Muhammad Imran and his wife, Asma Rafique, sit in the courtyard of their home in Qadirabad near the Sahiwal coal power plant. Credit: Aman Azhar/Inside Climate News

    The Chinese Coal Offer Pakistan Couldn’t Afford But Didn’t Refuse

    Planet China: Fourteenth in a series about how Beijing’s trillion-dollar development plan is reshaping the globe—and the natural world. QADIRABAD, Pakistan—Only a few weeks to wrap up a lifetime. The thought crossed Muhammad Imran’s mind and lingered as he prepared in November to depart the country with his family, perhaps for good. Disheartened by Pakistan’s chronic…

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    Venezuela’s only active remote sensing satellite facility, at the Captain Manuel Rios airbase, was developed and built by China. Photo: Handout

      China’s sensitive technology at risk after Trump abducts Venezuela leader Maduro

      China risks losing access to satellite tracking stations and other sensitive technology infrastructure in Venezuela after the United States seized control of the country’s leadership and transferred its president Nicolas Maduro to New York for trial. Beijing’s embedded assets – from satellite ground stations to oilfield systems and telecommunications networks – could be compromised after…

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      Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker at a meeting last week in New Delhi. Photo: Handout

        US rejects claims of Indo-Pacific retreat, says aid is being recalibrated to counter China

        Senior US officials on Monday pushed back against suggestions of American retreat from the Indo-Pacific, declaring that Washington is recalibrating its foreign assistance to more effectively outcompete China in the strategically vital region while maintaining support for allies through targeted aid and security cooperation. The focus, they said, is shifting away from broad assistance towards…

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