Cambodia

China

Laos

Myanmar

Thailand

Vietnam

Military & Security

Politics

The Myanmar junta and ethnic armed organization Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, signed a China-brokered ceasefire agreement, halting conflict in northern Shan state along the Chinese border, Reuters reported on Jan. 21. 

Myanmar: Ceasefire, Scam Crackdown Highlight Growing Regional Congruence

Panama

United States

Economics

Panama's government on Jan. 20 launched an audit of Hong Kong-based Hutchison Ports, which operates ports at both ends of the country's canal, amid U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to retake the infrastructure, the Financial Times reported on Jan. 21.

Panama: New Audit Hints at Higher Scrutiny of Chinese Companies in Latin America

Indonesia

Malaysia

Malaysia announced plans to reform its anti-dumping legislation to counter an influx of cheap Chinese goods, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 17.

Malaysia, Indonesia: Chinese Dumping Undermines Regional Trade Amid Growing Economic Pressure

Europe

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The European nonprofit privacy group noyb, an acronym for "none of your business," filed six complaints against AliExpress, Shein, TikTok, Temu, WeChat and Xiaomi for unlawfully transferring European users' data to China, Reuters reported on Jan. 17.

Europe: Noyb Files Complaints Against Six Chinese Companies

U.S.-China Relations

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a free speech argument filed by Chinese-based TikTok owner ByteDance, upholding a law that will require the Chinese company to divest itself from the social media platform or face a nationwide ban by Jan. 19, NBC News reported on Jan. 17. 

U.S.: Supreme Court Upholds Law Paving Way for TikTok Ban

Taiwan

Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang and Taiwan People's Party legislators suggested amending the annual budget to introduce cuts of up to 44% on 38 defense projects, including the country's domestic submarine development program, drones and mine-laying vessels, Focus Taiwan reported on Jan. 16.

Taiwan: Budget Cuts Highlight Potential Wrinkle in U.S. Defense Cooperation

The United States is expected to unveil new rules as early as Jan. 15 that are designed to restrict the ability of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Samsung to send advanced chips to China, where they could be used in a variety of applications, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 14.

U.S., China: Washington To Strengthen Export Controls on Advanced Chips to China

The European Union found in its first investigation under the International Procurement Instrument, or IPI, "clear evidence of China limiting the access of EU medical devices producers to its government contracts in an unfair and discriminatory way," The South China Morning Post reported on Jan. 14.

EU, China: EU Probe Finds Market Access Inequities in China, Portends More Trade Restrictions

Assessments

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Pakistan

The entrance to the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C.

Ahead of the first review of its newest IMF program, Pakistan seeks creditor assurances and a broader tax base.

Pakistan's Path to Meeting IMF Demands

Canada

Mexico

U.S. President Donald Trump holds up an executive order after signing it during an indoor inauguration parade at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C, on Jan. 20, 2025.

Energy

While some will face legal challenges, Trump's initial orders on immigration, trade, energy and climate issues lay the groundwork for his ambitious agenda.

What To Make of Trump's Day 1 Executive Orders

Columns

On Geopolitics

Asia-Pacific

Australia

Japan

Philippines

South Korea

India

U.S. President Joe Biden gestures to reporters after landing on the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 22, 2024, in Washington, D.C. 

Trump's more aggressive and transactional approach could deliver quick wins for the U.S.'s position in the region, though it could also strain ties with key partners. 

Trump's Asia-Pacific Approach Will Test Biden's Gains

Iran

Israel

Syria

Russia

Nation-states' growing use of hacktivist personas to obfuscate responsibility will increasingly enable them to attack targets they would otherwise avoid and spread propaganda.

Hacktivism Offers Plausible Deniability for State-Backed Cyber Actors

Mozambique

United Kingdom

Security personnel walk on a road with buses blocking an entrance gate to protect impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol from a possible second arrest in Seoul on Jan. 6. If Yoon is not arrested, the opposition could again seek to impeach the country's acting president due to his insufficient support for the arrest efforts, worsening foreign perceptions of political instability in South Korea.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Mozambique's President Takes Office, the U.K. Chancellor Visits China

Angola

Cote d'Ivoire

Ghana

Kenya

Nigeria

Argentina

Brazil

Ecuador

Algeria

Iraq

Jordan

Kuwait

Qatar

Tunisia

Turkey

Yemen

Ukraine

Belarus

World map on a dark digital background representing global communication and global finances.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2025 highlights high-impact, low-probability risks and trends from the annual forecast presented in more extreme terms.

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2025

Media

Podcasts

What is Salt Typhoon, and what happened in the recent hack against U.S. telecommunications companies? 

Essential Geopolitics: Unpacking China's Salt Typhoon Operation

Nauru

Papua New Guinea

Solomon Islands

The flags of Australia, the Solomon Islands, Nauru and Papua New Guinea clockwise starting from the upper left. Canberra will have to fulfill its commitments to keep Beijing's influence at bay as island countries play the two off each other.

Canberra will have to fulfill its commitments to keep Beijing's influence at bay as island countries play the two off each other. 

Australian Efforts to Counter China in the Pacific Will Require Follow-Through

The Geopolitics of Water

Water utilities are uniquely vulnerable to cyberattacks due to frequent financial and security limitations, exposing water-stressed countries to threats from hacktivists and foreign adversaries.

 The Geopolitics of Water: Cyberattacks' Impact on Water Stress in the U.S. and Beyond

Statements made by Trump and his allies, including Elon Musk, offer insight into how his next administration will approach the regulation (or lack thereof) of AI, online content, data and monopolistic business practices.

Previewing Trump's Tech Policies

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tanzania

Zambia

Marshall Islands

Palau

Tuvalu

Sri Lanka

U.S. President Joe Biden and President Joao Lourenco of Angola on Nov. 30, 2023, at the White House. Biden on Dec. 2-4 will visit Angola, where he will focus on the Lobito Corridor project that aims to refurbish and expand railways connecting critical mineral-rich regions in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo with the Angolan port of Lobito.

The Weekly Rundown: Biden Visits Angola, von der Leyen's Second Term

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

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'

<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

Myanmar: Ceasefire, Scam Crackdown Highlight Growing Regional Congruence

Panama: New Audit Hints at Higher Scrutiny of Chinese Companies in Latin America

Malaysia, Indonesia: Chinese Dumping Undermines Regional Trade Amid Growing Economic Pressure

Europe: Noyb Files Complaints Against Six Chinese Companies

U.S.: Supreme Court Upholds Law Paving Way for TikTok Ban

Taiwan: Budget Cuts Highlight Potential Wrinkle in U.S. Defense Cooperation

U.S., China: Washington To Strengthen Export Controls on Advanced Chips to China

EU, China: EU Probe Finds Market Access Inequities in China, Portends More Trade Restrictions

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