Let’s Hear Them Out! Interview with Eva Meijer
According to Aristotle, human beings are the only political species. Aristotle, however, lived 23 centuries ago. And despite the influence of his thinking on Western culture, the moral, rational and...
Putin in China: the friendship is solid, but the pipeline remains on hold
The timing couldn’t have been better. Although Vladimir Putin’s visit to China had been planned for some time, the fact that it took place on May 20, just six days after Donald Trum...
Under the Same Sky
The first Chinese character I ever learnt to write was tiān 天, which means “sky” or “heaven”. Perhaps because it’s easy to remember. It is made up of the charac...
In India, circularity is an ancient tale reaching into the future
For anyone who has been there, it is obvious that the circular economy is in India's DNA. In the nation of Mahatma Gandhi, returnable empties are not a groundbreaking practice and reuse – ofte...
China's five-year plan sets lower growth targets and reduces climate ambitions
On 4 and 5 March, Beijing has begun the Two Sessions, or Lianghui (两会), the key event in the Chinese political calendar, eagerly awaited this year for the official unveiling of the 15th Five-Yea...
China, Iranian oil (and Venezuelan oil)
“The international community should make clear and unequivocal voice in opposing the regression of the world to the law of the jungle.” This was how Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi resp...
India embraces AI and joins the US's Pax Silica
A human-centred approach, worldwide cooperation, and wider access to artificial intelligence technologies. The AI Impact Summit 2026 – the fourth, held this year in New Delhi from 16 to 2...
China, a five-year plan for space
In a video released in November by the CGTN network, five taikonauts (from taikong: space in Chinese) are seen roasting chicken wings on board a space station. “This is the first time in ...
Attack on Venezuela: how did China react?
“It was a friendly meeting, reaffirming the strong bonds of friendship between China and Venezuela. In good and bad times!” The last words posted on Nicolas Maduro's social media profile...
Gen-Z, tariffs and elections: 2025 seen through Asia
While, contrary to popular belief, the famous Chinese anathema ‘May you live in interesting times’ is not Chinese at all, 2025 has certainly been a decidedly “interesting” ye...
The gender gap in STEM persists, but the transition needs female talent
That science is not a woman’s business is an old cliché, increasingly disproved nowadays by new strands of historiography that restore brilliant female researchers and inventors of the ...
Ecomondo: wooden packaging, sustainability is a joint journey
Of all the circular economy supply chains, wooden packaging is one of the most naturally suited to sustainability: wood is a biogenic material (i.e. a biomass that fixes carbon), biodegradable,...
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping: 100 minutes for a truce
“Amazing.” That's how Donald Trump, aboard Air Force One on his way back home from his Asian tour, defined the highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which took pl...
How Green Is the New Silk Road?
It was back in 2013 that Xi Jinping first announced his vision of an “economic belt along the Silk Road” during a visit to Kazakhstan. What later became known as the Belt and Road Initia...
China heads towards five-year plan for strategic resilience
The Fourth Plenum of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party has concluded in Beijing. For four days, from 20 to 23 October, the CCP leadership convened in what is traditionally a time ...
Towards a new WTO: China waives “special treatment”
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano The announcement almost went unnoticed, during a side meeting of the UN General Assembly in New Yo...
China leads the green ranking of Asian central banks
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano Some currencies are greener than others, and among the Asian ones, the Chinese yuan is currently t...
Animal Testing: A Still Necessary Evil?
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano Penicillin, insulin, HIV treatments, organ transplants and prosthetic surgeries, chemotherapy, vac...
China boosts investment in Europe, led by electric vehicles
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano China is close, wallet in hand. After seven years of steady contraction, Chinese investment in Eur...
CATL, all you need to know about the Chinese battery giant making its stock market debut
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano On 20 May, with a well-aimed strike on the giant bronze gong of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Chin...