China surpasses U.S. in leadership approval;
Xi calls for "new energy system" as Iran war rolls markets;
Taipei warns of tech poaching and military infiltration;
PLA surges naval presence near Taiwan;
Beijing signals partial rapprochement following KMT visit
A setback for Moscow in Budapest;
Moscow boosts Iranian strikes;
A budget blowout;
The Kremlin targets another rights group
China expands its nuclear weapons infrastructure;
With Beijing's help, U.S. indicts Shandong firms for fentanyl;
"Teapot" refineries buffer China from oil price spikes;
Beijing bans "bone ash apartments";
Afghanistan-Pakistan peace talks take place in Xinjiang
The Iran War has temporarily disrupted Caucasus-Central Asia connectivity. The United States must reassure the region that it still wishes to engage with its development.
Oil shipment refocuses attention on Russian spy hub;
Moscow's energy windfall illusion;
The Kremlin's hybrid war continues;
Russo-Iranian nuke ties hit by new war