In January 2026, the death of Renée Good, a mother of three in Minneapolis, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, and the subsequent fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, by federal agents, sparked outrage and protests within the US. Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu of Massachusetts Institute of Technology swiftly diagnosed the malady in a Project Syndicate piece. This could be “a turning point,” he declared. The killings represented “a key distinguishing feature of authoritarian governments” – the ability to deploy excessive force against opponents. The Trump…
Posts published in “Politics”
Few ideas in global finance generate as much anxiety as de-dollarization. To some Western observers, any attempt to reduce reliance on the US dollar is automatically framed as a political challenge to American power. Yet for much of the developing world, the conversation is far less ideological and far more practical. The push to diversify global payment systems and promote the use of local currencies is not about confrontation; it is a response to economic realities that many countries have lived with for decades. The dominance of the dollar has…
On a rainy Friday afternoon reminiscent of British drizzling weather, the Global Times reporters caught up with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was visiting Shanghai, at around 4:30 pm on Friday in the city’s iconic scenic spot, the Yuyuan Garden. Yuyuan Garden, a classical garden that ranks as one of the must-see attractions in Huangpu district, Shanghai, was among the major stops of Starmer’s Shanghai visit. Starmer arrived in Shanghai on Friday’s afternoon to continue his four-day trip to China and Shanghai is his second stop of the trip. …
Chinese President Xi Jinping and visiting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed on Thursday in Beijing that the two countries should develop a long-term, stable comprehensive strategic partnership, Xinhua News Agency reported. According to China Central Television, noting that the Year of the Horse is just around the corner, Xi said that he believes Starmer’s visit will be a success and the cooperation between the two countries will “Yi Ma Dang Xian,” which literally means “a horse charging ahead” or is commonly used to mean “taking the lead.” Xi said…
As news emerged that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer would lead a significant delegation to China, the narratives in Western media surrounding this potential visit have become both complex and divergent. Some outlets sensationalized the situation, claiming that “ignoring security threats, Starmer caves to China on mega-embassy,” while others argued that the prime minister “has to play it tough in China.” In contrast, there are voices emphasizing a pragmatic cooperation agenda, highlighting key initiatives such as the potential revival of a “golden era” business dialogue between the UK and China.…
Former US president Joe Biden joined two former US presidents – Barack Obama and Bill Clinton – in denouncing the law enforcement actions of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota where ICE agents shot and killed a second resident this month. “What has unfolded in Minneapolis this past month betrays our most basic values as Americans. We are not a nation that guns down our citizens in the street. We are not a nation that allows our citizens to be brutalized for exercising their constitutional rights. We are…
As we just entered a new year, I think Hong Kong now has a golden opportunity to think afresh and reinvent itself. Rather than regretting the events of the very difficult days in 2019-20, Hong Kong should embrace a very different and new kind of future, based on “one country, two systems.” I would like to make seven propositions concerning Hong Kong’s future. First, it must be based on deep integration with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). The dynamism of the Guangdong Province and its cities represents a…
Australia has joined a growing chorus of anger – from France, the UK and Denmark, among others – over comments by US President Donald Trump suggesting NATO allies had stayed ‘a little bit off the front lines’ during the war in Afghanistan. Trumps’s remarks before the weekend have drawn sharp rebukes from European partners and forced a partial retreat from the White House. The backlash was swift and wide-ranging, stretching from Paris to Canberra, and comes just as tensions over Greenland had begun to ease. For many US allies, the…
In response to a media inquiry about reports that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to visit China this week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday that in a turbulent and volatile world, China and the UK, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, will benefit the world and the two countries themselves by stepping up exchanges and cooperation. “On the visit you mentioned, information will be released in due course,” Guo said. Starmer will head to China and Japan late Tuesday, his spokesman confirmed,…
In his annual address to French ambassadors in January, French President Emmanuel Macron sharply criticized the US for “gradually turning away” from some of its allies and “breaking free from international rules,” and rejected what he described as a “new colonialism and new imperialism,” the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. Macron’s remarks have put the term “new imperialism,” or “neo‑imperialism,” squarely in the international spotlight, with many observers linking it to what some describe as a series of predatory actions by the current US administration. From the forcible seizure of Venezuelan…