedans in the same market.
Extreme poverty falling steadily – OWID
To track progress towards ending extreme poverty, the United Nations relies on World Bank estimates of the number of people living below a poverty threshold called the “International Poverty Line” (IPL), Our World in Data (OWID) reports.
Mexico’s tariff proposal on Chinese cars opens new front in trade politics
Mexico’s plan to sharply raise import duties on Asian goods, particularly Chinese automobiles, has triggered an immediate diplomatic warning from Beijing.
Lukewarm support for Polish UN vote condemning Russian drone incursion
Only 46 out of 193 UN member states signed a joint UN declaration on September 12, denouncing Russia’s alleged involvement in a drone incursion into Polish airspace two days earlier.
Is Donald Trump driving India further into China's embrace?
Since taking office, the Trump administration has introduced sweeping trade measures that at times appear to target India in particular.
World GDP forecasts raised, but US slowdown anticipated - Fitch
Global growth is now forecast to be 2.4% in 2025, up 0.2pp since June but a sizeable slowdown from 2.9% last year and below trend.
This year's historic heatwaves largely caused by 180 "carbon majors" - study
More than a quarter of over 200 heat waves recorded globally since 2000 were impossible without human-driven climate change, with emissions from the world’s largest fossil fuel and cement companies playing a significant role.
Asia’s gas utilities are politically shielded but economically exposed
Many of the region’s gas distributors enjoy the safety net of being government-related entities and are ‘protected’ to a large extent. Their credit profiles are, in reality, extensions of sovereign ratings rather than stand-alone assessments.
Trump urges EU to hit China, India with 100% tariffs
US President Donald Trump called for the EU to hit China and India with tariffs of up to 100% on imports in an effort to force Moscow to end its war in Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on September 8.
The rise of the Southern Consensus
It’s increasingly looking like a clash of civilisations, isn’t it? In the last 24 hours there was yet another Global South summit where the collective leaders of the world’s biggest countries gathered to show unity in the face of US aggression.
COMMENT: Putin’s pivot to China cements Russia’s vassalage to Beijing
When Donald Trump declared that Joe Biden had made the “unthinkable” mistake of pushing Moscow into Beijing’s arms, the US president suggested their partnership was inherently fragile.
Europe mulls secondary sanctions as part of the nineteenth sanctions package for the first time
The European Union is considering the unprecedented step of adopting US-style secondary sanctions as part of the nineteenth sanctions package currently under review. The EU has never imposed secondary sanctions before.
India, China, Europe, all face population declines by the end of the century – OWID
This chart tracks the UN’s latest demographic projections for four large populations: India, China, Europe, and the United States. Together, they account for about half of today’s world population, Our World in Data (OWID) reports.
Xi and Putin to join BRICS emergency talks on US trade measures
Brazil's President Lula rallies leaders from emerging economies for a virtual meeting to find a coordinated response to aggressive US trade measures.
China accused of escalating Taiwan tensions with oil drilling in disputed waters
By placing energy platforms in contested waters, China is signalling both defiance of international rulings and a willingness to tighten the squeeze on Taiwan.
US to draw back from Asia in new defence policy concept
The United States is scaling back its strategic focus on Asia, marking a potential end to over a decade of military and political efforts to counterbalance China’s rise in the region, Politico reports.
US and Taiwan quietly hold defence talks in Alaska as Trump balances China ties
Taipei has recently announced a record defence budget, proposing a 23% rise that would lift military spending to more than 3.3% of GDP next year.