Once the world’s most populous nation, China is now among the many Asian countries struggling with anemic fertility rates. In an attempt to double the country’s rate of 1.0 children per woman, Beijing is reaching for a new tool: taxes on condoms, birth control pills and other contraceptives. As of January 1, such items were […]

The post China’s condom tax no way to pump up low birth rates appeared first on Asia Times.

The ongoing Iranian protests and the Islamic Republic’s brutal repression have led to widespread massacres nationwide, with far-reaching regional and geopolitical implications. Amid the crackdown, both the US and Israeli governments have prepared numerous contingencies should the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Basij militia’s murderous repression continue to escalate. This week, US President Donald […]

The post US paralysis on Iran crisis owes to Navy capacity gaps appeared first on Asia Times.

This week, Facebook notified me that my post analyzing General Secretary To Lam’s leadership style was restricted in Vietnam for the second time following a legal request from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Simultaneously, netizens Hoang Thi Hong Thai and Le Minh Vu were charged under Articles 117 and 331, both anti-state provisions, […]

The post To Lam plays his heavy hand well ahead of Party congress appeared first on Asia Times.

“Coming events cast their shadows before.” This remark is attributed to the Roman statesman and philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero. Essentially it says that historical events, while occurring with no advance notice, are actually foreshadowed by auguries. With the passing of time, reflecting the wills of various players, the drama gains momentum and reaches its climax.  […]

The post Kishi-Moon tie still afflicts Japan as Abe assassin faces verdict appeared first on Asia Times.

Chinese stock markets have come under renewed pressure in recent days as Beijing intensifies its clampdown on high-frequency trading, a move that has rattled sentiment but reflects a deeper regulatory shift toward control and stability amid a US$1.2 trillion rally. The Shanghai Composite Index fell about 2.1% from its recent peak of 4,188 at midday […]

The post China curbs high-frequency trading to cool blazing markets appeared first on Asia Times.

An aggressive President Donald Trump is moving to cripple and remove adversarial governments in Venezuela and Iran, a campaign that is also aimed at damaging efforts by China and Russia to build and maintain anti-Western alliances globally. In a meticulously planned military operation on January 3, US troops abducted Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro from Caracas, […]

The post Where Trump thinks his semi-warpath leads appeared first on Asia Times.

Deserving of scrutiny is the boasting this week by the self-proclaimed acting chief executive officer of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), Kari Lake, that audiences in Iran and Venezuela are being effectively served amid the current geo-political crises. Lake and DOGE, ten months ago, effectively destroyed US international broadcasting. Everyone at the Voice of America […]

The post The hollow resurrection of US international broadcasting appeared first on Asia Times.

A doctor anywhere likely loves using AI as a second opinion on her lawyers’ legal advice, to prepare for a meeting or to fact-check his claims. However, she perhaps still has only scorn, when she is wearing the other shoe. She has a list of reasons why AI should not be trusted for her domain. […]

The post Alibaba: the AI kingmaker appeared first on Asia Times.

As discussions progress between Armenia and the United States on the technical design and cooperative implementation of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), Iran has said that it views the project as the functional successor to the earlier “Zangezur corridor,” and as a US-backed encroachment in Armenia’s Syunik border region. Since late […]

The post Trump’s Azerbaijan-Armenia peace pact paying trade-link gains 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. Germany’s authoritarian drift: political control replaces economic strategy Diego Faßnacht argues Germany’s governing coalition is compensating for economic stagnation with tighter political control, targeting opposition parties and media while relying on state spending. Fiscal expansion […]

The post Politics in place of policy appeared first on Asia Times.

On January 7, Cambodian authorities announced they had detained and deported Chen Zhi, founder and former chairman of Prince Group, a multinational conglomerate accused of fronting a global multibillion-dollar fraud operation. Chen, a former advisor to ex-Prime Minister Hun Sen, became a key figure in a joint US-UK response last year when he was personally indicted for wire fraud and […]

The post Why Cambodia deported scam boss Chen Zhi to China, not the US appeared first on Asia Times.

Pakistan’s emerging US$13 billion defense export pipeline marks a decisive break from its historical role as a marginal arms exporter. If even partially realized, the shift would reposition Pakistan as a credible midtier defense supplier. That, in turn, would have implications far beyond the military domain, reshaping the country’s balance of payments, industrial base and […]

The post Pakistan aiming for a big bang military export boom appeared first on Asia Times.

The US Navy is betting that a new modular, multi-mission missile can stretch shrinking magazines and blunt China’s missile advantage in a Taiwan fight—but critics warn that unless it is cheap and mass-produced, versatility alone may not be enough to change the outcome. This month, Naval News reported that the US Navy is developing a […]

The post Can a do-it-all missile fix the US Navy’s China problem? appeared first on Asia Times.

The federal government has unveiled new details of its plan to create a A$1.2 billion (US$804 million) critical mineral reserve. Three minerals will initially be the focus: antimony, gallium and rare earths (a group of 17 different elements). The details came as Treasurer Jim Chalmers travelled to Washington this week to promote the new reserve […]

The post Australia’s new strategic reserve targets China’s rare earth grip appeared first on Asia Times.

China’s push to expand production of the J-35 stealth fighter reflects its drive to link industrial scale with a carrier-centric doctrine, thereby strengthening its position against Taiwan, narrowing the gap with US airpower and capturing high-end export markets. This month, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that China’s leading naval fighter manufacturer has signaled […]

The post China’s J-35 could be the key to winning a Taiwan war appeared first on Asia Times.

A US intervention in Iran appeared imminent this week. US and UK troops were pulled out of several bases around the Middle East, US military assets had been moved into position and the US president, Donald Trump, had reassured protesters on the streets of Iran that “help is on its way.” But then the US […]

The post As Trump stalls, Iran opposition shows lack of a clear leader appeared first on Asia Times.

Does the economy rate an A+++++, as President Donald Trump insists? Or does it deserve the C—– that much of the public has been giving it? Judging by consumer sentiment, it might even be a D—–. The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index ended the year sharply below its January peak. The University of Michigan’s index […]

The post The president and the public give the US economy different grades appeared first on Asia Times.

As armed federal agents roam the streets of American cities and amid threats to declare the Insurrection Act and use military force to quell protests in Minneapolis, President Donald Trump said once again that the next elections should be canceled because he expects his party to lose. “It’s some deep psychological thing, but when you win the presidency, you don’t win the midterms,” […]

The post Fearing midterm loss, Trump repeats call for canceling elections appeared first on Asia Times.

Two things could happen in Greenland in the future, assuming warming trends continue. The first is that sea passage through the frozen Arctic would open a much faster sea trade route to the Pacific. If the passage becomes viable, it changes Greenland from a backwater land mass into one of strategic importance. The US knows […]

The post Greenland is about climate change, strategy and rare earths appeared first on Asia Times.

Central bankers from around the world have issued a joint statement of support for US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, as he faces a criminal probe on top of mounting pressure from US President Donald Trump to resign early. It is very unusual for the world’s central bank governors to issue such a statement. But […]

The post Why global central bankers had to decry Trump’s Fed attacks appeared first on Asia Times.