East Asia

Beijing and Moscow are strengthening political, economic, and military ties, but the relationship is becoming ever more imbalanced in China’s favor.

“Since 1976, changes have been introduced to a rigidly collectivized economy in order to build up socialism, not to abandon it.”

Amid the strengthening military alliance between South Korea and the United States, Kim Jong Un vowed to expand his country's nuclear arsenal.  

"We get most of our work from North America and South America," a cadre involved in the efforts said.

Japan and Germany rediscovered their geopolitical voice in 2022, making parallel efforts to develop more assertive national security postures. 

Increasingly, many countries that have traditionally maintained a defensive and pacifist posture, like Japan, are having to reconsider their options. 

Ultimately, the choice was Xi's, but his colleagues on the Standing Committee of the Politburo wield extraordinary power, collectively and individually.

Taiwan's current 4-month military conscription requirement, put in place in 2017, was widely panned by the public as being too short.

In October, the U.S. passed sweeping new export controls on China. It has not been as easy for the United States to gain buy-in as some in Washington expected.

To effectively mitigate the influence of Huawei and other Chinese tech giants in Africa, the U.S. must position itself as a willing and reliable alternative partner.

The deal is a triumph for Mongolia's third-neighbor diplomacy, and will bolster its efforts to reduce energy dependencies as well.

For the ninth year in a row, the budget draft set a new record for Japan’s national defense budget.