Rather than the old “forced friendship” marked by “warm politics, cold economics”, China and Russia’s relationship has evolved to a new phase powered by strong internal dynamics manifesting political and economic warmth.

Tensions in China-US relations are increasing, with the Taiwan Strait issue central to the antagonism between the two major powers. Chinese academic Guo Bingyun assesses four models from history that the US may adopt in the event of an armed reunification, and why these approaches may or may not be effective.

Despite the heightened tensions following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, Chinese academic Guo Bingyun notes all three protagonists — the US, China and Taiwan — in the Taiwan Strait issue have made more gains than losses, at least in the short term.

India has long held dominance over South Asia, but recent developments show that the situation may be changing, says Chinese academic Guo Bingyun. China has been stepping up its engagement of the region while India has turned much of its attention on the US in its bid to counter China. In what was once its own backyard, India may have fallen too far back from leading contenders China and the US.