Chittagong (Chattagram) Hill Tracts (CHT) – a home to Jumma ethnicity, have been a source of perennial upheaval in Bangladesh for years. However, the Bangladesh military has successfully neutralized the separatist militant groups in the region through Operation Dabanal – which was later re-established under the name Operation Uttaron. This insurgency in the country has helped the Bangladesh Army garner immense experience in counter-terrorism operations…

From 15 to 17 April, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz led a delegation of three ministers and business representatives on a working visit to China. Since taking office as head of the German government in December 2021, this is his second visit to the leading power of the Asian continent, where the focus of all global processes is constantly shifting. This is a continuation of the tradition of regular contacts with the Chinese leadership established under his predecessor, Angela Merkel. Incidentally, of all Western politicians, she has always received the most praise in China…

With the turn of the 21^st Century, the unipolar world order led by the United States is rapidly debilitating due to the rise of China and Russia as the new superpowers of the world. The role of middle powers has also surged in recent years in the international power structure. Russia and China are seen with much empathy within the developing world due to their inclusive outlook towards developing and underdeveloped nations…

Last year saw a number of significant developments in China-Kazakhstan relations, including two official visits to China by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, multi-billion dollar contracts, the promotion of transport and infrastructure initiatives, and an unprecedented 30 per cent growth in bilateral trade. Kazakhstan accounts for half of China’s trade and investment in the region, with trade turnover between Kazakhstan and China reaching an impressive $31 billion. By 2023, the volume of cargo between the two countries will have increased by 22 per cent to nearly 30 million tonnes…

The powerful earthquake that shook Taiwan on Wednesday, 3^rd of April, was the strongest earthquake to hit the renegade Chinese province in 25 years. The 7.4+ earthquake has killed at least nine people and injured more than a thousand, and has sent a different type of shockwave throughout the world, particularly the west…

In the complex game being played by the major world powers in connection with the Taiwan issue, a remarkable event took place at the beginning of April this year, which attracted the attention of media around the world. This is about a tour of the PRC (or “Mainland China”) by former President Ma Ying-jeou accompanied by a certain Taiwanese youth group. Between May 2008 and May 2016 (i.e., two consecutive four-year terms), Ma Ying-jeou…

As I recently wrote, US-China ties, following Biden’s recent call to Xi, are unlikely to see any major improvement and progress from what has been a tit-for-tat trade war for the past several years. In fact, the recent visit of the US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has done more than anything else to prove the fact that the US-China ties, regardless of who occupies the White House, will continue to be shaped by great power competition…

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s week-long visit to China, the second in less than a year, which began on 3 April, represents a remarkable development in relations between the world’s two leading powers. Among other things, it is noteworthy because it came almost immediately after the telephone conversation between the two leaders, which was the first contact between them since they met in San Francisco on the sidelines of the next APEC summit in November 2023. In the six months since then, the long process of accumulation of various kinds of negativity in the bilateral relationship has continued…

Since the onset of the 21^st Century, tensions around the world have been simmering. Great power rivalry has reached to a new apex since the culmination of the Cold War. The rivalry between China and the United States is considered one of the most significant and appalling issues of the era. Given the importance of maritime trade, the South China Sea and the Southeast Asian countries have emerged as the strategic focus of the rivalry between the two sides…

On the 2^nd of April, US President Joe Biden had an almost two-hour-long phone call with China’s Xi Jinping, where both leaders discussed the future of US-China ties and issues that underpin it. A bone of contention was restrictions on the transfer of US technologies to China. While Biden argued that restrictions were meant to protect US “national security”, Xi pointed out that restrictions were hurting China’s smooth growth. But despite this clash, a key outcome of the phone call was Washington’s announcement that the US Treasury Secretary…

Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 after the US withdrawal, the government has been struggling to gain international recognition. The United States and its Western allies, the self-proclaimed champions of human rights, have left the country in the lurch. The sanctions imposed by the West on Afghanistan are sparking a humanitarian crisis in the country. However, the West continues to penalize the people of Afghanistan through international institutions, while remaining oblivion to the plight of the people of the country…

Tensions continue to grow in the Asia-Pacific region and more specifically in the South China Sea, where China faces off against the United States and its collection of regional proxies including Japan and Australia. While the US claims these growing tensions stem from China’s desire to undermine “freedom of navigation” and stability in the region, it is instead part of a decades-long US policy of containing China…