Cambodia

China

Economics

Thirteen months after signing an investment framework agreement with the China Road and Bridge Corporation, or CRBC, to construct the Funan Techo Canal in Cambodia, the expected Chinese funding has not materialized, Reuters reported Nov. 21.

Cambodia, China: Funding for Funan Techo Canal in Doubt

Brazil

Politics

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and China's President Xi Jinping signed 37 bilateral cooperation agreements in areas ranging from trade and investments, finance, technology and mining to communications, sustainable development, tourism, sports, health and culture, Reuters reported on Nov. 20.

Brazil: Lula Skips BRI Membership but Announces 37 Cooperation Agreements With China

United States

Australia

Kiribati

Solomon Islands

Military & Security

China reclaimed its status as the second-largest bilateral donor to Pacific island countries (after Australia) following a pandemic lull, supplanting the United States with a surge in official development financing, loans and grants, according to findings published in a Lowy Institute report on Nov. 19.

China, Pacific Islands: Beijing Supplants U.S. as Second-Largest Bilateral Donor

Pakistan

China's Ministry of National Defense announced on Nov. 19 that it will send troops from the Western Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army to participate in "Warrior-VIII" joint counterterrorism exercises alongside Pakistani troops in Pakistan.

China, Pakistan: Joint Counterterrorism Exercises To Begin Amid Uptick in Militant Attacks

Hong Kong SAR, China

Hong Kong's High Court sentenced 45 of the "Hong Kong 47" activists accused of holding unsanctioned democratic primaries in 2020 to four to 10 years in jail, Reuters reported on Nov. 19. 

Hong Kong: Sentencing of Democracy Activists To Rekindle Tensions With U.S., Australia

Europe

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The European Commission is preparing a proposal to require Chinese companies to open up production facilities in the European Union and share intellectual property with European partners to qualify for EU green technology manufacturing subsidies, the Financial Times reported on Nov. 18, citing unnamed senior EU officials.

EU, China: Brussels To Demand IP Transfer From Chinese Companies for EU Subsidies

Lithuania

Germany

Finland

Sweden

Russia

The operations of two subsea cables running across the Baltic Sea -- the C-Lion1 subsea cable connecting Finland and Germany and the nearby BCS East-West Interlink cable linking Lithuania to the Swedish island of Gotland -- were disrupted apparently due to physical damage, Reuters reported on Nov. 18.

Europe: Two Baltic Subsea Cables Ruptured in Suspected Sabotage

U.S.-China Relations

U.S. President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Lima, Peru, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit on Nov. 16, and both sides pushed the need for communication, cooperation on climate issues and drug interdiction, and avoiding conflict, according to readouts from both governments.

China, U.S.: Xi-Biden Push for Cooperation a Tall Order Under Trump

Columns

On Geopolitics

3D illustration of two folders and a rubber stamp with the word "declassified" printed on a document.

Cyber

The outgoing U.S. Biden administration's liberal use of "intelligence diplomacy" as a tool of foreign policy raises questions about how the incoming Trump administration will take up the torch.

Declassified: The Future of U.S. 'Intelligence Diplomacy'

Assessments

Mexico

Iran

Israel

Ukraine

Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an election event in the early hours of Nov. 6, 2024.

Global Elections

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

U.S.-Iran Relations

Trump will place more tariffs on U.S. trade partners and reduce support for Ukraine, but he will largely maintain Biden's approach to the U.S. tech rivalry with China and the Middle East conflict.

Trump's Win Will Ripple Across the World

Azerbaijan

A sign for COP29 on Nov. 3, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. Negotiators at this year's U.N. Climate Change Conference will ultimately reach a new global climate finance deal, but progress on the global energy transition will not accelerate.

Energy

Negotiators at this year's U.N. Climate Change Conference will ultimately reach a new global climate finance deal, but progress on the global energy transition will not accelerate significantly.

What to Watch for at This Year's 'Finance COP' in Azerbaijan

Vietnam

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (R) and his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Gang, meet at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. on Sept. 9, 2024. 

Trump is more likely to impose tariffs to minimize the trade deficit, while Harris is more likely to call for supply chain decoupling from China -- either of which could strain U.S.-Vietnam ties.

What a Trump vs. Harris Presidency Would Mean for Vietnam

India

Indian soldiers walk along a road near the Zojila mountain pass that connects to Ladakh, bordering China, on Feb. 28, 2021. 

While their recent efforts to ease bilateral tensions will probably reduce the risk of border clashes, deep-seated mistrust between the two strategic rivals will very likely limit the scope of any reconciliation. 

After a Tense Few Years, India and China Try To Turn Down the Heat

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Zambia

Workers move batches of copper sheets on July 6, 2016, in Mufulira, Zambia. Zambia's copper output will likely steadily increase by the late 2020s on the back of a more stable tax environment and a global rush for critical minerals, but the country faces an uphill battle to meet its 2032 copper production target.

Zambia's copper output will likely steadily increase by the late 2020s on the back of a more stable tax environment and a global rush for critical minerals, but the country faces an uphill battle to meet its 2032 copper production target.

Zambia Banks on the Green Rush for Copper 

Laos

Thailand

The Geopolitics of Water

Amid pressing energy and geopolitical needs, the accelerating construction of upstream dams will exacerbate the Mekong River region's water shortages and environmental degradation.

The Geopolitics of Water: National Interests Sideline Environmental Concerns in the Mekong River Region

On Security

Americas

A photo taken on June 24, 2024, shows the aftermath of a fire at a manufacturing facility in Berlin, Germany, that was allegedly linked to Russia.

Intelligence agencies are increasingly using third parties to do their dirty work abroad, raising the risk of miscalculations with potentially violent consequences.

The Saboteur's Dilemma: The Risk of Using Proxies for Espionage

Ethiopia

Kenya

South Africa

Egypt

United Arab Emirates

Indonesia

Moldova

Vehicles pass by a banner thanking outgoing Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and congratulating President-elect Prabowo Subianto and Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka ahead of their Oct. 20 inauguration in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Oct. 17, 2024.

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

The Weekly Rundown: An Impeachment Case in Kenya, an Inauguration in Indonesia

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the BRICS Business Forum on Oct. 18, 2024, in Moscow, Russia. 

Despite host nation Russia's desire to speed progress on key issues like de-dollarization, internal disputes will likely prevent major breakthroughs that challenge the Western-led world order in the near term.

Russia's Goals for the BRICS Summit Will Likely Go Unrealized

Taiwan

A man watches a news program about Chinese military drills surrounding Taiwan on a giant screen outside a shopping mall in Beijing on Oct. 14, 2024.

China's latest military exercises lower the threshold for the still unlikely prospect of a Taiwan blockade and highlight Beijing's military coercive strategy toward Taipei through 2028.

Chinese Drills Around Taiwan Practice for a Blockade, Even if One Isn't Imminent

Incoming Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Jan. 27, 2023, in the Indian city of Srinagar in Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir's new government will attempt to seek a restoration of full autonomy or at least statehood for the territory, but it will bump up against firm resistance from New Delhi, increasing the likelihood of violent unrest and Pakistani pressure.

Jammu and Kashmir's new government will attempt to seek a restoration of full autonomy or at least statehood for the territory, but it will bump up against firm resistance from New Delhi, increasing the likelihood of violent unrest and Pakistani pressure.

Frustration Will Build in Kashmir as India Ignores the Movement to Restore Autonomy

<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

Cambodia, China: Funding for Funan Techo Canal in Doubt

Brazil: Lula Skips BRI Membership but Announces 37 Cooperation Agreements With China

China, Pacific Islands: Beijing Supplants U.S. as Second-Largest Bilateral Donor

China, Pakistan: Joint Counterterrorism Exercises To Begin Amid Uptick in Militant Attacks

Hong Kong: Sentencing of Democracy Activists To Rekindle Tensions With U.S., Australia

EU, China: Brussels To Demand IP Transfer From Chinese Companies for EU Subsidies

Europe: Two Baltic Subsea Cables Ruptured in Suspected Sabotage

China, U.S.: Xi-Biden Push for Cooperation a Tall Order Under Trump

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