Chinese dark influence coming to light in Thailand

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Two scandals converged in November 2022 in Thailand, forming a perfect storm that threatens the government party Palang Pracharat’s already shaky prospects at the upcoming 2023 national election. The scandals have also illuminated a growing problem that has remained largely out of Thai news headlines in recent years — the nexus between Chinese capital, crime […]Continue Reading

A Germany-China-Russia triangle on Ukraine

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken probably thought that in his self-appointed role as the world’s policeman, it was his prerogative to check out what is going on among Germany, China and Russia that he wasn’t privy to. However, Blinken’s call to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday (December 23) turned out to be […]Continue Reading

China expresses ‘resolute opposition’ to US defence act

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SHANGHAI: China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday (Dec 24) expressed “strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition” towards the US National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law by US President Biden the day before. It charged that the US$858 billion military spending measure, which authorised up to US$10 billionContinue Reading

Indonesia bauxite ban drops a trade war gauntlet

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JAKARTA – Doubling down on Indonesia’s value-added mineral policy which has drawn fire from the World Trade Organization (WTO) and European importers, a defiant President Joko Widodo insists his administration will go ahead with its plan to ban bauxite exports in June next year. Widodo made the announcement only days after returning from a visit […]Continue Reading