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Containers at the Nanshagang area in Guangzhou port, 18 September 2023. (CNS)

Will the BRI's future be impacted by the slowing Chinese economy?

Japanese academic Toshiya Tsugami notes that while China's economy is likely to fall into medium- to long-term stagnation, its outward investments and financing through the Belt and Road Initiative may not be immediately affected. However, other factors may have a ripple effect on China's ability to maintain the momentum of the BRI.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits International Media Center, on the second day of the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, 10 September 2023. (Amit Dave/Reuters)

G20 summit 2023: India-China win-win moment?

China and India have surprisingly cooperated in facing a polarised geopolitical ambience during the G20 summit in Delhi on 9-10 September 2023, says Indian academic P. S. Suryanarayana. China supported India’s leadership in reaching a G20 consensus on the Ukraine crisis and the development priorities of the global south. The nuances of acquiescence by the US-led West may be key to the future of world affairs, because the G20 reflects today’s realities.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi gestures during a meeting with Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn at the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Phnom Penh on 13 August 2023. (AFP)

Chinese FM Wang Yi’s Southeast Asia visit: Did China achieve its objectives?

Wang Yi travelled to Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia in his first foreign visit after his re-appointment as foreign minister, underscoring Beijing’s strong commitment to Southeast Asia. The visit was also possibly meant to highlight continuity and absence of disruption to China’s foreign relations and its Southeast Asia policy following Qin Gang’s removal as foreign minister. ISEAS researcher Lye Liang Fook says that while China may be attempting to dictate how Southeast Asia should act, it should recognise that the region has the "capability and wisdom" to do what is right while keeping positive ties with all of its significant partners.
First-grade students wearing Hanfu clothing hold up cards with the character "ren" meaning "person" during an initiation ceremony to learn about traditional culture at a primary school in Anlong County, in China’s southwest Guizhou province, on 28 August 2023. (AFP)

Can China uphold the promises of diversity in the Global Civilisation Initiative?

China’s Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI) claims to promote inclusivity and cultural diversity. A litmus test of its credibility would be how China has and will deal with variations of cultures and identities that exist within and outside the country.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang (fifth from left) waves after a family photo with ASEAN leaders before the start of the ASEAN-China Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, 6 September 2023. (Willy Kurniawan/Reuters)

Elites vs citizens: How Singapore and Indonesia are divided on China

Surveys show that the elite’s opinion toward China diverges with those of citizens in Singapore and Indonesia. Elites tend to weigh long-term geopolitical strategies and have more access to information, but increased citizen engagement will enhance foreign policy.
Qin Gang attends a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (not pictured) at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, on 14 April 2023. (Suo Takekuma/Pool via Reuters)

The Qin Gang mystery and Chinese foreign policy

Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi has taken over former Foreign Minister Qin Gang’s position, but speculations are still rife about Qin's removal and the reverberations this will have on Chinese foreign affairs and politics. US academic Zhu Zhiqun weighs in.
Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee Wang Yi (L) speaks as South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin looks on during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Jakarta on 13 July 2023. (Mast Irham/AFP)

Wang Yi reappointed as Chinese foreign minister: An authoritative figure amid the intrigue

Qin Gang’s month-long absence has drawn much attention and speculation, culminating in the authorities’ announcement that he has been removed as foreign minister, and Wang Yi reappointed to his former position. Despite the authorities’ earlier claims of Qin’s “health reasons”, there seems to be more than meets the eye.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger attend a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, on 20 July 2023. (China Daily via Reuters)

What can Kissinger’s visit to China achieve?

Veteran diplomat and centenarian Henry Kissinger visited China this week, meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top officials. But amid the ongoing US-China tussle, can a civilian, even someone as seasoned as Kissinger, make much of an impact?
Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group pull out of the headquarters of the Southern Military District to return to base, in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on 24 June 2023. (Stringer/Reuters)

Wagner’s failed mutiny and China-Russia relations: Not weakness but strength

While some analysts say that the Wagner mutiny has revealed a weak Russia, China and other authoritarian regimes may see President Putin’s actions and outcomes achieved as an affirmation of strength. Academic Alexander Korolev explains.