China’s foreign ministry published a 4,000-word analysis entitled “US Hegemony and its Perils” on February 20. It’s an indictment of alleged US foreign interference, intimidation and interventions that began 200 years ago. This was followed by President Xi Jinping’s accusation at the Communist Party National Congress in March that the US was pursuing an unprecedented […]Continue Reading
Democracies have had a dismal start in the 21st century. Opinion surveys around the world show a counter-intuitive trend: Citizens of democratic nations are more pessimistic about the future of their countries than people living in quasi-democratic or one-party states, often by wide margins. Similar trends can be seen when people are asked about the […]Continue Reading
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, China’s GDP grew by only 3% in 2022, compared with 8.4% in 2021, a decline that left growth well short of expectations. In December 2022, exports fell by 9.9% year-on-year and imports fell by 7.5%, the third consecutive month registering negative growth. What is […]Continue Reading
With Thailand heading into a general election in May, key political parties are promising the nation’s more than 50 million voters almost everything from steep increases in cash handouts and wages to suspending debt repayment.Continue Reading
With the country heading into a general election in May, key political parties are promising more than 50 million voters almost everything from steep increases in cash handouts and wages to suspending debt repayment.Continue Reading
Foreign investors trying to suss out when or whether to invest in China and condemned to rely upon the musings (one can’t call it reporting) of the Western establishment press on the National People’s Congress (NPC) that ended March 13 can be excused to be left bewildered by apparently contradictory policy signals. What mainly creates […]Continue Reading
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched in 2013 by Chinese President Xi Jinping, is considered an ambitious long-term strategy to promote the expansion of Chinese influence by providing countries in the region with aid and infrastructure investment. But in contrast with some Southeast Asian states which have largely embraced the BRI with open arms, Vietnam has […]Continue Reading
“He influenced thousands of Singapore musicians and we will forever be in his debt,” says jazz musician Jeremy Monteiro.Continue Reading
US regulators’ swift reaction to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and two other lenders partially restored calm to markets, but concerns remain over the stability of the global financial system. The government is racing to orchestrate a US$30 billion rescue of First Republic Bank by the nation’s largest financial institutions after the California lender’s […]Continue Reading
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras: Economic necessity and Taiwan’s refusal to increase financial aid were behind Honduras’ decision to establish diplomatic ties with China, Foreign Minister Eduardo Reina said on Wednesday (Mar 15). Honduras President Xiomara Castro announced on Tuesday that she had instructed Reina to “undertake the official opening of relations” with China,Continue Reading