COVID-19 has become a severe stress test for countries around the world. From supply-chain management and health-care capacity to regulatory reform and economic stimulus, the pandemic has mercilessly punished governments that did not – or could not – adapt quickly. The virus has also pulled back the curtain on one of this century’s most important contests: the rivalry between the United States (US) and China for supremacy in artificial intelligence (AI).

Earlier this month, Iran announced that it is negotiating a 25-year agreement with China encompassing trade, energy, infrastructure, telecommunications, and even military cooperation. For Iran, the prospect of a strategic partnership with China comes at a critical time.

President Donald Trump is days away from announcing strong action against the popular Chinese-owned video sharing app TikTok to protect United States (US) national security, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday.He said TikTok and other Chinese software companies operating in the US, such as WeChat, feed personal data on American citizens directly to the Chinese Communist Party. For years the US has put up with this because Americans felt "we're having fun with it,&quo

In his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 27 July, President Rodrigo Duterte stated that, “Within ASEAN and beyond, the Philippines will continue to work with partners to address global perils and ramp up cooperation to secure for our peoples, greater peace, progress, and prosperity. The Filipino nation claims its rightful place in the community of sovereign states.

Anthony Fauci, the United States' (US) top infectious disease official, raised concerns Friday regarding the safety of COVID-19 vaccines under development by China and Russia.Several Chinese companies are at the forefront of the global vaccine race, while Russia has said it hopes to be the first in the world to produce a vaccine for the public, with a target date of September.But the medicines will likely face heightened scrutiny given that the regulatory systems in both countries are ve

Hong Kong's democracy supporters were dealt a huge blow Friday as authorities postponed local elections for a year because of the coronavirus, capping a devastating month of political disqualifications, arrests for social media posts and activists fleeing overseas.Chinese state media reported late Friday that Hong Kong police have ordered the arrest of six pro-democracy activists living in exile on suspicion of violating a new national security law.The city's democracy camp has come

Four Hong Kong students involved in a recently disbanded pro-independence group were arrested by police on Wednesday under a controversial new national security law, officers and members of the group said.The arrests are the first to target public political figures since the sweeping legislation was imposed on the city by Beijing late last month.Police said three men and one woman aged between 16 and 21 were arrested on suspicion of organising and inciting secession."Our sources and inve

COVID-19 hit the Chinese economy hard in the first quarter of 2020, causing real gross domestic product (GDP) to contract by 6.8 percent year on year. But since the city of Wuhan emerged from lockdown in early April, the economy has gradually returned to normal, and grew by 3.2 percent in the second quarter. According to the consensus view, China’s current potential GDP growth rate is six percent.

Workers removed the United States (US) insignia from the consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu on Saturday, a day after Beijing ordered its closure as relations deteriorated in a Cold War-style standoff.The Chengdu mission was told to shut in retaliation for the forced closure of Beijing's consulate in Houston, Texas, with both sides alleging the other had endangered national security.The deadline for the Americans to exit Chengdu remains unclear, but reporters saw a worker on a small

As China continues its incursions into Malaysia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, there is a need for the latter to display firm resolve by leaving no doubt that it is prepared to use force in the extreme of circumstances, given the recurrent blatant and flagrant violations of its territorial sovereignty and integrity by China.At the same time, Malaysia must continue to pursue diplomatic recourse and channels – both bilateral as well as multilateral – to try to find an a