Von Der Leyen says EU set to sign ‘mother of all deals’ with India on trade
The EU is India’s largest trading partner, ahead of the US and China
Asia
China bombards LinkedIn in ‘astounding’ effort to recruit US spies: experts
China is not recruiting its spies through meetings in dark alleys, nor by courtship over covert drinks. Rather, the intelligence agency and military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are using LinkedIn, the professional networking site, to send as …
China steps up pressure on European nations over engagement with Taiwan
An address by Taiwan’s vice-president at the European parliament late last year appears to have triggered a flurry of activity from Beijing, Arpan Rai reports
In a first, Turkey’s Desan expands with overseas shipyard in Malaysia
“Given the short timeframe in which this goal was achieved, it represents a significant success for Ankara and is poised to revolutionize its defense ties with these [Southeast Asian] nations,” defense analyst Ali Bakir told Breaking Defense.
‘Thousands have been killed. Why would I vote?’ Myanmar’s people despair over sham election and plea for Aung San Suu Kyi’s return
Opposition groups and the UN have called for the international community to boycott the results of elections held by the military junta. Maung Maung, Peter Popham and James C Reynolds report
Trump ‘hopes’ Xi doesn’t attack Taiwan after US raid on Venezuela
President dismisses suggestion his attack on South American adversary could set precedent for Beijing to move against Taiwan
Trump approves major sanctions bill that could threaten 500% tariff on India
Washington claims India’s import of discounted Russian crude is helping fund Moscow’s war effort
Could China be using the US strike on Venezuela as a playbook for Taiwan?
Analysts have warned China may have taken note of the precedent set by Trump’s ousting of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro
US threatens India with higher tariffs over Russian oil
US President Donald Trump has threatened India with a tariff hike if New Delhi continues to buy oil from Moscow.
World “undergoing a period of turbulence and change”: Chinese president
Chinese President Xi Jinping has stated that the world “is undergoing a period of turbulence and change” while noting that “unilateral and bullying actions are seriously impacting the international order,” according to state broadcaster CCTV.