United States

China

Malaysia

Thailand

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The United States plans to impose new restrictions on exports of advanced artificial intelligence chips to Malaysia and Thailand to curb suspected transshipment and smuggling to China, per a new draft rule, Bloomberg reported on July 4.

U.S., Malaysia, Thailand: Washington Targets Southeast Asia in AI Chip Export Crackdown

Laos

Ukraine

Russia

Military & Security

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Ukraine's military intelligence claimed Russia sought to involve Laos in its war against Ukraine by deploying a unit of 50 Laotian military engineers to conduct demining operations in Russia's Kursk province, The Kyiv Independent reported on July 5. 

Laos, Russia, Ukraine: Ukrainian Intelligence Claims Laos Will Send Military Engineering Unit to Russia

Taiwan

Politics

China unilaterally opened a third extension of the M503 flight route, just west of the Taiwan Strait's median line, an unofficial boundary between Taiwan and China, Reuters reported on July 6. 

China, Taiwan: Beijing Further Squeezes Taiwan Strait With Air Route Expansion

Ethiopia

Nigeria

South Africa

Uganda

Brazil

Cuba

Iran

United Arab Emirates

Indonesia

Vietnam

Uzbekistan

Belarus

Kazakhstan

India

BRICS+ leaders gathered in Brazil for the bloc's 17th summit and issued a joint statement defending multilateralism, calling for U.N. reform and supporting Russia's and Iran's positions in ongoing conflicts, g1 reported on July 6.

BRICS+: Bloc Increasingly Leans Away From West, but Avoids Picking Fights With U.S.

Afghanistan

Russia's presidential envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, announced that Russia had officially recognized the Taliban-run Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, making it the first country in the world to do so, RIA Novosti reported on July 3.

Afghanistan, Russia: Russia Becomes First Country To Officially Recognize the Taliban Government 

The United States reached a trade deal with Vietnam that will see Washington lower its proposed 46% tariff rate on Vietnamese goods to 20% in exchange for Vietnam cutting tariffs on U.S. goods to zero, U.S. President Donald Trump announced in a July 2 post on Truth Social.

Vietnam, U.S.: Hanoi Avoids 46% Tariffs With Trade Deal, but Lower Rate Still Spells Risk

Australia

Fiji

Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said a Chinese military base in the Pacific islands region would not be welcome and that he would introduce a proposed multilateral pact dubbed the Ocean of Peace treaty at the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum, or PIF, summit in September, The Australian Financial Review reported July 2.

Fiji: Pacific Island Nation Seeks Treaty To Box Out Chinese Military From Region

Japan

Philippines

Philippine military leaders, in tandem with the United States and Japan, are operationalizing a "one-theater" concept to unify defense planning across the East and South China seas, which Japan and the Philippines, respectively, dispute with China, Reuters reported on June 30. 

Philippines, U.S., Japan: Countries Deepen Unified Security Front and Infrastructure Collaboration

Assessments

Bahrain

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Energy

Global Trade

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'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

Snapshots

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

U.S.-China Relations

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

Israel

Europe

A photo taken in Tehran, Iran, on June 26, 2025, shows an Iranian political banner hanging near the remains of a residential building struck by an Israeli attack. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

U.S.-Iran Relations

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

The Weekly Rundown: Fragile Iran-Israel Ceasefire Holds, U.S. Tariff Deadline Approaches

New Zealand

People are seen behind a New Zealand flag during a ceremony celebrating the anniversary of Anzac Day. 

Prime Minister Luxon's recent trip to China marked a high-stakes diplomatic mission aimed at both deepening economic ties with Beijing and signaling New Zealand's more assertive regional posture.

New Zealand's Pivot: Assertive Defense Meets Economic Dependence on China

Canada

United Kingdom

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and British Defense Secretary John Healey sit together for the AUKUS Defense Ministers Meeting at Old Royal Naval College on Sept. 26, 2024, in London, England.

Despite growing U.S. skepticism, strong imperatives to counter China's maritime presence will likely lead Washington to see a revised version of the AUKUS defense pact through.

U.S. Review of AUKUS Pillar I Puts Pact on Shaky Ground

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Singapore

The Geopolitics of Trade

The impending full implementation of sweeping U.S. tariffs threatens to significantly disrupt export-driven ASEAN economies, which is driving countries to seek alternative trade partners.

The Geopolitics of Trade: U.S. Tariffs Give Impetus to ASEAN Trade Diversification

Argentina

Belize

Bolivia

Chile

Colombia

Costa Rica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

El Salvador

Guatemala

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

Mexico

Nicaragua

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Suriname

Uruguay

Venezuela

(L-R) Colombian Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina attend a plenary session of the China-CELAC ministerial meeting at the Great Hall of the People on May 13, 2025, in Beijing, China. 

Latin America and the Caribbean will welcome China's increased engagement, but strong ties to the West and China's economic slowdown will limit Beijing's influence in the region.

Despite Stronger Trade Ties, China's Influence in Latin America Will Remain Limited

Cargo shipping containers are seen stacked at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, California, on April 15, 2025. 

Regardless of any short-term concessions, the U.S. will likely eventually expand the scope of its technology restrictions against China, likely prompting Beijing to retaliate by once again restricting exports of rare earths or other critical raw materials.

U.S.-China Framework To Implement Trade Deal Will Only Temporarily Ease Tensions

A stock image showing industrial magnet parts.

China will likely continue to wield export restrictions on rare earth elements and related magnets in response to future U.S. restrictions, sustaining a high risk of supply chain disruptions, particularly for automakers.

In Trade War With U.S., China Finds a Pressure Point With Magnet Restrictions

Kenya

Palestinian Territories

Poland

The Weekly Rundown: A U.S. Tariff Ruling, Israel's Opposition Seeks To Dissolve the Knesset

Taiwanese lawmakers prepare to vote on reconsidering controversial bills in Taipei, Taiwan, on June 21, 2024. 

Political infighting since the president's inauguration has impeded Taiwan's efforts to bolster military spending and has prompted Chinese military and economic retaliation, which could eventually imperil U.S. trade and arms deals.

After One Year Under Lai, Taiwan's Political Dysfunction Shows Little Sign of Easing

<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., Malaysia, Thailand: Washington Targets Southeast Asia in AI Chip Export Crackdown

Laos, Russia, Ukraine: Ukrainian Intelligence Claims Laos Will Send Military Engineering Unit to Russia

China, Taiwan: Beijing Further Squeezes Taiwan Strait With Air Route Expansion

BRICS+: Bloc Increasingly Leans Away From West, but Avoids Picking Fights With U.S.

Afghanistan, Russia: Russia Becomes First Country To Officially Recognize the Taliban Government

Vietnam, U.S.: Hanoi Avoids 46% Tariffs With Trade Deal, but Lower Rate Still Spells Risk

Fiji: Pacific Island Nation Seeks Treaty To Box Out Chinese Military From Region

Philippines, U.S., Japan: Countries Deepen Unified Security Front and Infrastructure Collaboration

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