Let us reiterate that the status of relations between the PRC and Japan will increasingly define the overall image of the political situation not only in East Asia but also in the Indo-Pacific area. Generally speaking, the role that the “local” main actors play in it will only grow with time. India should definitely be included in addition to the duo mentioned. On the other hand, the dominant global power of today, which has to claim its involvement in nearly every geopolitical issue, mainly because of historical inertia, will eventually have to scale back its aspirations internationally…

On 17 October, the 3^rd Forum was held in Beijing, where the results of the ten-year implementation of the global Belt and Road Initiative project were summed up, and ways of its further development were outlined. The special significance of this grandiose international event was given by the large-scale representation of other states at it. This allowed the countries to discuss some important aspects of the difficult international situation, as well as bilateral relations. As, however, it has been happening in recent years at other international venues. In this regard, the three-hour meeting of the Presidents of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation…

The bipartisan US Senate delegation’s four-day trip to the People’s Republic of China, which started on October 7 with a landing at Shanghai airport and ended with a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, is an occasion worth noting. Both in terms of the interactions between the two major international powers and, therefore, in international politics. Let us have a look at a few difficulties that are related to this occurrence. China was not the only country the delegation visited while traveling abroad, but it was the first and clearly the most significant. Furthermore, there is no doubt that the Senate delegation’s discussions with the Chinese leader, as well as prior…

US President Joe Biden’s trip from September 7 to September 11 was dominated by two equally remarkable events, both of which owe their significance to a single factor, the global confrontation between Washington and China, now the number two world power. It is in relation to this confrontation that the results of the American president’s latest five-day sprint, in which the two main ports of call were India and Vietnam, should best be viewed. Although officially the main purpose of this foreign policy event was so that the currently number one world power could participate in the scheduled summit…

At the end of August, a seemingly trivial and commonplace incident was immediately met with suspicion by a number of countries in the Indo-Pacific region, which is literally awash with problems of all kinds. The incident in question was the publication by the PRC’s State Cartographic Service of a set of “standard maps,” which showed both its own and other countries’ borders. It should be noted at once that these maps do not add in any way to the list of territories already claimed by the PRC, and whose possession has been the subject of disputes between Beijing…

As the New Eastern Outlook has frequently stated, the communication among the top players in the current stage of the Big World Game is extremely vital, indicating that the game process is ongoing. Regardless of the issues that arise, the participants continue to honor the current agreements and refuse to overturn the table with a “continue the policy by other means” clause. One may assess the current relationships between the main players and the prospects for the future based…

Despite having primarily military connotation, the word “maneuvers” (“maneuvering”) may be used to describe the actions of a single state or even a collection of states in a given political situation. Controlling the situation in the South China Sea and the surrounding land area, which is made up of ten Southeast Asian nations and collectively forms a regional association known as ASEAN, is one of the most significant issues at the current stage of the Great Global Game. Over the past 20 years, the South China Sea and Southeast Asia as a whole have been increasingly at the center of the military and political maneuvering of the two current superpowers…

The use of the word “mosaic” in the comprehensive description of Sino-European interactions precludes an illustrative and simplistic (“explained via hand gestures”) interpretation. The phrase “remains complex” indicates that there is no current effort toward “simplification” of this statement. All of the aforementioned factors, which frequently contradict one another, remain in Europeans’ dealings with the Second World Power. These factors were validated in a number of subsequent events, which it makes…

The visit of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to the People’s Republic of China from July 6 to 9 this year marked a significant development in relations between the two major international powers.The si gnificance of Janet Yellen’s trip to Beijing turns out to be more relevant, considering that it was given a low possibility a month ago, to the fact that it was accomplished. In light of the general strained condition of bilateral ties, the PRC leadership has demonstrated its willingness to engage in dialogue only with those members of the current US administration…

From June 19-23, Li Qiang, leader of the State Council (i.e., prime minister of China), who only took office in March of this year, made his first trip abroad. The focus of his first foreign tour was the European continent. Specifically, the two leading countries of the European Union, Germany and France, as well as the top leadership of the EU. The very fact of this event, along with a number of other similar events that have occurred in recent months, allows the author to make a few remarks about China’s foreign policy. Its current form has been shaped over the past few years and was once again confirmed in principled political issues at the 20th CCP Congress last fall and in “economic and practical” terms at the parliamentary session held six months later (the so-called “Two Sessions”). Li Qiang was appointed to implement the latter…

Despite US efforts, reciprocity between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will not decrease. On June 16, the traditional 15th Strait Forum opened in the Chinese city of Xiamen, opposite Taiwan. The event has no particular focus and is geared more toward encouraging contact and demonstrating that Chinese people are not so different on either side of the sea. It is worth noting that despite new rounds of confrontation between Beijing and Taipei continuing to unfold, about 5,000 Taiwanese showed up at the forum. About a thousand will come directly from the island, including representatives of the Kuomintang and other coalition parties. Such occurrences…

In the areas of fuel and energy, Saudi Arabia follows a path independent from the United States. Recent anti-Russian sanctions and their secondary and tertiary consequences on the “daredevils” who continue to trade with Russia have caused the world economy to experience extreme instability. In the current environment, few players have been able to adapt to the dramatically changing new reality, but some can definitely be taken as an example. We are talking about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has shown itself to be unusually agile and flexible on the international stage. At the June 2023 OPEC+ meeting, Riyadh announced a production cut…