China

As tensions grow between China and the US-led West over Taiwan’s status, both sides realise it is not easy to cut trade or manufacturing links with the island nation. It is as if Taiwan has become indispensible for both. The hypothetical situation doing the rounds in Beijing and Washington is assess how cleanly can either distance themselves from the Taiwan economy in case a conflict situation arises. Forget a war, even a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could cause serious global turmoil. According to a Semiconductor Industry Association estimate, a disruption in the production of logic chips at contract chipmakers in Taiwan could cause nearly $500 billion in lost revenues for electronic device manufacturers that depend on this supply. The visit of then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to T

In a significant development, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has unsealed charges against a Chinese citizen, XiangjiangQiao, for his alleged involvement in operating a network that facilitated the supply of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) components to Iran. The charges, which include sanctions evasion, money laundering, and bank fraud, were unveiled by authorities in New York on May 16. The indictment claims that Qiao played a key role in a scheme that utilized a sanctioned Chinese company to provide Iran with materials crucial for the production of WMDs, particularly for its ballistic missile program.The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, emphasized the severe threat posed by the Iranian regime and its facilitators to national security...

According to a person familiar with bilateral ties, defense minister Yasukazu Hamada and his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu plan to meet in Singapore in early June as part of a regional security summit. The idea was announced as Group of Seven leaders met in Hiroshima through Sunday and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reaffirmed the importance of communication with China. The source said Monday that at the anticipated meeting, which would be the first of its type since June of last year, Hamada is expected to voice his concerns on ongoing incursions by Chinese coast guard vessels into Japanese territorial seas and joint naval drills conducted by Beijing and Moscow near Japan. The East China Sea's Senkaku Islands have often been surrounded by Chinese coast guard warships. Tokyo is in...

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has begun a two-day trip to China as Moscow looks to strengthen commercial relations with Beijing in the face of increasing isolation from the rest of the world due to its involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. Mishustin said that his country's farmers were prepared to considerably boost agricultural exports to China during a Russia-China business summit on Tuesday in Shanghai, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. The US, Australia, Canada, the European Union, New Zealand, and the UK have all imposed sanctions on the Russian politician. He also stated that trade with China has assisted Russia in reducing its "dependence on the dollar." He said that greater trading in the native currencies of the two countries has also helped this e...

Mikhail Mishustin, the prime minister of Russia, arrived in China for a trip during which he will meet with President Xi Jinping and sign a number of agreements on trade and infrastructure. Igor Morgulov, the ambassador of Moscow to China, and Zhang Hanhui, the senior representative of Beijing to Russia, met Mr. Mishustin when he arrived in Shanghai late on Monday. The Kremlin said that Putin will attend a Russian-Chinese business summit, go to a petrochemical research facility in Shanghai, and speak with "representatives of Russian business circles." According to Bloomberg, the meeting has invited a number of Russian businessmen who have been sanctioned, including those from the crucial fertiliser, steel, and mining industries as well as Alexander Novak, the deputy prime ministe...

According to Moscow's foreign ministry, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has arrived in China for a visit during which he will meet with President Xi Jinping and sign a number of agreements on commerce and infrastructure. According to the ministry, Mishustin arrived in Shanghai late on Monday. He was met at the airport by Zhang Hanhui, the senior representative of Beijing to Russia, and Igor Morgulov, the ambassador of Moscow to China. According to the Kremlin, he will attend a Russian-Chinese Business Forum, tour a petrochemical research facility in Shanghai, and speak with "representatives of Russian business circles." In addition to Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who oversees energy problems, the event has invited other Russian businessmen who have been sanctio...

China appears helpless and seething following the G7 meeting in Hiroshima, Japan. India, its bete noire on the border, was an invitee. Worse, Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine who is challenging China’s best friend Russia with the help of the combined West, was a special invitee. To add insult to injury, the meeting issued the strongest condemnation to date of the military and security threats China poses to the international community. In early May, before the G7 meeting, the Asean members met in Indonesia. The members are those China wants to befriend or even control through friendly finances through the BRI in order to project its influence. It found some success when Malaysia’s head of government visited Beijing and returned with a huge financial package deal. But that was small chang