The impact of the Afghan Taliban on regional security is limited. But China may nevertheless want to consider economic means to encourage the stability and development in Central Asia, including construction of a highway from Kashgar to Kabul.

The controversial claims China has made in the South China Sea has made it difficult to be its neighbor - but Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte is willing to subvert his own administration to try and mend fences.

American troops are leaving, but the troubles brought by the war on terrorism in the country are far from over. U.S. President Joe Biden says the move is to shift resources to better compete with China. But if the U.S. fails to learn its lessons, it will surely pay a hefty price anew in the future.

Control of the seas is critical for maritime trade, and in the Indian Ocean, global currents have brought China, the U.S., and India together on a potential collision course.

America has failed, but the effect should be modest for China, which has taken reasonable steps to eradicate the roots of extremism at home and weakened external links. Its constructive role must continue.

India’s COVID crisis is a perfect case study in unlearned lessons, poor preparedness, and the continuing threat of the virus even as richer countries climb their way back to full function.

The concept is a foreign one, as China has always stressed the independence of all nation-states as they make their own decisions both domestically and regionally. Moreover, the United States will not be leaving the Middle East anytime soon.

In Afghanistan, the withdrawal of American troops is far easier said than done. Overlapping factors complicate the matter so se-verely that it may not be possible for the U.S. to achieve its goals in a few months. A quagmire will be left behind in any case, and who will be responsible for the human toll?

China has called for an immediate cease-fire and an end to violence to save the lives of innocent civilians on both sides. The ultimate solution, in China’s view, lies in a two-state solution. The Palestinians who live in the region are entitled to a state of their own, no less than Israelis.

As a former U.S. colony, the Philippines has maintained close ties with the United States on security issues for decades, and may quickly become a key player in Washington’s plans in the Indo-Pacific as China tests their claims across the South China Sea.