TOPIC

/ people

Zhu Yongbiao

(朱永彪)

Zhu Yongbiao

朱永彪

The latest news and top stories on Zhu Yongbiao, the director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies and the Executive Director of the Research Center for the Belt and Road at Lanzhou University. His work involves extensive research on counter-terrorism and regional security, including China-Pakistan relations.

Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov (right) welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping to the capital Bishkek ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. Photo: AFP

SCO

What to expect as China’s Xi Jinping attends SCO summit in Bishkek

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s 25th anniversary summit expected to offer clues to China’s ambitions for a more multipolar Asia, analysts say.

31 Aug 2026 - 2:57PMvideocam

China-India relations

Before Xi’s India visit, China and India confirm 8 steps to ease border tensions

27 Aug 2026 - 12:31AMvideocam

China-Middle East relations

Where do China-Israel ties stand after closure of Chengdu consulate?

7 Aug 2026 - 10:27PMvideocam

Central Asia

China tests Central Asian land corridors to bypass maritime chokepoints

New Afghanistan link via Uzbekistan highlights diversification push, but critics ask if Taliban can ensure security for stable logistics.

25 Jul 2026 - 7:14AMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

US-Iran war: is Trump falling into a Vietnam ‘quagmire’?

Renewed strikes put Washington’s appetite for a prolonged war to a familiar historical test, analysts say.

16 Jul 2026 - 12:40AMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Why the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation isn’t Nato for Iran

Central Asian members in particular see bloc’s main value as preserving their sovereignty rather than enabling collective military action.

30 May 2026 - 8:08AMvideocam

Pakistan

Pakistani prime minister visits China amid ongoing Middle East peace drive

The two countries are also predicted to mark a significant diplomatic anniversary by further deepening their long-standing relationship.

24 May 2026 - 5:24PMvideocam

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is hoping to strengthen the country’s economic ties with China. Photo: AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

What the US-Iran ‘fight-talk’ dynamic means before their ceasefire ends

Meanwhile, China expresses ‘concern’ over America’s interception of Iranian-flagged cargo ship in Gulf of Oman.

20 Apr 2026 - 7:32PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Why the US-Iran ceasefire is seen as a failure for Donald Trump

As the two sides prepare to meet in person in Pakistan, analysts identify American leader’s miscalculations leading to weaker footing.

9 Apr 2026 - 12:59AMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

‘A whole civilisation will die tonight’: Donald Trump heightens Iran threats

Ahead of ‘complete demolition’ deadline, two sides face trust deficit and see no acceptable guarantor between them, analysts say.

7 Apr 2026 - 11:46PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump, alongside Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, speaks about the conflict in Iran at the White House in Washington on Sunday. Photo: AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

China, Pakistan launch five-point plan to ease Iran crisis, push ceasefire

Beijing backs Islamabad’s mediation push as both call for truce, Hormuz reopening and talks to restore regional stability.

1 Apr 2026 - 2:40AMvideocam

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar (left) meets his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on January 4. Dar is visiting China again this week – his second trip to the country in three months. Photo: Xinhua

US, Israel war on Iran

‘Severely damaged’: how the US-Israel war on Iran is decoupling Gulf security

As confidence in America’s defence guarantee erodes, Gulf states are now weighing a more multifaceted strategy, analysts say.

19 Mar 2026 - 10:00PMvideocam

Central Asia

Beyond a ‘buffer zone’: how the Iran war is recalibrating Central Asian ties

The former Soviet republics are leveraging diplomatic fallout from conflict to assert autonomy and balance major powers, observers say.

15 Mar 2026 - 2:00PMvideocam

Iran

Why China sees stability in hardliner Mojtaba Khamenei’s rise to lead Iran

Continuity over change seen in cleric whom analysts anticipate could double down on policies against the US and Israel.

13 Mar 2026 - 5:12AMvideocam

A man holds a portrait of Mojtaba Khamenei following his appointment as Iran’s supreme leader by the country’s Assembly of Experts. Photo: EPA

China-Russia relations

As Central Asia builds ‘smart cities’ with China, is it moving away from Russia?

Lack of Russian involvement in the mega-projects is seen as part of a broader structural shift as the region moves ‘closer to the world’.

11 Feb 2026 - 8:00PMvideocam

Alatau in Kazakhstan is among the new future city projects in Central Asia that aim to tackle population growth and ageing infrastructure. Photo: Handout

China-India relations

Could India’s twin trade agreements set back its improving ties with China?

Analysts expect the deals with Washington and Brussels to give New Delhi leverage with Beijing and may even slow the thaw.

6 Feb 2026 - 4:45PMvideocam

Pakistan

China urges calm as deadly Pakistan-Afghanistan border clashes risk spillover

Beijing ‘deeply concerned’ as renewed attacks may jeopardise Chinese personnel and projects in the region.

15 Oct 2025 - 5:13PMvideocam

US-China relations

Does Trump’s push for Afghan air base risk inflaming US-China rivalry?

US leader says he wants to regain control of Bagram Air Base because of its proximity to Chinese nuclear facilities in Xinjiang.

21 Sep 2025 - 10:00AMvideocam

Bagram Air Base is located less than 800km from Afghanistan’s border with China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Photo: AP

US-China relations

Could the US’ hard line on the BLA terror group make Chinese safer in Pakistan?

The counterterrorism cause in Pakistan could be a way for China and the United States to work together, observers say.

14 Aug 2025 - 6:20PMvideocam

China-Afghanistan relations

Old fears dog China-backed Afghan copper mine as work gains pace after 17 years

Taliban rulers value ‘demonstrative effect’ of project but have yet to make good on security or governance pledges, observer in China says.

6 Aug 2025 - 9:00AM

China-India relations

Will Dalai Lama succession row put China-India thaw at risk?

Tibet is a red line that cannot be crossed, one observer warns, while another says ‘young and weak’ thaw will survive reincarnation dispute.

13 Jul 2025 - 6:00PM

Children take part in a Tibetan circle dance around a portrait of the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday, in McLeod Ganj near Dharamsala, India, on Sunday. India has hosted the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamsala since 1959. Photo: AFP

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.

SUPPORT NOW