Hong Kong
China takes Russian oil shipments usually bound for India amid shifting trade flows
At its peak, Russia was India’s largest single supplier of crude, commanding a 36% share of the market. In 2024 alone, New Delhi imported $53bn worth of oil and crude products from Russia.
Chinese President Xi Jinping makes rare visit to Tibet
China’s President Xi Jinping has made an unannounced trip to Tibet, where he presided over a mass gathering in Lhasa to mark six decades since Beijing established the autonomous region.
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The Philippines pushes back against Chinese aggression in the South China Sea
Recent incidents, from naval collisions to dangerous aerial interceptions, illustrate the fraught nature of the region, and reveal the Philippines’ evolving strategy to defend its maritime rights.
Jimmy Lai becomes a symbol of hope and despair in fallen Hong Kong
Hong Kong is gone. Taiwan and the South China Sea must not, at any cost, follow suit.
ASEAN is going nuclear – it's just a matter of time
Across the ASEAN bloc, energy security, surging data-centre demand and net-zero pledges are nudging governments to revisit their nuclear options.
Japan becomes the pillar of security in northeast Asia
Japan's rapid technological leap in embracing stealth aircraft, maritime-launch F-35Bs, advanced missile defence, AI-enabled drones and space-based surveillance, brings a strategic balance to the region.
COMMENT: Why Taiwan’s president must find the courage to declare Taiwan’s independence
Lai leads a democratic society. Polling by the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation in July 2025 shows that 77% of Taiwanese identify as “Taiwanese” rather than “Chinese”.
China wakes to the importance of moving closer to Israel
China is increasingly engaging with Israel, especially in areas such as science, high technology, and innovation. Bilateral trade between the two nations reached $16.27bn in 2024, with Israeli exports exceeding Chinese imports for the first time.
China’s military build‑up against Taiwan
Beijing’s growing arsenal of missile‑based strike systems, amphibious deployment platforms, high‑end air power and laser/cyber capabilities reflects a sustained campaign to squeeze Taiwan’s defensive window.
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.
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.
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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.
Russia, China to set their own gold exchanges, cut ties with Western control
Russia and China are taking concrete steps to reduce Western influence over global gold markets, signalling a broader move towards monetary self-reliance and the redomiciliation of gold reserves away from traditional Western centres.
CK Hutchison delays $23bn ports deal as US-China tensions grow over Panama sale
CK Hutchison’s $22.8bn ports sale faces delays, with the BlackRock-led consortium talks likely to extend past the July 27 deadline, as the deal draws scrutiny over Panama assets amid rising US-China tensions.
ASIA BLOG: If the Thailand-Cambodia conflict escalates, Vietnam won’t stand idle – nor will the US and China
The current flare-up between Thailand and Cambodia feels different from previous disputes. What initially appeared to be a limited skirmish over disputed borderland and nationalist rhetoric now carries the faint, unmistakable whiff of escalation.
Japan’s Self-Defence Forces are much more capable than many think
During the past decade Japan has quietly but steadily modernised its defence apparatus. While Tokyo avoids the loud rhetoric of some of its neighbours, its actions speak volumes.