Geo Politics

MANILA: Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos, said on Tuesday (July 5) that he wanted relations with Beijing to be about more than just their dispute over the South China Sea, and he emphasized the importance of multilateral engagement in dealing with problems. Before Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Southeast Asia, Marcos told a …

PHILIPPINES: Marcos Jr. has a wide range of issues when he assumes office as president of the Philippines on Thursday (June 30). These range from growing inflation and the COVID-19 pandemic recovery to balancing relations between the United States and China, two competing superpowers. However, despite the fact that the 64-year-old is only permitted to serve one term as president, …

INDONESIA: Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates signed a free trade deal on Friday (Jul 1), enhancing economic links between the two countries. The agreement, signed during Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s visit to Abu Dhabi, eliminates or significantly reduces taxes on most commodities exchanged between the Muslim countries. A reduction or elimination of duties on Emirati petrochemical and rubber products …

TAIWAN: On the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to Chinese administration, Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang declared that freedom in the city had “vanished” and that China had failed to live up to its pledges of 50 years without change. John Lee, a former Hong Kong security head, is being sworn in as Hong Kong’s new leader by Chinese President …

MADRID: Ukraine will receive an additional US$800 million in arms and military assistance, President Joe Biden announced on Thursday (Jun 30). He praised Ukrainians for their heroism since Russia’s invasion in February. Biden claimed that the United States and its NATO members were united in their opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin after a NATO summit in which the group …

UAE: Middle Eastern countries have taken notice of the Biden administration’s commitment to focusing more on China than on the historically problematic region. When it comes to Iran’s regional ambitions, the Palestinian conflict, or other security threats, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are forging new alliances and hedging their bets because they are concerned that a Washington, …

COLOMBO: The government of Sri Lanka declared on Sunday (Jun 26) that it was sending ministers to Russia and Qatar to look for low-cost oil, a day after declaring that the country had run out of petroleum. As a precautionary measure, the administration has prolonged the two-week shutdown of non-essential public institutions until further notice in order to conserve fuel. …

KYIV: The Ukrainian city of Kyiv was hit by Russian missiles on Sunday (Jun 26), which US President Joe Biden described as “barbarism” as international leaders convened in Europe to debate new measures against Moscow. It was the first time Kyiv had been shaken by an attack of this magnitude in weeks when up to four explosions rattled central Kyiv. …

SINGAPORE: Keppel Electric and Laos’ state-owned Electricite du Laos signed a two-year power purchase deal on Thursday (June 23) to begin importing renewable energy from Laos through Thailand and Malaysia (EDL). Renewable hydropower will be imported from Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore via existing interconnections in the Lao PDR–Thailand–Malaysia–Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS-PIP). More than 144,000 four-room HDB flats in …

KYIV: After Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday, Ukraine became a candidate to join the European Union, a daring geopolitical action praised as a “historic moment” by both Kiev and Brussels. As Russian incursions into two eastern Donbas cities near a “frightsome climax,” according to a Ukrainian government adviser, starting the lengthy road to EU membership will be a significant morale …