Politics

European Council President Charles Michel looks at a screen during an EU-China Leaders' video conference in Brussels on Dec. 30, 2020: European countries are captured by China's expanding importance.
Opinion

The end of European influence in Asia

EU proving increasingly irrelevant in a region dominated by China

26 January 2021
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Indo-Pacific

Germany to send naval frigate to Japan with eye on China

Berlin takes a first step in its new Indo-Pacific strategy

26 January 2021
President Joe Biden speaks about his administration's plans to respond to the economic crisis, in the State Dining Room at the White House.
International relations

Biden pushes trade to back burner while tackling domestic crises

US goes into holding pattern on TPP as China elevates global trade presence

25 January 2021
Pro-Trump protesters enter to the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Jan. 6.
Comment

Fears of extreme violence in US haunt world as Biden debuts

America could become epicenter of far-right extremism: experts

22 January 2021
King Maha Vajiralongkorn greets royalists at a candlelight vigil to mark the birthday of his late revered father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok on Dec. 5. 
Turbulent Thailand

Thai king's visa-free stay breaks German law: Bundestag research

Parliamentary researchers say Berlin foreign ministry on weak legal ground

19 January 2021
The European Union has come under intense pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to block equipment made by Chinese tech giant Huawei from its 5G networks. Now, a new administration is set to take power in Washington and the 27-member bloc is anticipating what stance it will take in relation to China.
Asia Insight

EU hopes for 'tech alliance' with Biden after Trump Huawei 5G ban

But cutting dependence on cheap Chinese network equipment to keep testing allies

12 January 2021
U.S. President Donald Trump and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel pose for the family photo during the annual NATO heads of government summit at the Grove Hotel in Watford, Britain in December 2019.
Politics

Germany has reservations on Trump Twitter ban: Merkel spokesman

Legislators, not private companies, should decide on speech rules, chancellor believes

12 January 2021
 King Maha Vajiralongkorn moves among royalists during a candlelit vigil outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok on Dec. 5 to mark the birthday of his late father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.  
Turbulent Thailand

Germany plans no moves against Thai king, document shows

Berlin gives monarch a pass on conducting Thai state affairs from Germany

8 January 2021
Narendra Modi's self-reliance strategy has had the effect of threatening to de-globalize India.
Opinion

India self-isolates as China's economic might enfeebles West

New Delhi shows little understanding of China's growing power

7 January 2021
People wait to buy food at a market in Wuhan, China, where WHO investigators will study how the coronavirus spread. 
Coronavirus

WHO 'disappointed' in China for delaying entry of experts

Tedros reiterates importance of completing coronavirus probe

6 January 2021
Emmanuel Macron attends an EU-China video conference along with Xi Jinping, Angela Merkel and others on Dec. 30: there is an air of unreality about the agreement.
Opinion

A silver lining to Europe's imperfect deal with China?

Brussels must develop a more active approach to dealings with Asia

6 January 2021
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from his office inside No. 10 Downing Street on Nov. 27, 2020. (Photo courtesy of No. 10 Downing Street)
International relations

UK's Johnson delays India visit in setback for Indo-Pacific push

COVID crisis disrupts prime minister's diplomatic calendar ahead of G-7

6 January 2021
Xi Jinping waves during a video conference with European leaders from Beijing on Dec. 30: the deal amounts to so little.
Opinion

Europe's disappointing investment deal with China

Why rush a deal that is so inherently complex?

1 January 2021
Chinese President Xi Jinping, top left, and European leaders attend a videoconference Dec. 30 on the investment deal.
International relations

China and EU reach investment deal, but risk friction with US

Broad agreement addresses long-standing concerns, Biden camp warns against haste

31 December 2020
In an interview with Nikkei Asia, SOCAR's vice president said "there are no obstacles left to build new pipelines in the Caspian Sea." (Source photos by Reuters and AP)
International relations

Azerbaijan readies gas for EU as Central Asia energy hopes soar

Caspian output to reach Europe while Turkmenistan eyes supplier role, SOCAR says

30 December 2020
German Chancellor Angela Merkel: there are signs of ambivalence seeping into German attitudes.
Opinion

Germany's painful wriggle between China and the US

Navigating between the powers has become a headache for Berlin

28 December 2020
Only a few travelers are seen at Haneda airport's departure terminal as countries around the world restrict overseas travel amid the pandemic. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Coronavirus

Japan bans entry from all countries to block new strain's spread

Bilateral business travel arrangements with China and South Korea will continue

27 December 2020
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is seen on a screen during a video news conference after a virtual summit with China's President Xi Jinping in September.
International relations

China and EU close in on investment deal as US casts wary eye

Brussels must reckon with internal split on Beijing and alarm in Washington

24 December 2020
Wall Street investors are increasing Chinese holdings as the country bounces back quickly from the pandemic.
Markets

US and European funds step up investment in Chinese stocks

CalSTRS says Alibaba and Tencent now among its top 10 equity holdings

20 December 2020
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden campaigns on behalf of Democratic U.S. Senate candidates in Atlanta, Georgia, on  Dec. 15.
Biden's Asia policy

Biden urged to ditch bilateralism by scholars in Europe, US and Japan

Think tanks say US should immediately accept Okonjo-Iweala for WTO

19 December 2020
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, pictured on Dec. 14: no U.S. president could realistically address structural challenges in a single presidential term, or even two.
Opinion

Why the world under Joe Biden won't look all that different

G-Zero will continue to define global politics for at least the next half decade

17 December 2020
HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Portsmouth Naval Base on Sept. 21: next year the Royal Navy's aircraft carrier will lead a multinational strike group to the Indo-Pacific.
Opinion

Asia could give UK the post-Brexit win it needs

London's best economic and foreign policy options lie in the Indo-Pacific

16 December 2020
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson inside his office in No. 10 Downing Street on Dec. 7. The U.K. is looking to strengthen ties with democracies in the Asia-Pacific region. (Photo courtesy of No. 10 Downing Street)
Indo-Pacific

UK calls on South Korea, India and Australia to attend G-7 summit

Johnson floats group expansion as he announces trip to meet Modi

16 December 2020
Unprecedented open criticism of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn has prompted a public relations campaign by the palace to rehabilitate his image and make him appear less remote, but there have been no official announcements about whether he will in future reside in Thailand. 
Turbulent Thailand

Germany doubts Thailand's king will return to Bavaria

Jewelers and gourmet food shops miss spending of his female companions

11 December 2020
An F-35B stealth fighter, capable of landing vertically, is serviced aboard the deck of the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. The warship was commissioned in 2017. (Photo courtesy of the Royal Navy)
Indo-Pacific

UK projects power in East Asia with carrier deployment

Queen Elizabeth strike group sends warning to China while shoring up US

9 December 2020