FOR 50 YEARS Russia’s foothold in the Mediterranean has been bound up with the Assad dynasty in Syria. It was in 1971 that Hafez al-Assad—father of Bashar, Syria’s dictator until last week—became president of the country. And it was the same year that the Soviet Union signed a deal with Syria to lease a port…
Crude oil prices were set for a weekly loss today despite a flare-up in the Middle East and the virtual certainty OPEC+ would not be bringing any barrels back anytime soon. Brent crude was trading at $73.38 per barrel at the time of writing, and West Texas Intermediate was changing hands for $69.15, both up…
Hong Kong will step up its counterterrorism efforts under a new mechanism led by the chief executive, with seven working groups involving various government departments set to be established. Police Senior Superintendent Peter Leung Wai-ki of the Interdepartmental Counterterrorism Unit said efforts to combat and prevent terrorism needed strengthening. “While local terrorism remains a threat,…
A warning issued last week by Chinese President Xi Jinping over heightened risks of instability on the Korean peninsula signals Beijing’s growing unease with the potential geopolitical turbulence ahead as former US president Donald Trump prepares for his return to the White House, observers say. “China does not allow conflict and turmoil to happen on…
U.S. relations with China have been incredibly complex for many years. Ebbing and flowing among different trade policies, the two economic supergiants are poised to see increased strain amid new tariff plans. The re-elected incoming president Donald Trump campaigned on imposing high tariffs on China and all foreign entities—which economists have argued will have devastating…
The China Future Tech section provides readers with a one-stop homepage for tracking the latest developments and trends in the six sectors, which are chosen because of their implications for not only China’s economic and technology future, but also the country’s geopolitics and trade ties with the rest of the world. China Future Tech includes…
ECONOMIST SOMETIMES say that China suffers from the three Ds: debt, deflation and poor demographics. America’s presidential election added a fourth: Donald Trump, who has threatened to slap high tariffs on Chinese exports when he returns to the White House. To counter these dangers, investors had hoped China would announce a decisive fiscal rescue package…
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday Beijing and Washington must find a way to “get along” in a message to US president-elect Donald Trump, state media reported. Trump’s crushing presidential victory ushers in a new era of uncertainty in the United States and the world, and heralds a possible shift in US-China relations, frayed in…
After weeks of headlines about Pyongyang’s decision to dispatch thousands of troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine, NATO and the Pentagon said this week that North Korean soldiers are in Kursk, the Russian region partly controlled by Ukrainian troops. Here’s why that’s important for China. Finding Perspective: The Pentagon said North Korea has sent…
Oil prices are set to post a weekly gain as geopolitical uncertainty remains a central focus of oil traders, but a strong dollar and a large U.S. inventory build are holding Brent and WTI back. Friday, October 25th, 2024 The elevation of the Israel-Iran conflict into the main oil market narrative for October is by no…