United States

China

Economics

Politics

U.S.-China Relations

U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Oct. 12 that Chinese "President Xi [Jinping] just had a bad moment," in reference to China's Oct. 9 expansion of rare earth export curbs, and that "The U.S.A. wants to help China, not hurt it." 

U.S., China: U.S. Open to De-escalation, But Deal Terms Growing More Contentious

Philippines

Military & Security

The Philippines accused China's coast guard of using water cannons and ramming a Philippine vessel near Philippine-controlled Thitu Island in the Spratly Islands of the disputed South China Sea, damaging the ship but causing no injuries, Reuters reported on Oct. 12.

China, Philippines: Maritime Forces Clash in South China Sea

Europe

Netherlands

Cyber

Global Trade

The Dutch government has temporarily taken control of Chinese-owned semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia, citing risks to national and European technological security, the Financial Times reported Oct. 12.

Netherlands, China: Dutch Government Seizes Control of Chinese-Owned Chipmaker 

Afghanistan

Pakistan

The Afghan Taliban plans to host a trilateral meeting on Aug. 20 with China and Pakistan in Kabul, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 19. 

Afghanistan: Taliban To Host First Trilateral Talks With China and Pakistan in Kabul

China's polysilicon industry will form an "OPEC-like" body for setting production quotas and pooling funds to purchase and shutter one-third of the industry's capacity (or one million tons of low-quality polysilicon), Reuters reported on July 31. 

China: Polysilicon Consolidation Points to State Intervention To Stop Price Wars

Panama

Panamanian Comptroller General Anel Flores filed a lawsuit asking the country's Supreme Court to nullify the contracts that allow a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison to operate two ports on both sides of the Panama Canal, Reuters reported on July 30. 

Panama: Auditor's Canal Lawsuit Confirms Heightened Contract Risks for Chinese Companies

At a summit with U.S. officials in Sweden, China's top trade negotiator said China and the United States had agreed to extend their 90-day tariff exemption period -- due to expire on Aug. 12 -- though he did not say by how long, Reuters reported on July 29. 

U.S., China: Sweden Talks Yield Extended Tariff Relief

Palau

The United States is upgrading key maritime infrastructure in the Pacific island nation of Palau, with which it has a Compact of Free Association, The Washington Post reported on July 29. 

Palau, U.S.: Washington Beefing Up Maritime Infrastructure in Pacific Islands

Snapshots

Taiwan

A voter leaves a booth during voting for the recall election at a polling station in Taipei, Taiwan, on July 26, 2025. 

Its victory in the recall votes will embolden the opposition KMT to press on with controversial reforms and defense spending cuts, but it will also help prevent a near-term escalation of cross-strait tensions.

A Failed Recall Emboldens Taiwan's Opposition

Assessments

Canada

Mexico

Cambodia

Japan

South Korea

Thailand

A Cambodian soldier stands on a truck with a rocket launcher in Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, which borders Thailand, on July 25, 2025. 

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. Tariff Deadline Passes, Thai-Cambodian Border Tensions Persist

Australia

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks during a luncheon at Parliament House in Canberra on June 17, 2024. 

The Australian prime minister's efforts to stabilize relations with Beijing will yield short-term economic benefits, but rising regional security concerns will ultimately limit long-term engagement.

The Challenges Facing Albanese's Bid to Reset China-Australia Relations

Egypt

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly (center right) meets with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (center left) in Cairo on July 10, 2025.

In the coming years, Egypt will deepen its economic ties with China via increased trade and investment, while simultaneously maintaining its military alliance with the U.S. to address regional security concerns.

Egypt Navigates Its Needs for Chinese Investment and U.S. Military Support

A worker positions a robotic underwater vehicle that can be remotely operated to harvest mineral deposits in the deep ocean, after conducting tests in a lake in Collingwood, Ontario, on May 1, 2025.

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Recent U.S. actions will likely accelerate commercial seabed mining operations in certain resource-rich waters around the world, despite international regulatory hurdles and ongoing environmental concerns.

Deep-Sea Mining: Opportunities, Risks and the Path to Commercial Extraction

South Africa

 The European Union and China will hold a high-level leaders' summit July 24 in Beijing, marking the 50th anniversary of Chinese-EU diplomatic relations.

The Weekly Rundown: An EU-China Summit, South Africa's Budget Vote

Asia-Pacific

Russia

Diplomats attend the 32nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on July 11, 2025. 

Chinese, Russian and U.S. participation in the summit shows that the Southeast Asian bloc will remain a key venue for diplomatic hedging and potential great power friction in the years ahead.

ASEAN Meeting Provides an Arena for Multipolar Competition

Germany

United Kingdom

Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump on April 24 in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington. In an interview July 10, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he would "have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday," perhaps representing a shift in his administration's policy.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Trump Speaks on Ukraine, Sweeping EU Budget Reform

Leaders of eight political parties pose before a debate at the Japan National Press Club on July 2, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan. From left to right are Sanseito Secretary General Sohei Kamiya, Japanese Communist Party Chairperson Tomoko Tamura, Komeito Chief Representative Tetsuo Saito, Constitutional Democratic Party President Yoshihiko Noda, Japan's Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Shigeru Ishiba, Governor of Osaka and Japan Innovation Party Co-Representative Hirofumi Yoshimura, Democratic Party for the People Representative Yuichiro Tamaki and Reiwa Shinsengumi President Taro Yamamoto.

Japan's upper house elections will determine whether the ruling Liberal Democratic Party will stay in power and -- if so -- how easily it will be able to pursue its key policy goals.

Japan's Election: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

Bahrain

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Energy

Over the next decade, Gulf Arab states will increase oil and gas exports to emerging Asian markets, seeking alternatives to the U.S. amid tariff uncertainty. But the region's military and tech ties with the U.S. will remain strong.

Geopolitics of Trade: Gulf Arab States Balance Diversification With Enduring U.S. Ties

Vietnam

Vietnam's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang answers reporters' questions about the new Vietnam-U.S. trade deal during a press conference in Hanoi on July 3, 2025. 

The deal reduces planned U.S. tariffs on Vietnamese goods from 46% to 20%, but the lack of key details also introduces significant compliance uncertainty and investment risks that could ripple across Asian supply chains. 

The Vietnam-U.S. Trade Deal Reduces Tariffs, but the Devil Is in the Details

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama looks on as offerings presented by Buddhist followers are laid on a table during a Long Life Prayer offering ceremony at the Main Tibetan Temple in McLeod Ganj, near the Indian city of Dharamshala, on June 30, 2025. 

Social Issues

New clarity over the 90-year-old spiritual leader's succession plans threatens to reignite Western criticism of China's treatment of Tibetans and revive reputational risks for Western businesses active in China.

Dalai Lama's Succession Plan Revives Tibet Issue for China and the West

<p>China is situated on the eastern third of the Eurasian landmass, between Russia, mainland Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. Its more than 9,000 mile-long coastline abuts the Yellow, East and South China Seas. China is a country of deep geographic divisions. Most fundamental is the split between its fertile eastern lowlands and the arid, sparsely populated highlands that enclose the lowlands like a shell. More than a billion people live in the ethnic Han Chinese core, making it one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Traditionally, threats to China&#39;s Han core originated in the borderlands. To guard against overland invasion, successive Chinese rulers have sought to push the Core&#39;s borders outward &mdash;integrating these highlands as strategic &quot;buffer&quot; zones. These zones form a shield, protecting and containing the core. To be secure, China must control the buffer regions. But maintaining control of the regions, in turn, requires a strong and united core. And that means overcoming immense internal divisions &mdash; not only between northern and southern regions orbiting the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, but also between smaller regional units, each with their own geography, history, dialect and interests. Chinese history is defined by cycles of unity and fragmentation, from periods when a strong Han core captures and holds the surrounding buffers to those when a weak core breaks into its constituent parts, loses internal coherence and cedes control of the borderlands. This pattern, rooted in China&#39;s geography, has played out with remarkable consistency. By comparison, China&#39;s maritime interests have remained mostly limited to coastal waters. Today, however, growing international trade and rising Chinese reliance on overseas resources threaten to alter the pattern, adding a new maritime dimension to the struggle for buffer space &mdash; and potentially upending the long-standing dynamics of China&#39;s geographic challenge.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., China: U.S. Open to De-escalation, But Deal Terms Growing More Contentious

China, Philippines: Maritime Forces Clash in South China Sea

Netherlands, China: Dutch Government Seizes Control of Chinese-Owned Chipmaker

Afghanistan: Taliban To Host First Trilateral Talks With China and Pakistan in Kabul

China: Polysilicon Consolidation Points to State Intervention To Stop Price Wars

Panama: Auditor's Canal Lawsuit Confirms Heightened Contract Risks for Chinese Companies

U.S., China: Sweden Talks Yield Extended Tariff Relief

Palau, U.S.: Washington Beefing Up Maritime Infrastructure in Pacific Islands

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support