Asia Times

President Donald Trump departed China on May 15, 2026, after a two-day summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping that was scrutinized from every angle for clues on where the relationship is heading. Trump hailed the trip as “incredible,” while Xi remarked that it marked a “new bilateral relationship.” Other observers were a little less enthusiastic, […] The post Trump-Xi summit’s cautious progress and subtle win-wins appeared first on Asia Times.

China’s accelerating missile buildup is increasingly turning industrial capacity, stockpile depth, and sustained precision-strike capability into decisive factors in the emerging military balance over Taiwan and the wider Indo-Pacific. This month, Bloomberg reported that China sharply accelerated missile production in 2025, citing an analysis of corporate filings that showed 81 listed Chinese firms disclosed supplying […] The post China ramps up missile buildup for a Taiwan war appeared first on

The first time one truly stands before a Ming-style horseshoe-back armchair, a quiet misperception arises. It does not feel like an antique. It feels like a piece of modern design completed several centuries too early. There is no heavy imperial pomp, no crowded carving, none of the mother-of-pearl inlay so often associated with later Qing […] The post Order, character and time preserved in China’s classical furniture appeared first on Asia Times.

When Britain sent its first formal diplomatic mission to China in 1793, one of the participants from London, Peter Auber, remarked that the group had been “received with the utmost politeness, treated with the utmost hospitality, watched with the utmost vigilance and dismissed with the utmost civility.” The mission, which aimed to open trade and […] The post Trump left China empty‑handed – but avoided something worse appeared first on Asia Times.

Earlier this month, Indonesia and Japan signed a defense cooperation agreement that could eventually allow Jakarta to acquire lethal weaponry from Tokyo. The move was the latest in a series of strategic engagements signaling that Indonesia is beginning to lean toward one side amid intensifying geopolitical rivalry in Indo-Pacific. When I argued last July that […] The post Indonesia blindly drifting into a US vs China storm appeared first on Asia Times.

In April, the General Services Administration announced plans to automate 1 million work hours annually after cutting nearly 40% of its staff since October 2024, with similar reductions being seen across the government workforce. While the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) may have receded as a formal initiative, it has been hiring staff […] The post Ready or not, AI government is already here appeared first on Asia Times.

Originally published by Pacific Forum, this article is republished with permission. In barely half a year, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pushed Japan’s defense policy into unfamiliar territory. The FY2026 main defense budget has reached 9.04 trillion yen (approximately US$58 billion), with total security-related spending at roughly 10.6 trillion yen, at about 1.9% of GDP. The 2% threshold, long treated as […] The post Rearming Japan: ambition, constraints and limits appeared first on Asia Ti

The global energy crisis caused by President Donald Trump’s war with Iran is set to worsen in the coming months, as The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that the world is “burning through its oil safety net.” Even though oil prices surged at the start of the war, which led Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz to […] The post Energy crisis set to worsen as Trump weighs renewed Iran assault appeared first on Asia Times.

The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday accused US President Donald Trump of “orchestrating a $1,700,000,000 fraud on the American taxpayer to line the pockets of his MAGA political allies” amid new reporting on the terms Trump is seeking in talks to settle his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. ABC News reported late […] The post Trump expected to drop IRS suit in exchange for MAGA slush fund appeared first on Asia Times.

Subscribe now with a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. Salesman Trump leaves China with very little in his bagWilliam Pesek reports that Donald Trump’s high-profile Beijing summit yielded symbolism and corporate spectacle rather than major concessions from Xi Jinping, reinforcing perceptions that China retains […] The post Trump’s Beijing trip delivers optics, not breakthroughs appeared first on Asia Times.

The proposal to gradually pass nearly 45 trillion dong (about US$1.8 billion) in accumulated losses from Vietnam Electricity (EVN) into future electricity prices reveals a deeper contradiction at the center of Hanoi’s economic strategy. For years, while Hanoi has persistently lobbied Washington to recognize Vietnam as a “market economy”, the country’s electricity sector has continued […] The post Vietnam’s power bill hides a market economy lie appeared first on Asia Times.

Few things enrage Donald Trump more than being upstaged, particularly when he is on the biggest stage of both his stints as US president — in Beijing. Though Trump World  will deny that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang did just that this week, he did. And global markets know it. Just as expected, the first visit […] The post Salesman Trump leaves China with very little in his bag appeared first on Asia Times.

May 15 occupies a charged place in Bangladesh’s political memory. The date is observed as “Farakka Day”, commemorating the 1976 long march led by Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani protesting India’s diversion of Ganges water through the Farakka Barrage. Nearly half a century later, the symbolism remains painfully current. Bangladesh’s latest mega project — the […] The post Bangladesh barrage bet holds no water for India’s diplomacy appeared first on Asia Times.

US President Donald Trump’s Beijing summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping has produced a package of Chinese commitments on US soybeans, energy and aircraft, giving both governments a basis to steady relations after years of trade and security tensions. The two-hour-and-15-minute meeting between Trump and Xi has also laid the groundwork for Washington and Beijing to […] The post Trump-Xi summit puts US exports, Iran at center of reset bid appeared first on Asia Times.

Indonesia’s psychological and economic guardrails officially cracked in mid-May when the rupiah plunged to 17,513 against the US dollar, the weakest level in the currency’s history. The decline has become a warning signal of the country’s macroeconomic framework, which is now trapped in what increasingly resembles a perfect storm. The currency’s roughly 5% year-to-date depreciation […] The post How low will Indonesia’s falling rupiah go? appeared first on Asia Times.

Myanmar’s military is trying to sell former State Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi’s transfer from prison to a “designated residence” as a gesture of mercy. But the move has raised basic questions: where is she, who has seen her and can anyone outside the junta verify her health and well-being? The military’s tactic is by […] The post Europe shouldn’t buy Myanmar junta’s Suu Kyi ploy appeared first on Asia Times.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 sparked the most significant military conflict in Europe’s post-Second World War history. While European public opinion is overwhelmingly pro-Ukrainian, significant segments of Europe’s population hold ambivalent or even outright pro-Russian positions. As public support is key to providing military and financial assistance to Ukraine, we wanted to […] The post What’s really driving Europe’s pro-Russian supporters? appeared first on Asia Ti

For many in the West, China still feels hard to fully understand. Public debate and media coverage too often focus on the “China threat.” Critics highlight the flaws of China’s political system and limits on freedom, yet China has still managed to rise as a major power that can now compete with the United States. […] The post The misread storytelling behind Xi Jinping’s speeches appeared first on Asia Times.

Diplomacy involves the art of telling lies with a straight face or even a reassuring smile. On day one of Donald Trump’s China visit, political correctness and diplomatic finesse were in ample display from the US leader, while Chinese sources reported that Xi Jinping issued a stern warning to “properly” handle Taiwan, “the most important […] The post Miles of smiles belie a fraught and fragile Trump-Xi summit appeared first on Asia Times.

The US Department of Justice is reportedly preparing to drop charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani shortly after he hired one of President Donald Trump’s personal lawyers to represent him. The New York Times reported on Thursday that the DOJ – now headed by former Trump attorney Todd Blanche – is working on ending its case against Adani, who was indicted in […] The post US DOJ said dropping fraud charges after Adani hired Trump lawyer appeared first on Asia Times.