EURASIA AND OCEANIA
US-China decoupling: a reality check
I was a decoupler before decoupling was cool. I have advocated selective decoupling of the US economy from China for the past four years, arguing that the United States requires absolute self-sufficiency in strategic areas such as defense electronics. That, Dr Henry Kressel and I argued in a November 2016 Wall Street Journal op-ed, requires a massive national effort to bring computer chip fabrication back onshore.
Why the New Silk Roads are a ‘threat’ to US bloc
Under the cascading roar of the 24/7 news cycle cum Twitter eruptions, it’s easy for most of the West, especially the US, to forget the basics about the interaction of Eurasia with its western peninsula, Europe.
Neocolonialism and geopolitical rivalry in Sri Lanka
Neocolonialism – a term introduced by Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of independent Ghana, in the early 1960s – describes a post-colonial state that is “in theory independent and has all the outward trappings of international sovereignty,” but “in reality, its economic system and thus its political policy is directed from outside.” The concepts of neocolonialism and non-alignment in foreign policy that Nkrumah and other leaders of ex-colonial states championed in the 1950s and 1960s still have great relevance for Sri Lanka today.
HERE’S HOW RUSSIA CAN LEAD EURASIA’S CONSOLIDATED RESPONSE TO THE ECONOMIC CRISIS
From a grand strategic perspective, balancing between BRI and the AAGC would enable Russia to participate in both mainland and maritime Eurasian integration processes, with an eye on facilitating the eventual convergence of these two in Afghanistan for the betterment of the continent’s security after that conflict inevitably ends, writes Andrew Korybko, a Moscow-based American political analyst
THE NEOCONS’ COVID-19 FEAR-MONGERING WON’T DERAIL CPEC
Indian media picked up the recent piece penned by US “deep state” operative Michael Rubin for the influential American foreign affairs magazine “The National Interest” fearmongering about how CPEC will supposedly facilitate the spread of COVID-19 throughout the global pivot state of Pakistan. Rubin’s professional credentials debunk the impression that unaware readers might have of him supposedly being an objective observer since this former Pentagon official’s storied career as related by the neoconservative “American Enterprise Institution” that presently employs him proves that he’s been deeply embedded in “deep state” operations for decades. As such, he accordingly has an agenda, which in this case has been to regurgitate standard talking points in the hopes of manipulating perceptions in his home country and abroad about the future of the Chinese-Pakistani Strategic Partnership.
China might well refuse to take our barley, and there would be little we could do
A series of decisions and reactions to events that were perceived as anti-China has pushed relations between Australia and China to the verge of a historic low.
Each time, China has urged Australia to reconsider its position and on some occasions has threatened to retaliate.
Recent examples include Australia’s exclusion of Huawei from its 5G network for fear of the influence of the Chinese government on its activities, and the COVID-19 travel ban which singled out China when introduced on February 1 even though by then the virus had spread to other countries.
China’s Belt and Road keeps steaming ahead in Laos
Under fire for bullying neighbors in the South China Sea, China is patting itself on the back for the progress it is making on the 411-kilometer China-Laos railway through a sparsely populated nation
South Korea is the pivot in the Huawei wars
South Korea has told Washington that restrictions on semiconductor sales to Huawei and other Chinese companies are “unacceptable,” according to industry sources.
Asian century began in May 2020
Region has emerged as an economic zone as closely integrated as the European Union
DRAWING BATTLE-LINES: US OPENLY TARGETS CHINA’S OBOR
President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the US intelligence community said Tuesday that he would focus on China as the country’s greatest threat, saying Beijing was determined to supplant the United States’ superpower position.
Hainan free trade port reaffirms China’s commitment to opening up
Chinese authorities released a master plan for the Hainan free trade port, aiming to build the southern island province into a globally-influential high-level free trade port by the middle of the century.
Hainan FTP Masterplan Released to Establish China’s Biggest Free Trade Port by 2035
Hainan Province, an island at the southernmost point of China is best known for its sandy beaches and resort-lined coast. Due to its proximity with ASEAN nations, the Hainan FTP acts as a frontline to China’s integration with Southeast Asian countries. This has created new opportunities along China’s Belt and Road Initiative; Hainan will be an important node on what is referred to as the “Maritime Silk Road”.
