Politics

U.S. President Joe Biden listens to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the virtual climate summit on April 22.
Climate Change

Japan and US pledge sharper cuts by 2030 at Biden climate summit

But activist Greta Thunberg says they are hardly enough

23 April 2021
This handout photo released on Thursday, April 22 by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service shows, Russian military vehicles move during drills in Crimea. 
International relations

Russia ends troop buildup near Ukraine

But defense minister orders heavy weapons to be left behind for next year

23 April 2021
Joe Biden delivered a shock to Xi Jinping by proposing a bilateral summit -- with Vladimir Putin. (Nikkei montage/AP)
China up close

Analysis: Biden's call to Putin puts Xi on the defensive

China puzzles over US-Russia summit, seeing fates of Taiwan and Crimea linked

23 April 2021
A man receives a COVID-19 vaccination in Germany: Currencies in countries where vaccine rollouts have made progress have fared better than those where they have lagged.
Markets

Coronavirus vaccination rate now on investors' radar

Pound and dollar rise as vaccines boost give UK and US economies

18 April 2021
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a virtual meeting this week (Source photos by Getty Images and Reuters).
International relations

Duterte turns to 'hero' Putin for vaccines as China feud drags

Philippine leader orders 20m of Russia's Sputnik V jabs during virtual summit

16 April 2021
MiG-29 jet fighters: Myanmar has bought 30 MiG-29s as well as 10 Mi-24 and Mi-35P combat helicopters.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar junta taps Russian air power to bomb ethnic rebels

Military raids on Karen and Kachin states sow 'terror' in anti-coup strongholds

15 April 2021
By one count, over 700 citizens have been killed in Myanmar since the Feb. 1 coup. But the international community remains paralyzed, even as the cycle of protests and bloody crackdowns continues.
The Big Story

Failed state: Myanmar collapses into chaos

A divided international response, a fractured country and a murderous regime

14 April 2021
Dr. Sasa reminds Myanmar's diplomats that "they are not representing the military generals; they are representing the people of Myanmar."
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar civilian envoy pleads with China and Russia to 'stop' junta

Exiled representative also says Japan must sanction military government

9 April 2021
An Azerbaijani flag on an oil platform in the Caspian Sea: Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan reached a deal in January to jointly develop a Caspian Sea oil field.
International relations

Turkey's Central Asia tug-of-war with Russia intensifies

China and US also active in pursuing resources and regional clout

9 April 2021
An Ansat Aurus helicopter is seen at Kazan Helicopter Plant, a subsidiary of Russian Helicopters, in Kazan, Russia. India and Russia have been discussing the possibility of making Russian military helicopters in India.
International relations

Russia pushes for more military-equipment production in India

Foreign Minister Lavrov seeks to deepen cooperation, while US warns of sanctions

6 April 2021
Soldiers from China's People's Liberation Army march during the Victory Day Parade at Red Square in Moscow on June 24, 2020.
Comment

Russia and China's anti-West partnership threatens global order

Military drills later this year offer touchstone to the rising powers' intentions

4 April 2021
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, with South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong in Seoul on March 25. 
International relations

Russia urges renewal of six-party talks to denuclearize North Korea

Foreign Minister Lavrov woos South Korea in first meeting since 2019

26 March 2021
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Guilin in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Monday.
International relations

China ropes in Russia to push back against Western sanctions

Beijing and Moscow accuse Washington of creating Cold War-like alliance

23 March 2021
New survey data suggests most Russians hold positive views of China, while 40% see the giant neighbor as their country's closest friend.
International relations

China wins high marks from Russians, scoring 74% favorability

Young Russians in particular view economic powerhouse positively, research finds

19 March 2021
Ukraine's Motor Sich builds engines for military aircraft. China has become Ukraine's top trading partner since Russia's annexation of Crimea, and a Chinese company seeks to take over Motor Sich.
Business deals

Ukraine blocks Chinese takeover of jet engine maker on US urging

Motor Sich holds key military technology for Beijing, now Kyiv's top trade partner

18 March 2021
An LNG tanker successfully sailed to Asia via the Arctic Ocean early this year, the first time the journey has been managed in winter. (Kyodo photo/courtesy of Sovcomflot)
Comment

Siberia's warming shows climate change has no winners

Melting permafrost offers opportunities but poses calamitous risks

14 March 2021
Russia's Far Eastern port of Vladivostok is a key trade target for India, whose foreign secretary last week said the resource-rich region holds "huge potential."
International relations

India seeks economic energy in Russian Far East, countering China

New Delhi hungry for region's resources and wary of tighter Moscow-Beijing ties

22 February 2021
Under Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar has bought Russian weaponry including MiG-29 jet fighters and the Pantsir-S1 missile system. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar embraces Russian arms to offset China's influence

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing cultivates military ties and more with Moscow

9 February 2021
A protester is detained by police during a rally on Jan. 23 in Yakutsk, Russia, in -50 C weather. (Photo by Alexey Vasilyev)
Politics

Navalny stirs dissent in Siberia's icy land of diamonds and gas

In Russia's remote Sakha, old grievances fuel new worries for Putin and China alike

8 February 2021
Vials of the Sputnik V vaccine, officially called Gam-COVID-Vac, are seen on a production line in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Coronavirus

Russia pulls ahead of China in Central Asia vaccine diplomacy

Sputnik V gains traction as working with Beijing grows politically awkward

7 February 2021
Moscow welcomes a treaty extension as it wants to avoid another costly arms buildup. (Source photos by Reuters)
Comment

New START extension only benefits Russia and China

As Biden gives Putin a gift, he fails to lay out a cohesive disarmament plan

2 February 2021
Russian S-400 missile air defense systems are seen during a training exercise at a military base in Kaliningrad region, Russia.
International relations

India and Russia move forward with missile deal in blow to Biden

New Delhi to dispatch 100 personnel to train on S-400 anti-aircraft system

28 January 2021
Chinese J-20 stealth fighter jets perform at an airshow in 2018: The military is reportedly replacing the jets' Russian engines with domestic ones.
International relations

China rises from Russian customer to competitor in arms industry

Beijing's ability to package guns and economic deals threatens Moscow's revenue

22 January 2021
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping tour the Kremlin after their talks in Moscow in June 2019. (Kremlin via Reuters)
International relations

Russia deepens China ties with expanded energy exports

Doubling of coal trade aimed to supplant that with Australia

6 January 2021
Human rights activist Le Van Dun, right, livestreams on Facebook in a coffee shop in Hanoi.
Technology

Asia dilemma: social networks pressed by Turkey and Vietnam to censor critics

YouTube and Facebook weigh reputation damage of bowing to repressive governments

3 January 2021