Geo Politics

ormer According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday morning for a three-day visit, during which he will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen.  Rasmussen, who also served as Denmark’s prime minister, was greeted at Taoyuan International Airport at around 7:08 a.m. by MOFA Department of European Affairs director Vincent Yao.  Rasmussen, …

As inflation reaches a 14-year high, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. extended temporary tariff cuts on pork, rice, corn, and coal to increase supplies. Marcos signed Executive Order (EO) No. 10 on December 29, 2017, which decreased the Most Favored Nation (MFN) tariff rates on the commodities listed below until December 31, 2023. Beyond December 31, there will be no duty …

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol stated in a newspaper interview that South Korea and the United States are exploring possible cooperative planning and exercises involving US nuclear assets in response to North Korea’s rising nuclear and missile threats. Yoon was reported in the Chosun Ilbo as saying that the combined planning and drills would be geared toward a more effective …

The G20 meeting has increased Indonesia’s standing in the Asia-Pacific region symbolically. Bali 2022 confirmed Jakarta’s position as ASEAN’s political stabilizer and economic heavyweight. Indonesia has everything: the seventh-largest economy in the world, a massive labor force, and abundant natural resources, yet it has yet to realize its full potential. Following years of political turmoil, during which four Indonesian presidents …

President Vladimir Putin delivered Russia’s long-awaited reaction to a Western price ceiling on Tuesday, December 27, by signing an order prohibiting the delivery of crude oil and oil products to nations that adhere to the quota for five months beginning on February 1. In response to Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, the Group of Seven, the European Union, and …

State media stated on Wednesday, December 28, that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presented new military plans for 2023 during a meeting of the governing Workers’ Party, suggesting another year of intense weapons testing and conflict. The report said that on the second day of the Sixth Enlarged Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the party, Kim …

On Tuesday, December 27, Japanese Reconstruction Minister Kenya Akiba submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. He is the fourth minister to depart the government that Kishida constituted in August. In rapid succession, three other ministers have resigned as a result of scandals, some of which include money and relations with the Unification Church. The close ties that the …

President Vladimir Putin stated in an interview televised on December 25 that Russia is willing to discuss with all parties involved in the conflict in Ukraine, but Kyiv and its Western allies have refused to participate. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 precipitated the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II and the most significant confrontation between Moscow …

Since their announcement, the inaugural China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit, which ushered in a new era in Chinese-Arab ties, have attracted global interest, and their successful convening has brought China-Arab and China-GCC relations to new heights. As the globe grapples with increased uncertainty and a potentially protracted economic slowdown, the partnership between China and Arab …

Malacaang stated on Friday, December 23, that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. nominated former Supreme Court associate judge Dante Tinga as interim chairman and member of the board of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP). The government-owned bank is supervised by the Department of Finance, which processed the December 9 appointment. Tinga took his oath on Thursday, December 22 in …