Global Affairs

China-US Confrontation at Shangri-La Dialogue: Escalating Rhetoric and Strategic Rivalry in the Asia-Pacific

Global Affairs

China-US Confrontation at Shangri-La Dialogue: Escalating Rhetoric and Strategic Rivalry in the Asia-Pacific

The 2025 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore became the stage for one of the most direct public confrontations between China and the United States in recent years, exposing the deepening fissures in their strategic competition. China’s defense ministry launched an unprecedented broadside against U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing

lock-1 By Michael Frick
Trilateral CPEC Expansion and China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement: Shaping Asia-Pacific’s Geoeconomic Landscape

Global Affairs

Trilateral CPEC Expansion and China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement: Shaping Asia-Pacific’s Geoeconomic Landscape

Introduction The Asia-Pacific region witnessed two landmark developments in the past 18 hours that are poised to reshape its geopolitical and economic trajectory. First, China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan reached a trilateral agreement to expand the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) northward into Afghanistan, integrating the war-torn nation into Beijing’s Belt

lock-1 By Michael Frick