In The News

British naval ships traversed the South China Sea to demonstrate support for freedom of navigation despite China’s claims to most of the major waterway. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, signed by China and the UK, gives countries control over 12 nautical miles from their coasts – foreign military and other ships have the right to traverse such waters as long as they do not “threaten ‘...

Chinese President Xi Jinping is prominent among world leaders because of the size and continued growth of the Chinese economy as well as the nation’s military presence, role in development, and regional interests. Writing for Foreign Affairs, Kevin Rudd describes Xi’s interests as seven concentric circles: His primary goal is keeping the Chinese Communist Party in power for the long term, making...

The Trump administration has suggested it may lift an export ban on ZTE phones, the fourth largest supplier of US smartphones, and impose alternative penalties for the now-struggling company. US “companies haven’t been able to ship parts to ZTE since the U.S. Commerce Department’s mid-April order barring sales of products to the Chinese company,” reports Dan Strumpf for the Wall Street Journal. “...