TAIPEI -- A China backlash appears to be taking shape in the European Union, where this month the foreign affairs committee of parliament issued a report calling on the 27-nation bloc to begin preparing a bilateral investment agreement (BIA) with Taiwan.

The move came after the recent European Parliament session passed an amendment that calls for changing a trade office's name on the island to the European Union Office in Taiwan, a step that indicates the EU feels the need to "move away from [its] solely

Brahma Chellaney is a geostrategist and author of nine books, including "Asian Juggernaut: The Rise of China, India and Japan."

No sooner had the Taliban completed their lightning-quick conquest of Afghanistan than U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Washington was ready to work on "counterterrorism" with the same marauding Islamist force that has so much American blood on its hands.

No less shocking was the statement from the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley

TEHRAN -- Iran's delight at the U.S. military exit from Afghanistan has given way to dilemmas over how to handle the Taliban regime and the prospect of increased terrorist activity both in the central Asia country and Iraq.

Tehran also faces a struggle to protect trade and investment interests in Afghanistan, as rival powers including Pakistan, Turkey and Qatar offer help to the new rulers in Kabul to win regional influence. The conundrum that faces Washington's bitter enemies in Iran shows the complex and still evolving fallout of

TOKYO -- A Japanese flying car startup is eager to gain credibility with the public for its sci-fi-like mobility system by forging close ties with local governments and big companies in the western city of Osaka.

Tokyo-based SkyDrive, which is working on an electrically powered vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, signed an agreement last week with the Osaka municipal and prefectural governments to promote the industry.

SkyDrive hopes to use the 2025 Osaka World Expo to launch its mobility service, ferrying visitors

NEW DELHI -- As Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week heads to a Quad summit in the U.S., where COVID-19 vaccines are expected to top the agenda, India says it will resume exporting coronavirus jabs in the quarter starting next month thanks to a significant production jump.

India, the world's largest vaccine maker, suspended overseas shipments in April as it fought its second COVID wave. The nation intends to fully immunize its eligible adult population of over 940 million by the end of

HANOI -- As COVID-19 ravages Vietnam and foreign vaccines continue to be in short supply, the government is ramping up efforts to accelerate the development of domestic vaccines. But the debut of the first Vietnamese vaccine may be pushed back beyond this month as health authorities take extra care to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines.

The debut in September of Nanocovax, the front-runner COVID-19 vaccine project in Vietnam, has become uncertain after Vietnam's National Ethics Committee in Biomedical Research issued a

TOKYO -- Aluminum prices are hovering at a 13-year high as China, the world's biggest manufacturer of the base metal, reins in production to meet carbon emissions targets amid tight electricity supplies and high freight costs.

Aluminum was trading at around $2,827 a ton on the London Metal Exchange as of Tuesday, up 43% from the start of the year, after hitting a 13-year-high of $2,916 on Sept. 10.

BANGKOK -- Clashes between the Myanmar military and a growing resistance movement called the People's Defense Force have intensified following calls for open uprisings by the parallel government formed by ousted politicians and activists.

The PDF consists of militias that have been formed throughout Myanmar since May by citizens opposing military rule. The National Unity Government, launched by Myanmar's democratically elected leaders pushed out by the military in February, has limited direct control over these groups, which each make their own military decisions.

About 120 to 3

HONG KONG -- With $305 billion owed to banks, bondholders, trust companies, homebuyers, suppliers and contractors -- plus an unknown amount in off-balance sheet liabilities largely owed to retail investors -- who will collect first if China's Evergrande defaults?

This is the question in Beijing and the financial corridors of Hong Kong as the world's most indebted property developer teeters on the brink of collapse. When it comes to Chinese banks, the consensus is that they will have to take big