The final four boys and their football coach were successfully removed from a flooded cave in Thailand on Tuesday, capping a herculean international rescue effort that appeared bleak just days ago. The rescued was completed Tuesday morning, according to the Thai Navy SEALs. Officials confirmed they had restarted the rescue effort for
Asia
China’s quest for techno-military supremacy
Xi Jinping's China seems destined to challenge US technological supremacy in key fields such as AI, supercomputing and quantum information science. By Adam Ni Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to transform China’s military into the world’s most powerful force by 2050. And he could be on track to do it. On the opening day
North Korea ready to talk; US says ‘denuclearise’
China mulls constitutional changes, tenure elongation for president Xi Jinping
China's governing Communist Party has proposed removing a clause in the constitution which limits presidencies to two five-year terms. The move would allow the current President Xi Jinping to remain as leader after he is due to step down. There had been widespread speculation that Mr Xi would seek to extend his
What if North Korea Had Prevailed in the Korean War?
It nearly did By Robert Farley In the summer of 1950, the Korean People’s Army came tantalizingly close to rolling up U.N. forces on the Korean peninsula. Only a heroic defense around Pusan prevented a total victory for North Korea, thus allowing Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s war-changing invasion at Inchon. But what if
China will not fall into the ‘Thucydides Trap’ with India
President Xi Jinping projects China as a 'benevolent power' but at the Raisina Dialogue in Delhi the 'Quad' nations lined up against him By Pepe Escobar The West’s notions of history and geography between Europe and Asia, are drenched in myriad cultural implications and can be traced back to ‘The Romance of Alexander’. This is
Belt and Road and the battle for global investment standards
By Emanuele Scimia A new battle is taking shape on the world scene. It does not contemplate the use of cannons, warships, bombs or any other weaponry. Neither does it provide for the physical occupation of enemy territories and positions. It actually sees China and the West compete in affirming their
Maldives crisis: US-Indian strategic alliance forming
Hand-wringing about a 'democracy deficit' notwithstanding, the real aim is to counter China's growing presence in the Indian Ocean Developments in Maldives have begun unfolding according to script. India, the United States and Britain are spearheading the demand that Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen comply with the order by his country’s
China nearly done militarizing South China Sea
Leaked close-up images of China's artificially created features and facilities on contested reefs have sparked a firestorm in the Philippines By Richard Javad Heydarian Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s rapprochement with China, a gambit that has traded security concessions for economic and investment largesse, has once again been undermined by developments in
Obvious – and less so – signs of impending new Korean War
By Danny Lam President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech dropped broad hints about North Korea and the prospects for military action. At the same time, Trump’s rhetoric has become conspicuously muted since his earlier speech to the United Nations. However, that is not necessarily an indication of Trump’s intentions. Another