Asian capitals from Seoul to Singapore, seen as neutral, have the chance to prove themselves capable of international-level choreography and complexity.
‘Russian radicalisation could paradoxically trigger an intensification of the China-US stand-off’, writes Irvin Studin.
Such an alliance could bring Moscow, Washington and Beijing under a common regulatory umbrella, and turn an imminent battlefield into a theatre of amity.
That’s just one of the disaster scenarios facing the world if the US, China and Russia can’t get along in the post-Covid-19 world.
The post-pandemic world will certainly be different, and Washington, Beijing and Moscow will play a leading role in shaping the new world order.
Russia is the world’s largest, most complex state to govern and it seldom acts for one sole purpose.
First up, after the arrest of Meng Wanzhou and counter-arrests in China, Justin Trudeau and Xi Jinping should meet and publicly confirm their commitment to ensuring zero political interference in the treatment of individual visitors.
The long-held strategy of sitting on the sidelines as Washington, Nato and Moscow clash is growing stale for Beijing, New Delhi, Tokyo and other Asian power centres.
The line between peace and a nuclear war in northeast Asia remains as thin as ever. The only (near) certainty is that North Korea will not make it through this century.
The US president’s unpredictability has pushed the peninsula to the brink of nuclear war, but it’s that same caprice that could save us all from Armageddon.
Ottawa has much to gain by forming closer ties to Beijing as China unveils its first Arctic Policy.