United States

China

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

U.S.-China Relations

Science & Technology

Nvidia ordered several suppliers and contractors for its H20 AI chip, including Amkor, Foxconn and Samsung, to suspend production, The Information reported on Aug. 21. 

U.S., China: Nvidia Tells Suppliers and Contractors To Halt Production of H20 AI Chip

Cyber

Microsoft began restricting Chinese companies' access to early notifications about cybersecurity vulnerabilities in response to the U.S. government's mandated vulnerability reporting requirement, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 20. 

U.S., China: Microsoft Curtails Chinese Companies' Access To Advance Vulnerability Notifications

Taiwan

Military & Security

Politics

Taiwan's Cabinet revealed its proposal for the 2026 defense budget of 949.5 billion New Taiwan dollars ($31.1 billion), equivalent to 3.32% of gross domestic product and representing a 23% increase from 2025, Focus Taiwan reported on Aug. 21.

Taiwan, U.S.: Lai Proposes Defense Spending Surge Amid U.S. Pressure

India

Marking the conclusion of the Chinese foreign minister's two-day visit to New Delhi, India and China agreed to resume bilateral direct flights, maintain communications on transboundary rivers and water issues, and establish a group to formally explore demarcating sections of their disputed border, Reuters reported on Aug. 19.

India, China: Governments Continue To Ease Tensions With New Agreements 

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom's Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds will visit China in the second week of September, marking the first meeting of the U.K.-China Joint Economic and Trade Commission since its suspension in 2019, Politico reported on Aug. 19.

U.K., China: U.K. Business and Trade Secretary Reynolds To Visit Beijing in September

Afghanistan

Pakistan

The Afghan Taliban plans to host a trilateral meeting on Aug. 20 with China and Pakistan in Kabul, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 19. 

Afghanistan: Taliban To Host First Trilateral Talks With China and Pakistan in Kabul

U.S. technology company Nvidia is developing a new artificial intelligence chip for the Chinese market that is more powerful than the H20 chip, which the United States authorized Nvidia to sell in China earlier in August, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 19.

U.S., China: Nvidia Developing More Advanced AI Chip for Chinese Market

Russia

After his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin late on Aug. 15, U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed the idea of immediately raising tariffs on China over its purchases of sanctioned Russian oil, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 15.

U.S., China: Trump Again Avoids Adding New China Tariffs

Assessments

Bolivia

Israel

Palestinian Territories

An aerial view shows a campaign poster of Bolivian presidential candidate Samuel Doria Medina and his supporters marching during a rally in La Paz, Bolivia, on Aug. 12, 2025.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Bolivian Elections, a Controversial Israeli Settlement Plan 

Snapshots

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the "Winning the AI Race" summit hosted by All‑In Podcast and Hill & Valley Forum at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on July 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

Relaxed U.S. export controls on key semiconductors will enable Chinese companies to accelerate their advancement of AI-focused chips.

How U.S. Export Concessions Could Boost China's AI Ambitions

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) looks at Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 30, 2018, during the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to meet in the coming days.

Energy

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: A Trump-Putin Summit, the Deadline for a U.S.-China Tariff Pause

A 3D modeled town in the shape of the Chinese flag.

Trade tensions will exacerbate China's excess savings problems, but the economic situation will remain manageable

Beijing Grapples With Deflation, Overinvestment as Tariff Pressures Mount

A voter leaves a booth during voting for the recall election at a polling station in Taipei, Taiwan, on July 26, 2025. 

Its victory in the recall votes will embolden the opposition KMT to press on with controversial reforms and defense spending cuts, but it will also help prevent a near-term escalation of cross-strait tensions.

A Failed Recall Emboldens Taiwan's Opposition

Canada

Mexico

Cambodia

Japan

South Korea

Thailand

Europe

A Cambodian soldier stands on a truck with a rocket launcher in Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, which borders Thailand, on July 25, 2025. 

Global Trade

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. Tariff Deadline Passes, Thai-Cambodian Border Tensions Persist

Australia

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks during a luncheon at Parliament House in Canberra on June 17, 2024. 

The Australian prime minister's efforts to stabilize relations with Beijing will yield short-term economic benefits, but rising regional security concerns will ultimately limit long-term engagement.

The Challenges Facing Albanese's Bid to Reset China-Australia Relations

Egypt

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly (center right) meets with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (center left) in Cairo on July 10, 2025.

In the coming years, Egypt will deepen its economic ties with China via increased trade and investment, while simultaneously maintaining its military alliance with the U.S. to address regional security concerns.

Egypt Navigates Its Needs for Chinese Investment and U.S. Military Support

A worker positions a robotic underwater vehicle that can be remotely operated to harvest mineral deposits in the deep ocean, after conducting tests in a lake in Collingwood, Ontario, on May 1, 2025.

Recent U.S. actions will likely accelerate commercial seabed mining operations in certain resource-rich waters around the world, despite international regulatory hurdles and ongoing environmental concerns.

Deep-Sea Mining: Opportunities, Risks and the Path to Commercial Extraction

South Africa

Philippines

 The European Union and China will hold a high-level leaders' summit July 24 in Beijing, marking the 50th anniversary of Chinese-EU diplomatic relations.

The Weekly Rundown: An EU-China Summit, South Africa's Budget Vote

Asia-Pacific

Diplomats attend the 32nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on July 11, 2025. 

Chinese, Russian and U.S. participation in the summit shows that the Southeast Asian bloc will remain a key venue for diplomatic hedging and potential great power friction in the years ahead.

ASEAN Meeting Provides an Arena for Multipolar Competition

Germany

Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump on April 24 in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington. In an interview July 10, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he would "have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday," perhaps representing a shift in his administration's policy.

The Weekly Rundown: Trump Speaks on Ukraine, Sweeping EU Budget Reform

<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

U.S., China: Nvidia Tells Suppliers and Contractors To Halt Production of H20 AI Chip

U.S., China: Microsoft Curtails Chinese Companies' Access To Advance Vulnerability Notifications

Taiwan, U.S.: Lai Proposes Defense Spending Surge Amid U.S. Pressure

India, China: Governments Continue To Ease Tensions With New Agreements

U.K., China: U.K. Business and Trade Secretary Reynolds To Visit Beijing in September

Afghanistan: Taliban To Host First Trilateral Talks With China and Pakistan in Kabul

U.S., China: Nvidia Developing More Advanced AI Chip for Chinese Market

U.S., China: Trump Again Avoids Adding New China Tariffs

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support