China
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The Rise of Cheap, Chinese Humanoid Robots
The world of humanoid robotics is undergoing a remarkable transformation. Once confined to sci-fi stories and elite research labs, robots are now becoming affordable, mass-produced tools thanks to China’s rapid innovation. Powered by a “good enough, fast, and accessible” mindset, Chinese companies are challenging costly Western prototypes and opening new…
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The New Iron Curtains of AI: How US and Chinese Rulebooks Are Rewiring Power
AI policy has become industrial policy, export control, and alliance management at once. Since 2020, Washington and Beijing have converged on a blunt insight: whoever writes the rules for models, chips, and data flows sets the pecking order. Both are building regulatory perimeters that do more than “keep us safe.”…
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Coercion by the Kilogram: Rare Earths and the Next Phase of US–China Competition
On April 4, 2025, China’s Ministry of Commerce imposed new licensing requirements on exports of seven rare earth elements (REEs) and their associated products, including permanent magnets. While not an outright ban, this move adds regulatory friction to the global supply of critical materials such as samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium,…
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Outsourcing Gambling: The Rise of Chinese Digital Betting and Digital Crimes in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asian border states are experiencing a boom of Chinese-operated gambling syndicates. This proliferation of casinos and digital crimes parallels China’s ingenuine crackdown and criminalization of cross-border gambling. Both Chinese and Southeast Asian states play significant roles in propping up these syndicates, calling for attention and intervention of the international…
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China’s Semiconductor Investment Defies Economics—But Makes Perfect Strategic Sense
In 2024, China launched the third instalment of its National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, a $48 billion investment vehicle to turbocharge the nation’s semiconductor industry, even as it continues to lag behind industry leaders. The country has decided to double down on what appears to be an economically irrational…
Sino-Southeast Initiative 