China
Rosatom may whiff on Kazakh nuclear project due to financing yips
Chinese firm teed up to replace Russian entity on project
COMMENT: EMs increasingly absorbing China’s surpluses
China’s widening trade surplus with emerging markets has become a defining feature of global commerce in 2025, driven by slowing demand in the West, persistent industrial overcapacity, and attempts to circumvent US tariffs.
COMMENT: Chinese trade is an economic lifeline for Russia despite falling volumes
Bilateral trade between China and Russia declined in the first half of 2025, but the downturn masks a deeper entrenchment of economic ties that continue to sustain Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.
US DoE muddies the ClimateCrisis waters with report downplaying the emissions problem
As part of the Trump administration’s attempts to take the Climate Crisis off the agenda, the US Department of Energy has released a report downplaying the impact of fossil fuels on global warming.
Sinkholes on the rise across Asia: a growing danger beneath the surface
The dramatic rescue of a motorist from a sinkhole on a busy Singapore road has cast new light on an alarming trend across Asia – the increasing frequency and severity of sinkholes swallowing roads, vehicles, and in some cases entire buildings.
China launches first interprovincial green hydrogen pipeline from Inner Mongolia to Beijing
Despite its promise, the project’s success may ultimately rest on market uptake. If industrial demand for hydrogen fails to keep pace with supply - or if pricing frameworks are not supportive - the pipeline could struggle.
IMF corrects growth forecast upwards – Statista
Despite uncertain market conditions amid the Trump administration's tariff regime and major global conflicts, the International Monetary Fund has upped its global economic growth forecasts for 2025 and 2026 slightly, Statista reported on July 30.
The Asian take on recognition of a Palestinian State
Muslim-majority nations or those seeking to expand their influence in the Middle East will support or reaffirm recognition. Meanwhile, countries embedded in US frameworks or enjoying ties with Israel are are expected to remain cautious.
The top three ‘megatrends’ set to transform the Asia Pacific region
The rapid development of technologies such as generative AI and the metaverse is already changing how people in Asia Pacific live, work, socialise and shop.
China’s carrot and stick game with the US
Beijing may continue to tighten the screw in some sectors while signalling openness to negotiation in others - a two-pronged approach of punishment alongside the offer of resolution - or as it is oftentimes labelled in the West, carrot and stick.
Kamchatka M8.8 quake; Asia region tsunami update
Southwest of Japan in Taiwan the Central Weather Administration issued a tsunami watch after the quake struck at around 7.25 a.m. Taiwan time: wave arrival was anticipated around 1.18 p.m., with possible wave heights of up to 1m.
BERTRAND: China after Communism, preparing for a post-CCP China
This may be one of the most insane reports ever produced by a US think-tank, and that's saying something.
Trump fast-tracks deep-sea mining in hunt for critical mineral supplies
The Trump administration has also moved to fast-track seabed mining in international waters following an executive order issued in April by President Donald Trump, bypassing multilateral regulations in what has been called a "gold rush."
When China sneezes, Mongolia catches a cold
Direct knock-on effects from US–China trade war stymie Mongolian economy.
Trump to kill US Climate Crisis commitment by gutting the EPA of its powers
The Trump administration will end any pretence of trying to fight the accelerating Climate Crisis with a plan to gut the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of its authority and end its core programmes to reduce emissions.
China’s WeRide secures Saudi Arabia's first autonomous driving licence
Chinese autonomous driving technology company WeRide has received Saudi Arabia's first autonomous driving licence for its Robotaxi service.
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China’s shipping giant COSCO pushes for stake in CK Hutchison's Panama ports deal
The $23bn sale of CK Hutchison’s global port assets, including key terminals at both ends of the Panama Canal, has shifted as China’s state-owned COSCO emerges as a potential investor, altering the deal’s geopolitical balance.
Recent floods across Asia kill hundreds, leave devastation in their wake
From South and Southeast Asia to Central and East Asia, communities have been grappling with flash floods, landslides and glacial lake outbursts as warming temperatures and shifting monsoon dynamics fuel increasingly erratic weather.
China locks in deal to electrify 1,000km of strategic railway in Iran
China and Iran have finalised a major deal on July 15 to electrify 1,000 kilometres of the Razi–Sarakhs railway line after weeks, according to Iranian media sources.
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Ceasefire in Cambodia–Thailand border conflict to commence at midnight, July 28
The decision, which brings a halt to five days of escalating violence along the border, was made during a dialogue facilitated by Malaysia in its capacity as ASEAN Chair, with co-organisation by the United States and the involvement of China.