United States

China

India

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

The United States and India will hold their first dialogue on the Indian Ocean, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell informed Congress on Sept. 18, Nikkei Asia reported on Sept. 19.

India: U.S. and India To Hold First Dialogue on Indian Ocean

Canada

Australia

Japan

New Zealand

South Korea

United Kingdom

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Leaders of the AUKUS grouping (the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia) issued a joint statement on Sept. 18 revealing ongoing consultations with Canada, New Zealand and South Korea to collaborate on Pillar II of the agreement.

AUKUS: Joint Statement Hints at Expansion

A 44-year-old Chinese man surnamed Zhong used a knife to attack a Japanese student 200 meters from a Japanese elementary school in the southern Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen, The Asahi Shimbun reported on Sept. 18.

China: Third Knife Attack Against a Foreigner in as Many Months

Taiwan

Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai pledged to speed up the review process by examining two recent incidents of boats with Chinese nationals sailing to Taiwan's shore without the military's notice, Taipei Times reported on Sept. 17. 

Taiwan, China: Second Coastal Breach Highlights Security Issues

U.S.-China Relations

Japan and the United States are close to reaching a deal under which Tokyo will place more restrictions on the export of chipmaking technology to China, the Financial Times reported on Sept. 16.

U.S., Japan: Negotiators Near Deal on Restricting Chipmaking Technology to China

Venezuela

Iran

Czech Republic

Spain

Russia

Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced that the government arrested three U.S. citizens, two Spaniards and a Czech national for their alleged participation in a conspiracy to destabilize the administration, El Pais reported on Sept. 14. 

Venezuela: Alleged Anti-Government Plot Portends Crackdown on Opposition

Social Issues

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Sept. 13 passed a motion to raise the retirement age for Chinese workers from 60 to 63 for men, 55 to 58 for women in white collar jobs, and 50 to 55 for women in blue collar jobs.

China: Country Raises Retirement Age, Pension Contributions

Maldives

China's central bank announced it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Maldivian Ministry of Economic Development and Trade to strengthen trade and investment by boosting local currency settlement for current account transactions and direct investment, Reuters reported Sept. 13.

Maldives, China: Countries Sign Finance Cooperation Deal Amid Fears of a Maldivian Default

Assessments

Brazil

Chinese President Xi Jinping (third from left) and Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin (third from right) hold a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 7, 2024. 

Despite China's declining investment volumes in Brazil, strengthening cooperation remains of interest to both countries, which will likely see Brasilia join the BRI -- potentially as soon as November.

The Implications of Brazil Joining China's Belt and Road Initiative

Kenya

Mexico

Israel

Palestinian Territories

A special session of the U.N. General Assembly is held on the Palestinian bid for full membership to the United Nations at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on May 10, 2024.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Mexico Ratifies a Controversial Judicial Reform, the U.N. Votes on a Palestinian Resolution

Snapshots

Sub-Saharan Africa

Chinese President Xi Jinping (center) and leaders from African nations assemble for a group photo at the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, China, on Sept. 5, 2024.

In a recent speech, Chinese President Xi laid out a $51 billion funding pledge for Africa, but fiscal and security constraints make a return to the heavy Chinese engagement of the mid-2010s highly unlikely.

China Commits to Long-Term Africa Ties, Even if Belt and Road Remains Muted

Netherlands

The United States and the West are likely to continue tightening export controls on China's semiconductor and other high-tech industries to close loopholes exploited by Chinese companies.

Tightened Western Tech Export Controls on China Signal More to Come

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Indonesia

Laos

Malaysia

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

Vietnam

The flags of ASEAN members are displayed at a naval base during the ASEAN Solidarity Exercise in Batam, Natuna regency, Riau Islands province, Indonesia, on Sept. 20, 2023. 

ASEAN's economic and geopolitical diversity will impede significant progress toward deeper integration, despite members' intention to collaborate more closely.

Economic and Geopolitical Diversity Hinders ASEAN's Path to Deeper Integration

Mongolia

Germany

Supporters attend a campaign event for the left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) in Erfurt, eastern Germany, on Aug. 29, 2024, ahead of upcoming regional elections.

The Weekly Rundown: An Africa-China Summit, State Elections in Eastern Germany

Turkey

France

Uzbekistan

Turkmenistan

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Afghanistan

The Geopolitics of Water

Energy

The escalating impacts of climate change and water scarcity will inflame tensions between Central Asian countries, raising the risk of violent state conflict in the coming decades. 

The Looming Threat of Central Asian 'Water Wars'

Angola

Botswana

Comoros

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Lesotho

Madagascar

Malawi

Mauritius

Mozambique

Namibia

Seychelles

South Africa

Eswatini

Tanzania

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Egypt

Lebanon

Qatar

Yael Braun-Pivet, a French lawmaker for the ruling Renaissance party, delivers a speech after being reelected as National Assembly president following the third round of voting on July 18, 2024.

The Weekly Rundown: France Resumes Political Horse-Trading, Blinken Returns to Middle East

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev waits to greet foreign leaders during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states leaders' summit in Astana on July 4, 2024.

Continued liberalization will strengthen Kazakhstan's economic outlook in the coming years, but close ties to Russia and China may stifle foreign investment and limit growth.

Will Economic Liberalization Be Enough To Attract Foreign Investment in Kazakhstan?

Bangladesh

Muhammad Yunus (4R) on Aug. 9, 2024, in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

While Bangladesh's interim government is unlikely to make drastic changes in foreign policy, the government that emerges after new elections could seek closer ties with China and distance from India. This would delay bilateral projects with India, increase security challenges for India and lead to greater Chinese influence in the region.

After Elections, Bangladeshi Foreign Policy Will Drift in China's Favor

China's water security plans could see it become a world leader in water management technologies, but they also risk impeding Beijing's efforts to defuse debt bombs and attract foreign investment. 

In China, Water Security Comes With High Costs

Ghana

Nigeria

Uganda

A motorcyclist looks at his phone in front of a National Electoral Council poster promoting the upcoming presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 23, 2024.

Global Elections

The Weekly Rundown: An Election in Venezuela, Economic Reforms in the U.K.

<p>China is situated on the eastern third of the Eurasian landmass, between Russia, mainland Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. Its more than 9,000 mile-long coastline abuts the Yellow, East and South China Seas. China is a country of deep geographic divisions. Most fundamental is the split between its fertile eastern lowlands and the arid, sparsely populated highlands that enclose the lowlands like a shell. More than a billion people live in the ethnic Han Chinese core, making it one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Traditionally, threats to China&#39;s Han core originated in the borderlands. To guard against overland invasion, successive Chinese rulers have sought to push the Core&#39;s borders outward &mdash;integrating these highlands as strategic &quot;buffer&quot; zones. These zones form a shield, protecting and containing the core. To be secure, China must control the buffer regions. But maintaining control of the regions, in turn, requires a strong and united core. And that means overcoming immense internal divisions &mdash; not only between northern and southern regions orbiting the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, but also between smaller regional units, each with their own geography, history, dialect and interests. Chinese history is defined by cycles of unity and fragmentation, from periods when a strong Han core captures and holds the surrounding buffers to those when a weak core breaks into its constituent parts, loses internal coherence and cedes control of the borderlands. This pattern, rooted in China&#39;s geography, has played out with remarkable consistency. By comparison, China&#39;s maritime interests have remained mostly limited to coastal waters. Today, however, growing international trade and rising Chinese reliance on overseas resources threaten to alter the pattern, adding a new maritime dimension to the struggle for buffer space &mdash; and potentially upending the long-standing dynamics of China&#39;s geographic challenge.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

India: U.S. and India To Hold First Dialogue on Indian Ocean

AUKUS: Joint Statement Hints at Expansion

China: Third Knife Attack Against a Foreigner in as Many Months

Taiwan, China: Second Coastal Breach Highlights Security Issues

U.S., Japan: Negotiators Near Deal on Restricting Chipmaking Technology to China

Venezuela: Alleged Anti-Government Plot Portends Crackdown on Opposition

China: Country Raises Retirement Age, Pension Contributions

Maldives, China: Countries Sign Finance Cooperation Deal Amid Fears of a Maldivian Default

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support