34 h. ago Putin offers Moscow as mediator in Iran crisis amid tensions with Israel, Trump threat

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Iran in separate calls on Friday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and said that Moscow was willing to mediate in the region, the Kremlin said. Tehran has cracked down hard on nationwide protests that broke out late last month, prompting US President Donald Trump to warn he might intervene. Last year, Israel and the United States both bombed Iranian nuclear sites, and Iran fought...

Politics

3 d. ago Could the Iran crisis push Global South blocs to deepen security ties?

As the US considers taking military action over a crackdown on unrest in Iran, there has been no official response from either the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or Brics. Iran is a member of the two Beijing-backed forums for the Global South, and analysts said remaining silent on the situation could be damaging for them. But according to one expert, the Iran crisis could also lead to an expansion of security and strategic cooperation within the two blocs. US President Donald Trump has...

Events

4 d. ago Europe's farmers march against EU's deal with South American trade bloc

Europe's farmers march against EU's deal with South American trade bloc  China Daily

Economics

5 d. ago U.S. Moves to Enlist India in AI Supply Chain Push to Counter China

U.S. Moves to Enlist India in AI Supply Chain Push to Counter China  The China-Global South Project

Politics

7 d. ago A renewed purpose for the UN: China's push for fair global governance

A renewed purpose for the UN: China's push for fair global governance  news.cgtn.com

Politics

9 d. ago Trump wants US$1.5 trillion for ‘dream military’. Will China boost spending in response?

US President Donald Trump’s proposal to boost next year’s military budget to US$1.5 trillion aims to blunt China’s global influence, a move analysts said could push Beijing to speed up its own military build-up with “greater urgency”. On Wednesday, Trump wrote on social media that the US military budget for the 2027 financial year should be raised in the face of “very troubled and dangerous times”. “This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to and, more...

Events

9 d. ago Trump wants US$1.5 trillion for ‘dream US military’. Will China boost spending too?

US President Donald Trump’s proposal to boost next year’s military budget to US$1.5 trillion aims to blunt China’s global influence, a move analysts said could push Beijing to speed up its own military build-up with “greater urgency”. On Wednesday, Trump wrote on social media that the US military budget for the 2027 financial year should be raised in the face of “very troubled and dangerous times”. “This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to and, more...

Events

1 week ago ICE agent shoots woman dead during Minneapolis immigration crackdown

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a Minneapolis motorist on Wednesday during the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown on a major American city – a shooting that federal officials claimed was an act of self-defence but that the city’s mayor described as “reckless” and unnecessary. The shooting happened in a residential neighbourhood south of downtown Minneapolis, just a few blocks from some of the oldest immigrant markets in the area and 1.6km (a mile)...

Events

1 week ago ICE agent shoots US woman dead during Minneapolis immigration crackdown

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a Minneapolis motorist on Wednesday during the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown on a major American city – a shooting that federal officials claimed was an act of self-defence but that the city’s mayor described as “reckless” and unnecessary. The shooting happened in a residential neighbourhood south of downtown Minneapolis, just a few blocks from some of the oldest immigrant markets in the area and 1.6km (a mile)...

Events

1 week ago Chinese President Xi Jinping urges Seoul to be ‘patient’ over North Korean nuclear talks

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “patience” over North Korea’s nuclear programme, the South’s president, Lee Jae Myung, said on Wednesday. Speaking during a visit to Shanghai, Lee said he had asked Xi to act as a “mediator for peace” on the Korean peninsula, including on the nuclear issue. He said all channels between the North and South had been blocked and there was “zero trust” between the two sides. “President Xi noted the efforts until now and said patience is needed,” Lee said. He...

Politics

2 w. ago China to lead joint naval drills with Brics nations in South African waters

China will lead a joint naval exercise with Brics nations in South African waters next week – the bloc’s first such defence cooperation that is likely to raise alarm bells in Washington. The South African National Defence Force on Wednesday said the exercise – dubbed Will for Peace 2026 – would bring together “navies from Brics Plus countries for an intensive programme of joint maritime safety operations, interoperability drills and maritime protection serials” from January 9 to 16. It said...

Politics

2 w. ago South Korea seals US$4 billion arms deal with Poland amid ‘daunting’ EU bloc trade threat

A multibillion-dollar contract signed by Seoul this week to supply arms to Poland has underscored the strength of South Korea’s defence industry. Observers, however, warn that a growing global trend involving bloc-based arms trade could cast a shadow over the country’s future as a major weapons exporter. The consortium of Hanwha Aerospace and Hanwha-WB Advanced System (HWB) on Monday signed a 5.6 trillion-won (US$4 billion) contract with Poland’s arms procurement agency, the Polish Armament...

Economics

2 w. ago Beijing threatens to block ships carrying US arms as PLA holds more drills near Taiwan

The People’s Liberation Army is staging a second day of large-scale drills around Taiwan, including live-firing at targets in waters to the north and south of the island. Mainland China’s coastguard also threatened to block cargo ships carrying US-made weapons to the island in a poster it released on Tuesday. In a statement, the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command said troops would conduct exercises simulating attacks on maritime targets and carry out anti-air and anti-submarine operations. The...

Events

3 w. ago What China’s global yuan push looks like – and what could hold it back

What China’s global yuan push looks like – and what could hold it back  South China Morning Post

Politics

3 w. ago Gold takes centre stage as Hong Kong hosts first committee to build commodities ecosystem

Hong Kong is putting gold at the centre of its push to become a global commodities trading hub, with officials prioritising plans for an international gold trading centre alongside a broader strategy to expand the city’s role in physical trade, derivatives and logistics. The government’s newly formed Commodity Strategy Committee held its first meeting on Monday under Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, as Hong Kong looked to build out a commodities ecosystem that would generate new growth...

Politics

4 w. ago Alipay+ announces sponsorship deal with WNBA team New York Liberty amid global push

Ant International, the Singapore-based affiliate of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, on Friday announced a partnership with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) team New York Liberty. The multi-year initiative would see the company’s Alipay+ fintech platform become an “official sponsor” and “innovation partner for sustainability” of the team, to “jointly support community programmes designed to advance community empowerment, environmental sustainability and youth development”...

Economics

last month Southeast Asia follows Australia in tightening social media rules: safety or censorship?

As Australia’s new restrictions on social media use by children under 16 take effect this month, governments across Southeast Asia are rolling out or weighing their own measures aimed at protecting young users online. From platform licensing rules in Malaysia to age-based access limits in Indonesia, the moves reflect a broader global push to rein in tech companies over child safety, cyberbullying and harmful content. But analysts say such policies can also open the door to wider regulatory...

Politics