Economics and Trade
-
Features
The Dragon and the Bear
By Falk Tettweiler, Marshall Center researcher and analyst The China-Russia joint statement of February 2022 has widely been interpreted as a signal of deeper cooperation between the countries, which are the major challengers to the world order. Some have gone so far as to assess it as a sign of an institutional axis, or even an alliance. However, the lack…
Read More -
Features
Partners For Progress
Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja/Gateway House Sri Lanka is among developing Indo-Pacific countries contending with crippling debt that can quash decades of poverty reduction efforts, strain social stability and aggravate security threats. Colombo’s debt threatens its economic prosperity and poses challenges for regional security, but domestic adjustments and external partnerships are having positive effects. Its location makes it a good place for…
Read More -
Features
Expanding Horizons
FORUM Staff When 200 or so Mongolian pro-democracy activists converged in Sükhbaatar Square on United Nations Human Rights Day in December 1989, there was little to portend the transformation set to unfold. From the square in the capital Ulaanbaatar, peaceful protests would sweep across the country of steppes and deserts. Within three months, Mongolia’s communist regime relinquished power after nearly…
Read More -
Features
The Pacific Way
FORUM Staff Mutual respect, dialogue and consensus are hallmarks of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and distinguish the organization among enduring partnerships worldwide. Sixteen nations and two French territories, with populations ranging from Australia’s 27 million to Niue’s 2,000, address matters affecting the region, which comprises nearly 20% of Earth’s surface. The PIF began as a consortium of seven island…
Read More -
Conflicts - Tensions
U.S.-led coalition preserves maritime security in Red Sea
FORUM Staff Houthi rebels in Yemen have indiscriminately attacked more than 70 vessels in the Red Sea since October 2023, disrupting an estimated $1 trillion in commerce on shipping lanes crucial to Asia, Europe and the Middle East. A United States-led coalition tasked with preserving maritime security in the region has repeatedly intercepted the missiles and drones targeting vessels. The…
Read More -
Climate
PRC poised to mine deep seabed for coveted metals despite environmental concerns
FORUM Staff The People’s Republic of China (PRC) wants to extract deep-sea rocks containing highly desired metals — cobalt, lithium, graphite and other essential components of electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines, solar panels and jet engines — despite widespread concerns that scooping up potato-sized polymetallic nodules and other valuable mineral deposits will damage ocean ecosystems. Already the world’s top provider…
Read More -
Conflicts - Tensions
PRC’s economic woes cast cloud on Xi’s policies
FORUM Staff The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) economy, currently the world’s second largest, continues to sputter, with growth slowing to 4.7% in the second quarter, a drop from 5.3% in the first quarter and lower than forecast, according to analysts. At the same, many analysts doubt the PRC can readily correct course to ease economic hardships for its citizens…
Read More -
Conflicts - Tensions
Illegal PRC fishing hurts East African communities, report says
RADIO FREE ASIA A multibillion-dollar global fishing industry backed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) government is driving a surge of vessels engaged in illegal activities and exploiting fishing grounds off East Africa, according to a London-based environmental group. “Before the Chinese fishing boats came here, we could expect a good catch when we cast our nets, even if…
Read More -
Features
Transregional Commitments to the Indo-Pacific
Forum Staff With deepening power competition, population shifts and growing economies in the Indo-Pacific, global stakeholders are refining, and in many cases expanding, their strategic investments and presence in the region. Many now count a Free and Open Indo-Pacific as vital to their own geopolitical and economic success. “The vast majority of countries throughout the region have rallied around the…
Read More -
Conflicts - Tensions
Taiwan embraces status quo for cross-strait peace
FORUM Staff Taiwan’s democracy is helping ensure stability in the Taiwan Strait, throughout the Indo-Pacific and across the globe. All three presidential candidates in the self-governed island’s January 2024 election vowed to maintain the cross-strait status quo. “Despite increased military and economic challenges, my top priorities remain pragmatism and consistency,” President-elect Lai Ching-te wrote in The Wall Street Journal newspaper…
Read More