Politics

Wang Yi, center, head of the Chinese Communist Party's foreign office, stands between Ali Shamkhani, right, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, and Saudi national security adviser Musaad bin Mohammed Al-Aiban in Beijing on March 10. (Photo by China Daily via Reuters)
International relations

Iran, Saudi Arabia agree to restore ties in China-brokered deal

End to 7-year diplomatic rift follows negotiations in Beijing

11 March 2023
Republican People’s Party Chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, center, addresses the crowd alongside Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas, left, and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu during a speech at party headquarters on March 6.
Politics

Turkey's opposition forms troika to challenge Erdogan

Popular Istanbul and Ankara mayors to be VPs under Kilicdaroglu, with other party chiefs

8 March 2023
Emrah Turkmen searches for hard-disks inside the rubble in the Antakya district of Hatay, Turkey. (Photo by Sinan Tavsan)
7 March 2023
Left: Members of Japan's Self-Defense Forces take lessons in cyberdefense in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo. Right: Veterans at a hotline facility at Israel's Computer Emergency Response Center in Beersheba, Israel. (Source photos by Keiichiro Sato and Reuters)
Comment

Japan can learn from Israel about how to win cyberwars

Nurturing talent to think outside the box key to bolstering cybersecurity

5 March 2023
Rescue workers search through rubble in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on Feb. 6. Countries around the world, many of them in Asia, have pledged to send assistance.
Natural disasters

Turkey earthquake prompts outpouring of aid from Asia-Pacific

Governments across region pledge rescue teams, search dogs, medical supplies

7 February 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, center, during his trip to the United Arab Emirates on Jan. 15, with South Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. (Courtesy of UAE presidential court/Reuters)
International relations

Yoon pursues commercial diplomacy as South Korea's top salesman

President spearheads drive to export more nuclear power facilities and arms

4 February 2023
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis takes part in an interview on Jan. 31 in Tokyo. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
Interview

Greek PM slams Turkey for 'sitting on the fence' over Ukraine war

Mitsotakis aims to tap Japan, India for investment after 'turning page' on debt

31 January 2023
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks during a meeting with the families of the security forces killed during the Iran's protests, in Tehran on Dec. 9, 2022. (WANA handout via Reuters) 
International relations

Iran diplomatic strategy hits wall as Ukraine, Israel derail plans

Drone sales to Moscow sink European enthusiasm to revive nuclear deal

31 January 2023
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump poses with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates after signing the Abraham Accords in Washington on Sept. 15, 2020. 
Comment

Ruthless power battles in Middle East give Asia a golden chance

China and South Korea keen to exploit Israeli-Arab rapprochement

28 January 2023
Turkey's Karpowership says it has the world's largest fleet of floating power plants, which can be deployed quickly to meet urgent needs. (Photo courtesy of Karpowership)
Energy

Ukraine inks tentative energy deal with Turkish 'powership' company

Financing and approval of Moldova, Romania to host ships still to be sorted out

26 January 2023
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi before the start of their meeting in New Delhi on Jan. 25.
International relations

India and Egypt to promote trade and investment, fight terrorism

Modi, el-Sissi concerned by disruptions to food supplies and other resources

26 January 2023
The economic crisis in Pakistan likely prompted army chief Lt. Gen. Syed Asim Munir to directly ask wealthy Saudi Arabia and the UAE for new monetary assistance. (Nikkei montage/AP)
International relations

Pakistan army chief assumes loan diplomacy role amid forex crisis

Munir's Saudi Arabia, UAE trips likely timed to avert Islamabad debt default

11 January 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi discussed the proposed trade corridor in July 2022.
International relations

Russia and Iran eye trade route with India to bypass sanctions

Project, two decades in the making, would bypass Europe as tensions mount

11 January 2023
Demonstrators protest against China in support of its ethnic Uyghur community on Dec. 9 in Istanbul. 
International relations

Turkey says relations with China have soured over Uyghur issue

Ahead of elections, Ankara insists it won't extradite anyone

7 January 2023
Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrives at court in 2021. Lai could face life in prison on national security charges. 
International relations

Asian countries top list for worst jailers of journalists: report

Committee to Protect Journalists says imprisoned reporters at global record

14 December 2022
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, is welcomed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Dec. 8.
International relations

China's embrace of Saudi Arabia leaves Iran out in the cold

Beijing ditches neutrality at opportunity to fill gap left by U.S.

13 December 2022
Chinese President Xi Jinping seeks to deepen Beijing's ties with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. 
International relations

With Xi's trip, China capitalizes on Saudi-U.S. rift

Beijing chases greater clout in vital region, while Riyadh woos new investment

10 December 2022
Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, governor of Riyadh, after his arrival in the Saudi capital on Dec. 7. (Handout photo from Saudi Press Agency)
Opinion

U.S. distractions have opened door for China's Arab romance

Xi Jinping is getting a warmer welcome than Biden did in Saudi Arabia

8 December 2022
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Dec. 7. 
International relations

Xi's Saudi visit seeks to shift narrative away from protests

Top oil exporter and importer prepare for uncertainties ahead

8 December 2022
Women protest high energy prices in Istanbul in February. Inflation, which is now at over 80%, has added to the public's frustration with the current Turkish government.
Politics

Turkey's frustrated youth turn their back on Erdogan's ruling AKP

Sky-high inflation, stalled growth sap optimism for country's future

7 December 2022
Leaders gather in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Nov. 11 for the 9th Heads of States Summit of Organization of Turkic States.
International relations

Turkic world sees 'risks and opportunities' as Russia stumbles

Turkey, EU, China seek to make inroads into Central Asia and the Caucasus

30 November 2022
Indonesian Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia at a news conference in Jakarta on Jan. 7: His country aims to build an OPEC-like organization to control trade in nickel, cobalt and manganese.
Opinion

Asia's middle powers are building new regional order

Loose minilateral groupings are helping address specific problems

27 November 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden hosted a meeting on Nov. 16 in Bali, Indonesia, with NATO and EU leaders to discuss a response to a missile blast in Poland. Turkey was not included. 
Comment

Did Biden snub Erdogan in Bali, or forget Turkey is part of NATO?

Ankara's balancing act is headache for Washington, but geography matters

26 November 2022
Ministers deliver statements during the closing plenary at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt on Nov. 20.
COP27

From landmark fund to emissions frustrations: 5 takeaways from COP27

World's biggest climate conference went deep into overtime

21 November 2022
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, left, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Jan. 25. The two are ushering in a new chapter in bilateral relations. (Saudi Royal Palace via AP)
International relations

Saudi crown prince visits Thailand, mending ties after 30-year rift

Mohammed bin Salman to seek clean energy and EV supply cooperation

18 November 2022