The Iran War revealed what years of pipeline deals and LNG contracts quietly built: a Chinese stranglehold on Asia’s gas supply. When Reuters reported that Chinese companies had resold a record 19 LNG cargoes in the first quarter of 2026 alone—10 to South Korea, five to Thailand, and the rest split among Japan, India, and the Philippines—the story was framed […]

At the world’s most critical oil chokepoint, tension rises as tankers wait and uncertainty spreads (AI Generated Image) The standoff over the Strait of Hormuz escalated again on Saturday as Iran reversed its reopening of the crucial waterway and fired on ships attempting to pass, in retaliation after the United States pressed ahead with its blockade of Iranian ports. New […]

Toplines Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun reiterated standard PRC rhetoric during her April 10 meeting with CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping. The PRC is setting conditions for continued cooperation with the KMT. The PRC’s readout for the Cheng-Xi meeting emphasized cross-strait integration, criticized “Taiwan independence” activists, and stated that the KMT and CCP would continue working together to […]

It lacks any importance outside of its immediate region, thus making interest in its affairs and what it has to say about developments elsewhere in the world niche, so it would be better for Pakistan to focus on targeted soft power efforts than invest enormous sums of money in English-language media. The New York Times published a report in late […]

A regularly updated compendium of Beijing and Moscow’s reactions to the fighting in Iran, Lebanon, and beyond, including analysis of the similarities and differences in their respective diplomatic approaches to the crisis. Since the start of U.S.-Israel military operations against Iran in February 2026, Russia and China have released a litany of statements in defense of Tehran, ranging from specific […]

Taliban intelligence has detained seven Taliban members in northeastern Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province on allegations of links to ISIS’s regional affiliate, according to sources familiar with the matter. Those detained include individuals holding a range of positions within the Taliban’s military and civilian structures in the province, among them commanders and administrative officials, sources said. The detainees include a company commander […]

Two Taliban members were killed and another was wounded in an internal clash in northeastern Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, according to people familiar with the incident. Sources told Amu TV on Thursday that the fighting broke out between two Taliban figures identified as Rahmatullah Emarati and Haji Safa, resulting in the deaths of two of their associates, Mohammad Salim and Mohammad […]

Participants focused on the future direction of the consultative dialogue and its role in promoting bilateral ties and broader regional cooperation. Regional experts and policymakers have underscored the growing importance of the Central Asia-Afghanistan Consultative Dialogue in strengthening cooperation, during a roundtable held in Tashkent. The discussion, hosted by the International Institute for Central Asia (IICA), brought together representatives from […]

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Kabul, Faisal bin Talq Al-Baqmi, discussed regional developments and recent talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan held in the Chinese city of Urumqi during a meeting on Wednesday. According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi briefed the Saudi […]

Dans son délire suprémaciste légendaire, le secrétaire au Trésor américain Scott Bessent a déclaré que la Chine ne sera plus en mesure de s’approvisionner en pétrole auprès de l’Iran. Saluons tous le retour triomphal des Pirates des Caraïbes, désormais Pirates du golfe Persique. L’effondrement spectaculaire du diktat d’Islamabad – la Barbarie est venue faire la loi, pas négocier – a […]