Archives Diplomacy - Page 15 of 44 - New Eastern Outlook

During the summer of 2024, Japan sharply intensified its foreign policy in its most important aspects, particularly on China and Pacific states. In our opinion, this intensification and some improvements in Japanese relations with China are primarily related to balancing its military and political activities with Western countries. On the one hand, Japan is building up its own defence potential and strengthening various multilateral formats in the field of security; on the other hand, it is trying to reduce tension in relations with China.

Pan-Africanism and the BRICS alliance represent two powerful forces that can help shape an emerging Global South. While Pan-Africanism promotes unity, solidarity and cooperation among African nations, the BRICS/BRICS+ alliance represents a group of emerging countries seeking to strengthen their economic and political influence on the international stage.

For the past several years, the Middle East has been China’s key trading hub, not least because of more than 70 per cent of the oil that Beijing imports from here. Between 2017 and 2022, China’s bilateral trade with this region jumped from US$262 billion to US$507 billion. In 2022 alone, the region saw its trade with China jumping by more than 27 per cent. This was the largest increase in China’s trade compared with other regions, such as the ASEAN.