By Zhao Huasheng
Over the past few years, a common feature of the Central Asian states has been their special emphasis on external threats as their main danger; this has emerged as their main perspective and explanatory framework for viewing national security issues.
There are reasons for this.
...By Rhod Mackenzie
Beijing is strongly encouraging state-owned energy companies to buy as much gas as possible, despite the fact that the energy crisis has now greatly eased, and to invest in export infrastructure in exporting countries. In this way, explains Bloomberg, the Chinese authorities hope...
By Rhod Mackenzie
Over the past four years, the European Union and China have failed to achieve any significant results in negotiations on trade issues, according to EU Ambassador to China Jorge Toledo.
"I am sad to say that in four years the dialogue on economic issues and trade has not brought...
By Rhod Mackenzie
Iran decided to keep up with Turkey and, following the Turkish gas hub project, announced plans to create its own gas hub in the Persian Gulf with the participation of Russia, Turkmenistan and Qatar.
“We have the second largest gas reserves in the world, so we plan to create a...
By Alasdair Macleod
The increasing number of nations seeking to join BRICS brings geopolitics into the spotlight. At the time of writing, existing members, those who have applied to join and those expressing an interest total 36 nations, with over 60% of the world’s population and one-third of glo...
By Rhod Mackenzie
The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Iran's full-fledged membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be decided next week.
During an online briefing on June 30, Lavrov said that in addition to Iran's joining the SCO, a memorandum on Belarus's oblig...