author

 
 

Meta

Gabriel Dominguez
New Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te (right) waves alongside outgoing leader Tsai Ing-wen during the presidential inauguration ceremony at the Presidential Office in Taipei on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 20, 2024
‘Cease the intimidation,’ Taiwan’s new president tells China in inaugural speech
New leader Lai Ching-te used his inauguration speech to deliver a clear message to Beijing: Taiwan will not be subordinate to China.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend an event in Beijing on Thursday. During Putin's visit, the leaders showed off their growing alignment amid efforts to push back against the U.S.-led world order.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 17, 2024
Xi and Putin mark ‘new era’ amid efforts to counter U.S. ‘containment’
The leaders showed off their growing alignment amid efforts to push back against the U.S.-led world order.
Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te arrives at the CyberSec 2024 Exhibition in Taipei on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 15, 2024
New Taiwan president to set tone for ties with China at inauguration
President-elect Lai Ching-te will have the world's attention when he delivers his inaugural address on Monday.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about new actions to protect American workers and businesses from China's "unfair" trade practices, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
May 15, 2024
Who’s toughest on China? Biden’s tariff tactic ups ante as election looms.
U.S. president is seen to be trying to "outtrump Trump" to appeal to voters who worry about geopolitical competition or hold anti-China sentiments.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Chinese President Xi Jinping hold a joint news conference at the Carmelite Monastery in Budapest, Hungary, on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 10, 2024
Xi uses Europe visit to slow continent’s ‘de-risking’ from China
Closer ties with Hungary and Serbia serve to benefit Beijing politically and economically as they help sustain its waning footprint in the region.
The growing divide between U.S.-led and China-aligned blocs is taking a toll on the global economy as trade and investment flows are redirected along geopolitical lines in ways not seen since the Cold War.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 9, 2024
Cold War-type divide puts trade and investment at risk, top IMF official warns
After years of shocks, countries are reevaluating their trading partners, an IMF official has said.
The Mogami-class frigate, which features stealth capabilities and is operated by Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force, falls within the very broad guidelines of what is being sought by Canberra.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
May 9, 2024
Will Australia’s next frigates come from Japan?
While the competition is stiff, analysts say Japan's Mogami-class warships — or co-developed Australian variants — stand a fair chance in any bidding war.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen walk after their meeting in Paris on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 7, 2024
Xi bristles as Macron and von der Leyen urge China to do more on Ukraine
The Chinese president also rejected what he described as attempts to use the Ukraine conflict to smear a third country or stoke a new Cold War.
A U.S. Naval Special Warfare Operator fires a Switchblade 300 loitering munition during training exercises in Fallon, Nevada, last July. The U.S. Defense Department plans to use small drones — known in the Pentagon as “all-domain attritable autonomous systems” — to help counter Chinese military systems and tactics.
WORLD
May 7, 2024
Pentagon reveals drone types for Replicator program to counter China
The first tranche will include uncrewed surface vehicles, uncrewed aerial systems and counter-uncrewed aerial systems of various sizes and payloads.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida holds a news conference in Sao Paulo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 5, 2024
Kishida talks up bolstered Latin American ties as China cements position
While the visit may improve ties, observers doubt countries like Brazil will jeopardize relations with Beijing, their most important trading partner.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara takes part in an arrival ceremony with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon in Washington last October.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 30, 2024
‘Collective capacity’ to top agenda at four-way defense talks in Hawaii
One thing will be on Defense Minister Minoru Kihara's mind: how to deepen military and security cooperation with allies to counter China.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Friday
WORLD / Politics
Apr 26, 2024
Top U.S. and China diplomats talk tough amid warnings of new ‘downward spiral’
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi did not mince words when addressing a raft of contentious topics, including trade, Ukraine and Taiwan.
People backing Ukraine gather outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Tuesday. The Senate on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to approve a long-stalled $95 billion package of aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 24, 2024
Congress passes Ukraine aid bill in boost to Kyiv — and Taipei — after long delay
The package, which had been delayed amid objections from Republican hard-liners, could be signed into law as soon as this week.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds a news conference at the end of a Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting on Capri Island, Italy, on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 23, 2024
Top U.S. diplomat returns to China, but breakthroughs unlikely
From Ukraine and Taiwan to the South China Sea and the Middle East, the list of bilateral and global issues on the agenda will be long.
The main goal of Australian's new defense strategy is to change a potential adversary’s belief that it could achieve its ambitions with military force at an acceptable cost.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 19, 2024
Australia, like Japan, sees national security interests ‘farther afield’
The goal of Australia's new strategy is to change a potential adversary’s belief that it could achieve its ambitions with force at an acceptable cost.
U.S. President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British leader Rishi Sunak deliver remarks on the AUKUS partnership, after a trilateral meeting, at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego in March last year.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Apr 17, 2024
Benefits and risks: AUKUS looks to take gamble on Japan
The group sees potential benefits in tapping Japan’s strong industrial and technological capacity.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses supporters during an election campaign rally in Pushkar, India, on April 6, ahead of the country's upcoming general election starting Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 15, 2024
For Modi, the Indian election is less about winning and more about by how much
For Indian leader Narendra Modi, an upcoming parliamentary election is less about winning and more about by how much.
U.S. President Joe Biden escorts Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to their trilateral summit at the White House in Washington on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 12, 2024
Biden vows 'ironclad' defense of Philippines and Japan as China tensions rise
Biden reiterated Washington’s commitment to defending the Philippines from any attack in the South China Sea.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attend an an arrival ceremony as part of a state visit by Kishida, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 11, 2024
Global ambitions? U.S. and Japan eye a boosted partnership, but the hurdles are high.
Can Japan truly be America's "global partner"? Experts are divided over the issue.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps speak during a news conference following an AUKUS defense ministerial meeting in Mountain View, California, last December.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 9, 2024
U.S., U.K. and Australia consider working with Japan on AUKUS security pact
The three countries said they were weighing inviting Tokyo to join the pact’s second stage, with talks with Japan and others set to begin this year.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji