NATO’s plans to establish a foothold in Asia to counter China better is nothing more than a sure recipe for disaster. Coming to Asia and beating war drums against a country that has not attacked anyone is akin to pushing it to take any and all necessary steps to protect its interests. NATO, thus, is pushing China to shun its regionally focused pacificism in favour of a more belligerent stance. A more aggressive China will, in NATO’s calculation, push Asian countries to move more towards the US out of their common fear of Beijing as the hegemon…

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent visits first to India and then, two weeks later, to the PRC, the two leading Asian countries, constituted a very remarkable development in terms of the unfolding situation in the Indo-Pacific region as a whole.

European leaders dead worried about the return of Donald Trump to the White House later this year and the possibility of him moving the US away from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to accomplish his “Make American Great Again” goals, the former is taking steps to expand NATO to Asia to keep it relevant. Donald Trump has vowed more than once to counter China. He has also expressed optimism to use diplomacy to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Combined with his disdain for NATO, the resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict could erode NATO’s credibility and legitimacy.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s trip to New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia was an important element in the complex “game” unfolding in the Indo-Pacific region, involving all the world’s leading powers. It took place in the second half of June.

The ongoing upgrades to the US-Japan military cooperation signals new regional developments. In reality, however, this upgrade is a continuation of the US strategy in the Pacific to build military outposts so that China can be deterred and tackled. On the one hand, it is militarizing Japan. On the other hand, the sale of weapons keeps bringing money to the US military-industrial complex. Ultimately, this alliance will do little to serve the purpose of ‘containing’ China.

On June 27, the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) international exercise began in the Pacific Ocean, this time involving military units from 29 countries. The evolution of the format of these exercises corresponds closely to the changes in the political situation in the Indo-Pacific region as a whole.

The United States had throughout the Cold War and within the first decade of the 21st century established dominance in terms of space-based military capabilities, including satellite navigation through its Global Positioning System (GPS) and a wide array of reconnaissance and communications satellites. These enabled US forces to access targeting data and coordinate their forces anywhere on Earth.

Taiwan, also known by its former name Formosa, is a renegade province of the People’s Republic of China. Being the renegade province, Taiwan remains the bone of contention between China and the United States (U.S.) and its allies. Taiwan is an island and the largest island of China, whereas, the Hainan Island is the second-largest island.

The first phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – the flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has been completed and the project has entered into its second phase. This phase provides great opportunities for Pakistan, China, Africa, the Gulf States, and the Central Asian countries to increase their mutual trade and connect with the rest of the world in a much more secure and efficient way, decreasing their trade cost and increasing security.

The furor in Washington, Brussels, and the capitals of NATO and EU member states over the recent trip to Moscow by the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, is very telling.

The Saudi decision not to renew the 50-year-old petrodollar system is both a symptom of the gradual erosion of the US-led and US-centred global financial order and indicates the imminent arrival of alternative systems of financial transactions in currencies other than the USD. This is, at one and the same time, both a collapse of the existing world order and the establishment of a new, alternative, multipolar world order.

The participants in the trilateral summit discussed ways to promote cooperation in six specific areas: economy and trade, sustainable development (including the response to climate change), healthcare, science and technology, disaster management and security, and exchange programs…