Global Power Shifts or more of the Same? Despite frequent claims of American decline and talk of a rising "multipolar world," the United States remained the dominant global power during the first Trump term in 2018. Historical cycles of perceived…
Impact of Chinese Structural Weaknesses and Export Reliance China’s record goods trade surplus — over $1 trillion in the first 11 months of the year — underscores the scale and effectiveness of its industrial strategy (from rare earths to EVs…
Tensions Rise over Taiwan Comments by Takaichi Japan-China tensions rose after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned a Chinese attack on Taiwan could threaten Japan’s survival, prompting Beijing to urge its citizens to stop visiting Japan. Tokyo dispatched a senior diplomat…
Europe under Threat from Industrial Espoinage Chinese state-backed hackers have carried out a sustained, escalating cyber campaign across Europe from 2020–2025 that goes beyond simple espionage. These operations have targeted vaccine research, government and parliamentary networks, telecom and cloud infrastructure,…
US China Trade Truce for One Year After months of brinkmanship, Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping reached a tentative trade truce during an October 30 meeting in South Korea that pauses several imminent US and Chinese trade measures, calms…
Netherlands Takes over Nexperia from Chinese Firm The Netherlands seized control of Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia over governance concerns, prompting China to restrict exports of certain components from Nexperia’s China operations. The move has disrupted automotive supply chains, with major carmakers…
Chinese Bargaining Chip: Rare-Earth Minerals China announced broad export controls on rare-earth-related technologies and materials, requiring foreign companies to get Beijing’s approval to export magnets or products containing even trace amounts of Chinese-origin rare earths or made using Chinese extraction/refining…
US Pressures Mexico to Close Chinese 'Backdoor' to USMCA Mexico announced a plan to raise import tariffs on automobiles and other goods from countries without free-trade agreements (notably China) to the maximum WTO-allowed levels. The measures—affecting about $52 billion of…
The Geopolitics of the Global South Competition Great-power competition—especially U.S. pressure to force developing countries into binary choices between the West and China—is counterproductive. Many countries in the global South prefer strategic autonomy and multiple alignments rather than being coerced…
China Led SCO Summit Pushes Alternatives to West The SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) consists of 10 member countries of which China and Russia are the two most important. In addition, central Asian states such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan…
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