China & Taiwan

 Executive Summary  Golden Dome has quickly become the signature defense program of President Trump’s second term. The most contentious element of this ambitious missile defense program is space-based interceptors; satellites designed to ram into ballistic missiles while they are...

Divining the intentions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is never a straightforward task. But when it comes to assessing the future of China’s military technology, data from China’s civilian unmanned air system industries and research institutes is a...

China has been increasing pressure on Taiwan below the threshold of a traditional military attack throughout the past decade. These gray zone tactics include diplomatic, economic, and security measures as well as the deployment of ships and aircraft across...

Africa’s global role is constantly evolving. Demographically, Africa is poised to occupy a dominant position in the world over the coming decades. By 2050, Africa’s share of the global population will have grown from its current 19 percent to...

In a disturbing, though predictable, move, Burkina Faso severed diplomatic relations with France on June 26, 2026, accusing its former colonial ruler of pursuing “neo-colonial ambitions,” and maintaining “subversive networks,” and even supporting terrorist groups against the Burkinabè state....

The latest round of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration was hardly unexpected, but that does not make them any less unsettling for some of America’s staunchest allies in the Indo-Pacific. With even more tariffs expected to be introduced by...

A series of high-level meetings between leaders and visits by prominent politicians from the United States, China, and Taiwan has roiled chronically fraught issues of Taiwan policy and cross-Strait relations. The May summit between President Donald Trump and Xi...

At the Fourth China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on June 22, 2026, South Africa’s deputy president Paul Mashatile signaled a renewed partnership with China amid a complex geopolitical global environment.  Speaking at the event, he emphasized that...

The Wake-up Call for the US to Counter Chinese Economic Coercion – Shihoko Goto The much-anticipated meeting in Beijing between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping ended without any significant tangible breakthrough in relations between the United States and China....

Executive Summary China’s latest Five-Year Plan signals that it has become more pessimistic about the global environment, seeing it as uncertain and unstable. However, the Chinese Communist Party sees opportunity in that instability to promote the Community of Common...