China to fire back at US sanctions

By Jeff Pao
China will soon pass legislation, dubbed the “Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law,” to strike back against the countries, such as the United States, that have imposed sanctions on Chinese state organs, enterprises, organizations and functionaries, including those with links to the People’s Liberation Army.

Myanmar people’s army aims wishfully at Tatmadaw

By David Scott Mathieson
If Myanmar’s security landscape was devilishly complicated before the February coup d’etat, the growing national-level armed resistance to the military-formed State Administration Council (SAC) junta has rendered it almost incomprehensible as veteran ethnic armed organizations ramp up attacks on the military, or Tatmadaw.

Wall Street bulls charge into China’s opening markets

Subscribe to AT+ premium to read William Pesek’s story on Wall Street royalty's rush into China’s financial sector even as geopolitical currents pull Washington and Beijing apart. Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, BlackRock and others are defying geopolitical risks and storming into the yuan zone.

China-Australia trade war a win-win for ASEAN

By David Hutt
Southeast Asia is reaping the benefits of other people’s trade wars. Regional states are also making gains amid an intensifying Australia-China trade spat, prompted by Canberra’s call for an independent, international investigation into the Chinese origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Biden clears the air on Russia ties

By M K Bhadrakumar
US President Joe Biden’s op-ed in the June 6 Washington Post will draw wide attention in world capitals from Brussels to Beijing. In it, Biden reaffirms that the US “must lead the world from a position of strength” – be it on climate change or in “confronting the harmful activities of the governments of China and Russia.”

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Europe walks tightrope in bid to oust Lukashenko

By Daniel Williams
The European Union is in an uproar over the forced landing of a Ryanair jet in Belarus. Imposition of more punishments would come with the downside of an increasing East-West divide. The distancing of Belarus from Western democracies could mean that the country, already heavily dependent on Russia, would fall fully into the hands of Vladimir Putin.

Inflation scissors its way into China manufacturing

By David P. Goldman
China’s May import data confirm a worrying pattern that we’ve seen anecdotally: Global inflation as reflected in raw materials prices is constraining China’s economy. Over the past year a scissors opened between the price of iron ore, now more than double its March 2020 level, and the physical volume of iron ore imports.