Geopolitics & Policy
Geopolitics & Policy news — Wednesday 14 October 2026
31 stories from 6 sources, every one in English. Each links to its publisher.
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Can China’s coal industry ride to the rescue of a world in oil shock?
South China Morning Post Tech
Be warned. The global economy is likely to experience a recession next year. War across the Middle East is set to escalate, wrecking energy supplies for many years, even as the artificial intelligence (AI) bubble is ripe to burst. This…
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Musk suggests US government behind any slowdown in Ukraine’s Starshield
South China Morning Post Tech
Tech billionaire Elon Musk called on Wednesday for Volodymyr Zelensky to “go” as Ukraine’s leader, after insisting any disruption to the war-torn country’s use of his satellite communications system was the fault of the US government, not…
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US stocks drop to their worst day since July as inflation worsens
South China Morning Post Tech
US stocks dropped to their worst day since July on Wednesday, following the latest signal that inflation is getting worse. The S&P 500 sank 1.1 per cent for a fifth loss in the six days since setting its all-time high. The Dow Jones…
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China’s Next Frontier
CSET Georgetown
CSET’s Kathleen Curlee and Sam Bresnick shared their expert analysis in an op-ed published by Foreign Affairs . The article examines China’s rapidly expanding commercial space industry and military space capabilities, exploring how…
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Brewing in Japan: Price-Fixing Probes Test Consumer Confidence
The Japan Fair Trade Commission’s secretary general issued an unusual public warning against cartel-like activity amid rising prices.
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China’s Advance in the Bahamas
Beijing's presence in the Bahamas and its military implications for the U.S. are often overshadowed by discussion of Chinese activities elsewhere in the region.
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The Paradox of Victory: When Winning in Ukraine Raises the Nuclear Stakes
War on the Rocks
In 2022, Jeremy Shapiro warned in “We Are on a Path to Nuclear War” that the war between Russia and Ukraine was heading toward nuclear escalation. Four years into the war, we asked him to revisit that argument.Image: Vyacheslav Argenberg…
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Yemen government says it raised Houthis’ alleged use of Chinese tech with Beijing
South China Morning Post Tech
The Yemeni government has spoken with Beijing about the Houthis’ alleged attempts to utilise Chinese-made technology for weapons, a Yemeni minister said on Wednesday, as the two sides’ long-running civil war escalates. “The Chinese are…
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For Uyghurs in Central Asia, US Diplomacy Could Be a Lifeline
By pressing Central Asian governments to protect Uyghurs and resist Beijing’s coercion, Secretary Rubio can demonstrate that America’s moral leadership still matters.
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Sally Rooney books can’t be sold in UK amid Palestine Action ban, publisher says
South China Morning Post Tech
Irish author Sally Rooney can no longer sell her books in the UK because of her support for the activist group Palestine Action, her publisher Faber said on Wednesday. Rooney has previously expressed her support for the group, which was…
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The Trump-Xi Summit Exposed the Problems in China-US Crisis Management
Military communication channels become bargaining chips precisely when a crisis makes them indispensable.
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Gunnar Wiegand on Protecting Europe without Starting a Trade War
The Wire China
The former EU diplomat discusses Europe’s readiness to protect its industries, Germany’s tougher line on Beijing, and European unity on China. The post Gunnar Wiegand on Protecting Europe without Starting a Trade War appeared first on The…
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EU leaders to ‘urgently’ call for new trade weapons to tackle China shock
South China Morning Post Tech
Leaders of the EU’s 27 member states will instruct Brussels to “urgently” come up with new weapons to counter the imbalances they believe are caused by China’s economic policies, at a meeting in the Belgian capital on Thursday. The…
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Russia’s Arrest of a Japanese Journalist Deepens the Freeze in Japan-Russia Relations
The case of Hokkaido Shimbun correspondent Imai Yuki could chill reporting from Russia’s Far East and narrow the space for even limited diplomatic engagement.
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How Australia’s Gambling Lobby has Successfully Avoided Any Reform
Political donations, lobbying, and community influence help gambling companies block major policy reforms and protect huge profits.
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Ukrainian accused of Nord Stream pipeline sabotage goes on trial in Germany
South China Morning Post Tech
A lawyer for a Ukrainian accused of blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines supplying Russian gas to western Europe said on Wednesday that Moscow used the network to exert political and economic pressure, as the former military officer’s…
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The Uyghurs Who Fought in Syria’s Civil War
Insights from Emily Feng.
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In Confronting China, The West Needs Partners in Southeast Asia
A plan to confront Beijing without subsequent outreach toward Southeast Asian countries will sacrifice national imperatives for willing partners, and those are hard to come by.
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Trump says ‘massive’ oil, gas and mineral exploration to begin in Greenland
South China Morning Post Tech
US President Donald Trump said that “massive” oil, gas and mineral exploration is set to begin in “our new and beautiful Greenland”, though it was not clear what developments he was referring to on an island where resource extraction has…
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Can the China-US Detente Last?
Competition can generate incentives for restraint, and restraint can create opportunities for further competition.
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The Daily Roundup
The Wire China
October 14th, 2026 | Welcome to The Wire’s daily news roundup. Each day, our staff gathers the top China business, finance, and economics headlines from a selection of the world’s leading news organizations. The post The Daily Roundup…
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Workers of the World, Email Volkswagen
ChinaTalk
Yixuan is a freelance writer and a contributor to 欧洲新客 The Newcomers . She writes about Europe for Mandarin-speaking audiences, as well as labor rights and social movements in English. Read more
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IMF head urges US and rich nations to rein in deficits as global debt soars
South China Morning Post Tech
The head of the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday that the US and other wealthy nations needed to urgently tackle mounting global debt levels that were weighing heaviest on low-income countries and straining the global…
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The Mecca Pact and Pakistan’s Bid to Become Indispensable
War on the Rocks
For most of its history, Pakistan’s geopolitical value has risen and fallen with other countries’ emergencies. The Mecca Pact may be its most serious attempt yet to break that cycle. On Aug. 31, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey…
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The United Kingdom’s Military AI Ambitions Need Guardrails
War on the Rocks
Advancing military AI capability is a priority for the United Kingdom, and in recent weeks, the new government has doubled down on its ambitions for AI and defense via two major partnerships.On Aug. 24, 2026, on his first overseas trip as…
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Russian strikes kill 6 in Ukraine, knocking out power across Kyiv
South China Morning Post Tech
Ukraine on Wednesday accused Russia of wilfully flouting Donald Trump’s purported “energy ceasefire” and passing up an opportunity to ease hostilities, after a renewed wave of deadly strikes across the country that also hit vital power…
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Bangladesh’s First Dollar Bond Can Wait
The BNP government plans to issue sovereign bonds in December amid slow economic growth, fiscal strain, rising dollar bills, and a global downturn in the bond market.
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Global deforestation fell in 2025, but Congo Basin losses surged
South China Morning Post Tech
Deforestation slowed worldwide last year, but the improvement is unlikely to last as the situation deteriorates in Central Africa and an exceptionally strong El Nino weather pattern intensifies, a new study said on Wednesday. Seven million…
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Democracy Is Not Silence Between Elections
A vote gives a government the authority to rule. It does not give it the right to silence the people.
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Police in Germany seize robot after teen girl is allegedly groped
South China Morning Post Tech
German authorities opened an investigation into possible sexual harassment after a robot controlled by two young men touched the buttocks of a 16-year-old girl and made thrusting movements toward her, police said. Police in the western…
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Aramco facility hit as Houthis and Saudi coalition exchange attacks
South China Morning Post Tech
An administrative building belonging to Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco in the eastern city of Dhahran was attacked, causing a limited fire, the Energy Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday as fighting between…