Iran

The Taiwan Strait needs circuit breakers, not just deterrence

Military and coast guard encounters are becoming more frequent in the Western Pacific and around Taiwan, raising the risk that a limited incident could spiral into wider conflict. Deterrence alone is not enough; the region needs safeguards to contain escalation and create off-ramps, says researcher Hao Nan.

Hao Nan

17 Aug 2026

[Video] Bilahari Kausikan: How to navigate the new world order

Bilahari Kausikan, in an interview with ThinkChina editor Chow Yian Ping, examines how US-China rivalry is reshaping the global order, why China’s “China dream” narrative of national rejuvenation remains powerful but limiting, and how a more fluid, multipolar Asia will test the nimbleness of smaller states such as Singapore.

Chow Yian Ping

12 Aug 2026

Iran misread what China meant by ‘strategic partner’

Iranians have long considered how China would act in a crisis involving the US and Israel. It got its answer in the recent Iran war, where it has had to lower its expectations and extract practical gains from China, observes Iranian analyst Mohammad Khatibi.

Mohammad Khatibi

11 Aug 2026

Has China really ‘won’ in the Iran war? 

The Iran war has boosted China’s leverage in the energy sector and deepened its commercial presence in the Gulf. But states in the region want China to be a more proactive stakeholder, a role Beijing may not be ready to take on, says researcher Jing Lin.

Jing Lin

30 Jul 2026

Buying certainty: How Hormuz is redefining global shipping

As conflict reshapes the Strait of Hormuz, markets are placing a premium on geopolitical certainty. The shift could redefine not only global shipping but the future of maritime governance, says US academic John Calabrese.

John Calabrese

21 Jul 2026

As China moves forward, America turns backward and inward

Comparing the US and Chinese presidents’ recent narratives, it is clear that China keeps moving forward as a confident global leader, while an insecure Trump is taking America backward, says US academic Zhiqun Zhu.

Zhiqun Zhu

21 Jul 2026

Aircraft carriers cannot erase Asian civilisational memory

Military superiority can destroy infrastructure, but it cannot erase a people’s past. Historian Wu Guo takes a look at how centuries of collective identity have formed an unbreakable shield against American intervention.

Wu Guo

10 Jul 2026

America at 250: Independent no more?

As the US marks 250 years of independence, US academic Ma Haiyun examines whether America has drifted from the founding ideal of political autonomy towards foreign influence and proxy wars.

Ma Haiyun

03 Jul 2026

Trump’s China thaw will hit a Washington wall

Try as US President Trump might to build a stronger bridge to China in the name of deal-making, bipartisan consensus in Congress against the China threat will likely keep him in check, says US academic Robert Sutter.

Robert Sutter

02 Jul 2026

G7 unity: Europe yields as Trump declares ‘I’m the boss’

At the G7 summit, European leaders went to great lengths to flatter Donald Trump. Yet behind the smiles lies deep anxiety over an unpredictable US and a looming trade war with China. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong tells us more.

Han Yong Hong

19 Jun 2026

How Trump’s Iran war boosted Beijing

China’s diplomacy in the Middle East has seen highs and lows, most recently garnering some success in the Iran war, after troughs during the post-7 October 2023 period and initial highs when the US withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021. Chinese academic Fan Hongda explains.

Fan Hongda

18 Jun 2026

The Middle Corridor: Where Turkey’s rise meets China’s ambitions

At a time of geopolitical uncertainty when Central Asian countries are hedging their bets and China’s Belt and Road Initiative itself is evolving, Turkey is rising as a power that can cultivate deeper relations with Central Asia and dominate Eurasian transit flows through the Middle Corridor. Academic Alessandro Arduino looks at the issue.

Alessandro Arduino

09 Jun 2026