PLA naval display protests Tsai-McCarthy meeting

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The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Wednesday sent its aircraft carrier Shandong to pass through the Bashi Channel and appear on the southeastern side of Taiwan, in a foretaste of China’s threatened retaliation against the United States and Taiwan over a historic meeting between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in […]Continue Reading

No gains for Europe from latest pilgrimage to Beijing 

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The long list of European leaders visiting Beijing since German Chancellor Olaf Scholz jumped ahead of the race last November has been described by some Chinese media as pilgrims heading toward the fastest-growing major economy in the world.  One wonders whether this is enough of a reason for European leaders to have shifted away from […]Continue Reading

How nationalism destroyed Indonesia’s oil and gas

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An Indoensian oil worker opens a gauge near crude oil tanks on Bunyu island, Indonesia's East Kalimantan province. Photo: Reuters/Beawiharta

JAKARTA – Urged on by President Joko Widodo, the nationalist tide that has decimated Indonesia’s oil and gas industry over the past decade has left the nation on the bottom rung for prospective foreign investment and without the financial and technical means – or even the inclination – to find and develop new fields itself. […]Continue Reading

Pakistan on the brink of economic collapse

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In: Asia, Business

Pakistan is on the edge of defaulting on its financial obligations. In 2022, climate change led to severe floods in the country and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine affected food and energy supply chains. Both events exacerbated Pakistan’s economic difficulties. But volatile politics have hamstrung any coherent government response. Pakistan is simultaneously trying to cope with […]Continue Reading