Xiaolong (James) Wang
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The China-Thailand Crackdown on Myanmar’s Scam Hubs: A Long-Overdue Reckoning or Another Short-Lived Fix?
The sprawling networks of scam operations in Myanmar’s border regions, particularly in Shwe Kokko and Myawaddy, have long been an open secret. These illicit compounds, operated primarily by Chinese criminal syndicates, have trafficked tens of thousands of individuals, coercing them into fraudulent online schemes that have siphoned billions of dollars…
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The US Aid Freeze: A Strategic Blunder That Strengthens China’s Hand in Southeast Asia
On January 20th 2025, President Trump signed an executive order initiating a 90-day suspension of US foreign development assistance programs to reassess their alignment with American interests. This was soon after accompanied by the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the government agency responsible for foreign…


