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Lockheed-NioCorp Deal Highlights Growing American Push to Replace Chinese Critical Minerals

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Skunk Works X-59 Roll-Out

A preliminary scandium supply agreement between Lockheed Martin and NioCorp is indicative of a broader transformation underway in the U.S. defense industrial base. As Washington tightens restrictions on reliance on Chinese critical minerals, American defense and mining companies are going to have to accelerate efforts to build domestic and allied supply chains for materials essential … Read more

China Launches Fresh Coast Guard Patrol East of Taiwan, Raising Risk of a Maritime Crisis

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China Coast Guard Vessel near Luzon, Philippines.

China has launched a new coast guard patrol east of Taiwan, replacing an earlier task force whose activities heightened tensions with Taipei and drew criticism from several Western governments. The development could mark the beginning of a more dangerous phase in cross-strait tensions, with civilian shipping increasingly at risk of getting caught in maritime confrontations … Read more

Red Sea Shipping Faces Fresh Security Risks from Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen

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Explosions on Liberia-flagged, Greek-operated vessel Magic Seas in Red Sea

Fresh signs of a deteriorating security landscape in Yemen are raising concerns that commercial shipping through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait could once again come under threat. Although the Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi movement largely stayed out of the latest Iran-related conflict, recent political, military and tribal developments inside Yemen suggest the risk of … Read more

Unravelling Geopolitics Warned of This 16 Months Ago: China’s Coast Guard Targeted Commercial Shipping East of Taiwan in early June

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China Coast Guard vessels off Huangyan Dao in South China Sea on July 8th, 2024.

China’s recent attempt to exercise coast guard authority over foreign commercial shipping east of Taiwan has triggered international concern and prompted Taiwan to rehearse responses to a potential maritime blockade, highlighting Beijing’s evolving form of pressure campaign against the island nation. The episode began earlier this month when China dispatched its coast guard vessels to … Read more

China Detains 2 Japanese Nationals in Rare Earth Smuggling Case, Exposing Growing Geopolitical Risks for Japanese Businesses

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Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara

China’s detention of two Japanese nationals over alleged attempts to export restricted rare earth-related materials has added a new flashpoint to an already deteriorating relationship between Asia’s two largest economies, underscoring how critical mineral supply chains have become increasingly intertwined with national security, industrial policy and geopolitical competition. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said … Read more

Why Russia Should Be Worried About Britain’s £400,000 Missile Programme for Ukraine

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Britain’s effort to rapidly develop a new family of low-cost long-range strike missiles for Ukraine under its Project Brakestop should raise alarm bells in Moscow due to their potential to significantly alter the battlefield dynamics for the Russian armed forces operating in Ukraine. Launched in late 2024, the Project Brakestop of the British Ministry of … Read more

China’s Tungsten Squeeze Is Triggering a Global Scramble to Rebuild Critical Supply Chains for the Semiconductor Industry

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China’s tightening grip over tungsten exports has become the latest illustration of the geopolitical risks embedded within modern technology supply chains by underscoring a critical vulnerability across a supply chain that spans from Japanese chemical producers to the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturers. Tungsten rarely attracts public attention, but it is one of the world’s most … Read more

China’s ‘Law Enforcement’ Patrols Around Taiwan Seek to Quietly Change the Strategic Balance in the First Island Chain

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China’s latest maritime operations east of Taiwan, which Beijing linked to Japan-Philippines delimitation talks, when viewed alongside its more than two years of regular incursions in waters around Taiwan’s offshore islands, including Kinmen, Matsu and Pratas, point to a broader effort to expand its sustained military presence across strategically important waters of the first island … Read more

Russia’s Wartime Economic Boom Is Fading: Can Lower Interest Rates Revive the Economy?

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Russia’s economy is slowing after two years of strong wartime-driven growth, with weakening investment, softer demand and high borrowing costs weighing on activity. While business leaders and economists say lower interest rates could help revive demand and support a gradual recovery, deeper structural challenges, including sanctions, heavy defense spending, and demographic decline, remain significant long-term … Read more

South Korea’s Arctic Push Signals a New Era for Russia’s Northern Sea Route

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As instability in the Middle East prompts governments and businesses to seek alternative trade routes, South Korea is moving to develop Arctic shipping links through Russia’s Northern Sea Route (NSR). The push not only reflects Seoul’s growing Arctic ambitions but also underscores their potential to help Russia regain influence over trade flows between Asia and … Read more