South Africa

United States

China

Taiwan

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Politics

Science & Technology

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was considering restricting the sale of semiconductors to South Africa after the South African government unilaterally renamed the island's two representative offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg as "Taipen Commercial Offices," Focus Taiwan reported on July 29.

South Africa: Taiwan Mulls Semiconductor Restrictions Amid Renaming of Diplomatic Missions

Military & Security

China unilaterally opened a third extension of the M503 flight route, just west of the Taiwan Strait's median line, an unofficial boundary between Taiwan and China, Reuters reported on July 6. 

China, Taiwan: Beijing Further Squeezes Taiwan Strait With Air Route Expansion

Taiwan's Central Election Commission announced on June 20 that it will hold recall votes for 24 lawmakers from the opposition Kuomintang, or KMT, on July 26.

Taiwan: Recall Votes Risk Institutional Power Grabs, Street Protests

Japan

South Korea

U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba did not announce an anticipated trade framework following their 30-minute talk on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada on June 16, The Asahi Shimbun reported on June 17. 

U.S., Japan: Lack of Trump-Ishiba Trade Framework Bodes Poorly for Asian Trade Partners

Energy

Taiwan's legislative opposition passed a bill on May 13 to extend nuclear reactor lifespans from 40 to 60 years, the Taipei Times reported the next day.

Taiwan: Effort To Revive Nuclear Power Likely To Fail, Perpetuate China Risks

Taiwanese President William Lai plans to give a speech (likely on May 8) commemorating the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, in which he is expected to laud the cooperation of democracies in the face of authoritarian aggressors and may reference China as a modern-day parallel threat, Reuters reported on May 1.

Taiwan: Lai Speech on VE Day Raises Specter of Another Chinese Drill

Philippines

Philippine Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Manila's chief military spokesperson on South China Sea issues, confirmed that the Philippine and Taiwanese navies are engaged in "unofficial and informal" engagements, and he mentioned the possibility of joint patrols in the Luzon Strait as part of broader multilateral engagement, state media TaiwanPlus News reported on April 29.

Taiwan, Philippines: Naval Connections Deepen After Manila Loosens Rules on Communications

The Philippines significantly eased restrictions on engagement with Taiwan by allowing Philippine officials to host Taiwanese officials and by allowing Taiwanese delegations to visit the island, though Manila maintained prior prohibitions on top national security leaders like the president and defense minister, Nikkei Asia reported on April 22.

Philippines, Taiwan: Manila Significantly Relaxes Restrictions on Engagement With Taipei

Snapshots

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

Assessments

Canada

Mexico

Cambodia

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

U.S.-China Relations

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

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

A photo taken on Feb. 21, 2025, shows Subaru vehicles bound for shipment at a port in Yokohama, Japan. 

The deal is a win for Japan's economy and its ruling party, but it may hasten Prime Minister Ishiba's exit. It will also help South Korea and Taiwan secure their own U.S. trade deals.

U.S. Trade Deal Is a Mixed Victory for Japan, a Template for Regional Partners

Taiwanese lawmakers prepare to vote on reconsidering controversial bills in Taipei, Taiwan, on June 21, 2024. 

Political infighting since the president's inauguration has impeded Taiwan's efforts to bolster military spending and has prompted Chinese military and economic retaliation, which could eventually imperil U.S. trade and arms deals.

After One Year Under Lai, Taiwan's Political Dysfunction Shows Little Sign of Easing

United Kingdom

Portugal

Poland

Romania

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on May 21 during an official trip to the United States.

The Weekly Rundown: South Africa's U.S. Reset, Three European Elections

Taiwan's President Lai inspects troops taking part in the Rapid Response Exercise at the Songshan military airbase in Taipei on March 21, 2025.

Lai's policies to defend sovereignty and curb Chinese influence are prompting greater coercive pressure from Beijing.

In Taiwan, President Lai's Actions Toward China Will Speak Louder Than His Words

Columns

On Geopolitics

Asia-Pacific

Australia

Indonesia

Malaysia

Vietnam

India

U.S. President Joe Biden gestures to reporters after landing on the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 22, 2024, in Washington, D.C. 

Trump's more aggressive and transactional approach could deliver quick wins for the U.S.'s position in the region, though it could also strain ties with key partners. 

Trump's Asia-Pacific Approach Will Test Biden's Gains

Angola

Cote d'Ivoire

Ghana

Kenya

Nigeria

Argentina

Brazil

Ecuador

Algeria

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Jordan

Kuwait

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Tunisia

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

Ukraine

Belarus

Russia

Pakistan

World map on a dark digital background representing global communication and global finances.

Cyber

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2025 highlights high-impact, low-probability risks and trends from the annual forecast presented in more extreme terms.

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2025

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tanzania

Zambia

Marshall Islands

Palau

Tuvalu

Sri Lanka

U.S. President Joe Biden and President Joao Lourenco of Angola on Nov. 30, 2023, at the White House. Biden on Dec. 2-4 will visit Angola, where he will focus on the Lobito Corridor project that aims to refurbish and expand railways connecting critical mineral-rich regions in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo with the Angolan port of Lobito.

The Weekly Rundown: Biden Visits Angola, von der Leyen's Second Term

The sample of an Intel chip is displayed during Computex 2024 in Taipei on June 4, 2024. 

If Intel's bold new business strategy fails, it would serve a painful blow to U.S. semiconductor ambitions and likely cement the global dominance of Taiwan's TSMC.

The U.S. Semiconductor Industry's Strategic Challenges

A man watches a news program about Chinese military drills surrounding Taiwan on a giant screen outside a shopping mall in Beijing on Oct. 14, 2024.

China's latest military exercises lower the threshold for the still unlikely prospect of a Taiwan blockade and highlight Beijing's military coercive strategy toward Taipei through 2028.

Chinese Drills Around Taiwan Practice for a Blockade, Even if One Isn't Imminent

Taiwanese President William Lai gives his inauguration speech on May 20, 2024, in Taipei, Taiwan.

The president's recent remarks indicate he will continue to remove rhetorical ambiguity about Taiwan's de facto sovereignty, portending more Chinese military drills and deeper Western engagement with Taiwan.

For Taiwan, Lai's Pro-Sovereignty Rhetoric May Invite Western Support -- and Chinese Drills

Taiwan is located along a sea lane in the West Pacific, with the East China Sea to the north, the Philippine Sea to the east and the South China Sea to the south. The island is 180 kilometers off the southeastern coast of mainland China, across the Taiwan Strait. The strait has allowed for communication with the mainland since ancient times, but has also forced the island to confront the mainland's unrelenting attempts to reclaim it.    Taiwan consists of two geographic and population cores. The first is the Chianan Plain in the southwestern region, home to Taiwan's earliest civilizations and the island's second-largest city, Kaohsiung. The second is Taipei Basin, home to the island's capital, Taipei. These two cores are separated by rugged mountains and over several centuries have developed their own distinct social patterns and economic structures. The presence of mainlanders, who have been crossing the strait since the 17th century, further compounds the island's socio-political divides.    Taiwan's crucial strategic position has put it at the center of regional geopolitical competition for centuries. In the 17th century it was controlled by various European colonial powers, and up until World War II, it switched hands between the Chinese empire and Japanese rulers. Taiwan was the extended battleground of the Chinese Civil War in the mid-1940s and only established itself as an independent, unified polity in 1945. Today, it remains a focal point of power struggles between China, Japan and the United States. The island's primary geographic challenge is to avoid being dominated by external powers while securing a maritime buffer. Both these goals are challenged by China, which is expanding its maritime ambitions in the East and South China seas and remains fixated on eventual national reunification.

SITUATION REPORTS

South Africa: Taiwan Mulls Semiconductor Restrictions Amid Renaming of Diplomatic Missions

China, Taiwan: Beijing Further Squeezes Taiwan Strait With Air Route Expansion

Taiwan: Recall Votes Risk Institutional Power Grabs, Street Protests

U.S., Japan: Lack of Trump-Ishiba Trade Framework Bodes Poorly for Asian Trade Partners

Taiwan: Effort To Revive Nuclear Power Likely To Fail, Perpetuate China Risks

Taiwan: Lai Speech on VE Day Raises Specter of Another Chinese Drill

Taiwan, Philippines: Naval Connections Deepen After Manila Loosens Rules on Communications

Philippines, Taiwan: Manila Significantly Relaxes Restrictions on Engagement With Taipei

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support