Who said panda can eat bamboo to survive...?
China on Monday accused Washington of abusing tariffs and warned countries against striking a broader economic deal with the United States at its expense, ratcheting up its rhetoric in a spiralling trade war between the world's two biggest economies.

Beijing will firmly oppose any party striking a deal at China's expense and "will take countermeasures in a resolute and reciprocal manner," its Commerce Ministry said.

The ministry was responding to a Bloomberg report, citing sources familiar with the matter, that the Trump administration is preparing to pressure nations seeking tariff reductions or exemptions from the U.S. to curb trade with China, including imposing monetary sanctions.
President Donald Trump paused the sweeping tariffs he announced on dozens of countries on April 2 except those on China, singling out the world's second largest economy for the biggest levies.

Chinese manufacturers of goods from tableware to flooring are flagging profit warnings, scrambling to plan new overseas plants or accelerate offshore projects, while haggling with customers over prices as they reel from President Donald Trump's tariffs.

Trump introduced an additional 34% tariff on Chinese goods as part of steep levies imposed on most U.S. trade partners, bringing the total duties on China this year to 54% and sending global stock markets tumbling.

While some in China's corporate sector have put on a brave face and said the tariffs will have little impact on operations and margins, others have revealed through corporate filings emergency plans to curb losses.
Trump's blanket tariffs threaten to upend supply chains, and navigating the twists and turns of business negotiations and trade policy has become increasingly difficult. His world-wide tariffs strike Chinese exporters' two main strategies to blunt the impact of the trade war: moving some production abroad...

China placed export restrictions on rare earth elements on Friday as part of its sweeping response to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, squeezing supply to the West of minerals used to make weapons, electronics and a range of consumer goods.

China produces around 90% of the world's rare earths, a group of 17 elements used across the defense, electric vehicle, energy and electronics industries. The United States has only one rare earths mine and most of its supply comes from China.
The export curbs include not only mined minerals but permanent magnets and other finished products that will be difficult to replace, analysts said.

The move, which affects exports to all countries, not just the U.S., is the latest demonstration of China's ability to weaponize its dominance over the mining and processing of the critical minerals.
Seven categories of medium and heavy rare earths, including samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium-related items

Turkey scoped out at least three air bases in Syria where it could deploy forces as part of a planned joint defence pact before Israel hit the sites with air strikes this week.

The bombardment signals the risks of a deepening rift between two powerful regional militaries over Syria, where Islamist rebels have installed a new government.

The Israeli strikes on the three sites Turkey was assessing, including a heavy barrage came despite Ankara's efforts to reassure Washington that a deeper military presence in Syria was not intended to threaten Israel.
The Islamists replacing Assad have alarmed Israel, which is wary of an Islamist presence on its border and has lobbied the United States to curb Turkey's growing influence in the country.

Ankara, a longtime backer of opposition to Assad, is positioning to play a major role in the remade Syria, including with a possible joint defence pact that could see new Turkish bases in central Syria and use of Syria's airspace.

Ever since the U.S. government restricted sales of advanced AI and HPC processors to China, Chinese entities have used various loopholes to acquire Nvidia's GPUs. Smuggling GPUs from nearby countries to China was one of the easiest ways to get the desired processors, but it looks like it is not going to be that easy anymore: Singapore is cracking down on at least some smugglers, and now Malaysia is tightening oversight of its high-tech exports to China.

Malaysia is reportedly preparing stricter rules for its high-tech sector due to U.S. concerns that advanced processors are being funneled to China, violating American export laws. The United States has asked Malaysia to carefully follow the path of high-performance Nvidia processors entering the country. U.S. officials suspect that many of these chips are being routed to China, bypassing export limits meant to curb Chinese progress in AI and military capabilities. Malaysia formed a task force to tighten oversight.

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US tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China take effect, opening door to painful trade war.
President Donald Trump’s blanket 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada took effect on Tuesday, an extraordinary action aimed at bringing America’s top trading partners to heel. But it threatens to weaken the North American economy, including that of the United States, at a time of significant stress.

Trump also doubled the tariff on all Chinese imports to 20% from 10%. Those duties sit atop existing tariffs on hundreds of billions in Chinese goods.

“While President Trump gave both Canada and Mexico ample opportunity to curb the dangerous cartel activity and influx of lethal drugs flowing into our country, they have failed to adequately address the situation,”

The tariffs threaten to raise the prices Americans pay for a wide array of goods that are imported from the three nations, which collectively shipped $1.4 trillion worth of goods to the US last year.
China, Canada retaliate-
Beijing retaliated on Tuesday by announcing 15% tariffs on chicken, wheat, corn, and cotton imports from the US, according to a statement from the State Council Tariff Commission. Additionally, a 10% tariff on “sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products,” was also imposed, it said.
China’s Ministry of Commerce said it added 15 American companies, including drone maker Skydio, to its export control list, which would bar Chinese companies from exporting dual-use equipment to them.

Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, said “China will fight till the end” if the US “insists on waging a tariff war, trade war or any other kind of war.”

“I want to reiterate that the Chinese people have never feared evil or ghosts, nor have we ever bowed to hegemony or bullying. Pressure, coercion and threats are not the right ways to engage with China. Trying to exert maximum pressure on China is a miscalculation and a mistake,” he added.

China plans to issue guidance to encourage the use of open-source RISC-V chips nationwide for the first time, two sources briefed on the matter said, as Beijing accelerates efforts to curb the country's dependence on Western-owned technology.

The policy guidance on boosting the use of RISC-V chips could be released as soon as this month, although the final date could change, the sources said.

It is being drafted jointly by eight government bodies, including the Cyberspace Administration of China, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the China National Intellectual Property Administration, they added.
The sources declined to be named as the policy discussions were still under way. The four ministries did not respond to requests for comment.

RISC-V is a open-source technology that is used to design a range of less-sophisticated chips, from those in smartphones to CPUs for artificial intelligence servers.

It competes globally with proprietary and more commonly used chip architecture technology including x86, dominated by U.S. firms Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, and Arm, developed by SoftBank Group-owned Arm Holdings.

President Donald Trump on Saturday signed an order to impose stiff tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China, drawing swift retaliation and an undeniable sense of betrayal from the country's North American neighbors as a trade war erupted among the longtime allies.

The Republican president posted on social media that the tariffs were necessary “to protect Americans," pressing the three nations to do more to curb the manufacture and export of illicit fentanyl and for Canada and Mexico to reduce illegal immigration into the U.S.

The tariffs, if sustained, could cause inflation to significantly worsen, threatening the trust that many voters placed in Trump to lower the prices of groceries, gasoline, housing, autos and other goods as he promised. They also risked throwing the global economy and Trump’s political mandate into turmoil.

Trump declared an economic emergency in order to place duties of 10% on all imports from China and 25% on imports from Mexico and Canada.

Gangs in Haiti could overrun the capital, Port-au-Prince, leading to a complete breakdown of government authority without additional international support for the beleaguered national police, the United Nations chief warned.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a report to coincide with a Security Council meeting Wednesday on the deteriorating situation in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country that “time is of the essence.”

Further delays in providing the police with additional officers for the multinational force trying to curb gang violence or additional assistance “carry the risk of a catastrophic collapse of national security institutions,” he said.
“This could allow the gangs to overrun the entire metropolitan area, resulting in a complete breakdown of state authority and rendering international operations, including those to support communities in need, in the country untenable,” Guterres said.
“We must urgently do everything in our power to prevent such an outcome

Vietnam and Russia inked Tuesday an agreement to boost cooperation on nuclear energy during Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s two-day visit to Hanoi.
The Southeast Asian country has been trying to revive its nuclear energy plans — after it shelved building two nuclear power plants in 2016 due to ballooning costs and concerns around safety — hoping it will help it become energy-sufficient and reach its goal of curbing additional greenhouse emissions by 2050.

The agreement was signed between Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom and Vietnam’s state-owned power utility EVN.
Mishustin also held bilateral talks with his counterpart Pham Minh Chinh and met Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam and the chairman of Vietnam’s National Assembly Tran Thanh Man.
“Vietnam is an important partner of Russia in Southeast Asia," Mishustin said. “Today we plan to discuss with you a comprehensive plan for cooperation between Russia and Vietnam, which runs until 2030.”

Six European Union countries on Monday called on the European Commission to lower the $60 per barrel price cap put on Russian oil by G7 countries, arguing it would reduce Moscow's revenues to continue the war in Ukraine while not causing a market shock.
Price caps on Russian seaborne crude as well as refined petroleum products were set by G7 countries to curb Moscow's revenues from oil trade and in this way limit the country's ability to finance its invasion of Ukraine.

"Measures that target revenues from the export of oil are crucial since they reduce Russia's single most important income source," Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia said in a letter to the EU executive arm.
"We believe now is the time to further increase the impact of our sanctions by lowering the G7 oil price cap," it said.
G7 price cap was set at $60 per barrel of Russian crude and for petroleum products at a maximum of $100 per barrel of premium-to-crude products and $45 per barrel

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rolled out an economic plan aimed at curbing imports from China in an apparent nod to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his allegations that Mexico is a back door for Chinese goods entering the United States.
Sheinbaum also used her speech to defend the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade pact, only way to compete with China.

The moves come as trade tensions with the United States - Mexico's top trade partner - are heightened on tariff threats from Trump, who has accused Mexico of being a back door for Chinese goods to circumvent existing U.S. tariffs.
Mexico denies such accusations, but has since cracked down on contraband goods coming into the country from Asia and rolled out tariffs targeting e-commerce giants such as Shein and Temu.

"Our objective is to expand to the entire American Continent, which is the vision we want to have in order to be the region with the greatest potential and development in the world," Sheinbaum said.

China’s new trade war blow could be fatal for US’s ability to arm itself.
In the not so distant future, both China and the United States could be at war, triggering the most significant global crisis since World War Two.
Tensions between the two global superpowers have been steadily escalating, as Beijing prepares its military to capture Taiwan.

In response, Washington’s generals have been steeling themselves for a fight, devising new war-fighting strategies and building new military alliances.
While we’ve not yet reached the stage of a “hot war” just yet, the tech war is well and truly underway.

On Tuesday, China retaliated against US chip export curbs by banning shipments of materials critical to the production of weapons in the other direction.
Military hardware
Most commonly the materials are used to produce everyday items like solar panels, batteries and semiconductors.

Chinese companies should be wary of buying U.S. chips as they are "no longer safe" and buy locally instead, four of the country's top industry associations said on Tuesday in a rare coordinated response to Washington's curbs on Chinese chipmakers.

The two nations have targeted each other's economies in the last few days, escalating tensions even before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House in January. Trump has promised to impose heavy tariffs on imported Chinese goods, reviving a trade war from his first four-year term as president.

The industry association warnings came after the United States on Monday launched its third crackdown in three years on China's semiconductor industry, curbing exports to 140 companies, including chip equipment maker Naura Technology Group.
Their advice could affect U.S. chipmaking giants such as Nvidia, AMD, and Intel which, despite export controls, have managed to keep selling products in the Chinese market.

Chinese chip companies targeted by Washington with fresh export controls have vowed to speed up supply chain localisation and said they would be able to continue production thanks to recent efforts to build equipment stockpiles.

The latest curbs, the third U.S. crackdown on the Chinese sector in three years, focused on chipmaking equipment, software and high-bandwidth memory. They restrict exports to 140 companies, including chip equipment maker Naura Technology Group and ACM Research.

Empyrean, a maker of electronic design automation (EDA) tools also known as Beijing Huada Jiutian Technology, said its inclusion on the list would have little impact on operations.
"The company will seize the development opportunity to accelerate the localisation process of full-process EDA tools,"

Jiangsu Nata Opto-Electronic Material, which manufactures materials used in chipmaking, said it had stocked up and would also make domestic substitutions, but did not provide specifics.

The United States launched its third crackdown in three years on China's semiconductor industry, curbing exports to 140 companies including chip equipment maker Naura Technology Group

The effort to hobble Beijing's chipmaking ambitions also hits Chinese chip toolmakers Piotech and SiCarrier Technology with new export restrictions as part of the package which also takes aim at shipments of advanced memory chips and more chipmaking tools to China

The move is one of the Biden administration's last large-scale efforts to stymie China's ability to access and produce chips that can help advance artificial intelligence for military applications, or otherwise threaten U.S. national security
The package includes curbs on China-bound shipments of high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, critical for high-end applications like AI training; new curbs on 24 additional chipmaking tools and three software tools; and new export curbs on chipmaking equipment made in countries such as Singapore and Mal

The European Union is proposing to sanction several Chinese firms that it claims helped Russian companies develop attack drones that were deployed against Ukraine.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, is also looking into imposing restrictions on additional Russian oil tankers to curb Moscow’s ability to circumvent existing restrictive measures.
Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in Italy this week are set to pledge “appropriate measures” against China and other countries that are supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. The EU measures would require the backing of all 27 member states.

Chinese Spokeswoman Mao Ning denied the allegations and said that China was opposed to unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law.
“We have never provided any weapons and we have strictly controlled dual-use item, including the export of drones,” she said. “We will take necessary measures to uphold the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.”

Iran has taken a preparatory technical step towards curbing its production of highly enriched uranium, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said on Tuesday, several days after his talks in Iran.

According to Grossi's non-public report, which has been seen by dpa, Iran has increased its stockpile of uranium with a purity level of almost 60% - which is nearly suitable for nuclear weapons - by around 18 kilograms to approximately 182 kilograms in recent months.

However, Iran took steps over the weekend to ensure that the amount does not increase any further, the report said.

Grossi proposed this step in view of the current tensions in the region, a high-ranking diplomat said in Vienna.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that a component of Iran's nuclear programme was damaged in Israel's retaliatory strike against Iran in October.

As leaders of dozens of Arab and Islamic nations gather in the Saudi capital for a summit, there is widespread speculation about what a second Trump presidency will mean for the region.

In sharp contrast to the fears voiced in Europe about Donald Trump’s famous unpredictability, Gulf Arab countries tend to view him as a force for stability.

UAE business leader Khalaf al-Habtoor says: “In a Middle East where security is paramount, Trump’s focus on strengthening alliances and curbing extremist forces offers a way forward.”

Here in Saudi Arabia, Trump is viewed much more favourably than Joe Biden.
Trump chose Riyadh for his first overseas trip as President in 2017.

Through his son-in-law Jared Kushner, Trump enjoys warm relations with the de facto Saudi ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known by his initials, MBS. The crown prince has never forgiven or forgotten Biden saying that Saudi Arabia needed to be made a pariah for its attitude to human rights.

The EU does not want a trade war with Beijing but five years of talks have yielded no real progress, the bloc's ambassador to China said on Saturday, adding that concern was growing over Chinese market access for European medical devices.

Trade frictions between the bloc and China have intensified over the past year after the EU launched an investigation into Chinese-made imports of electric vehicles (EVs) that prompted Beijing to launch probes into Europe's pork and dairy industries and curb brandy imports.

New EU tariffs of up to 45.3% on Chinese EV imports came into effect.

On top of that, the EU launched a probe into China's public procurement of medical devices in April, which Beijing swiftly criticised at the time.
EU's Ambassador to China Jorge Toledo said "We have found out, that it's clear ... European companies, that have been producing medical devices in China for the last two decades, are being discriminated against their Chinese competitors in public procurement,

The head of Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday that states supplying weapons to Israel as it pursues conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon despite evidence of violations of international law are empowering belligerents elsewhere.

Tirana Hassan, HRW's said that countries like the United States, Germany and Britain could influence Israel's actions and should do so by ending arms sales.

"If there continues to be military support to the Israeli Defense Force and they know that these weapons are being used in the commission of war crimes, then that should be enough for weapons sales and transfers to stop,"

"At this stage, the parties that could have some sort of influence and curb the behavior of the warring parties, when it comes to Israel, it's the U.S, it's the UK, and it's Germany, and it's through weapons sales and transfers."

Israel says it takes care to avoid harming civilians and denies committing abuses and war crimes in the conflicts with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in L

A budding alliance between Russia and North Korea is handing Chinese President Xi Jinping another problem, as Beijing comes under growing international pressure to rein in two of its closest diplomatic partners.
The revelation last month that Kim Jong Un sent thousands of troops to Russia’s border sparked fears that Europe’s largest conflict since World War II was on the verge of escalating. The prospect of North Koreans fighting for Vladimir Putin also prompted calls for China to use its sway to intervene.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said American officials had urged Beijing to leverage its influence to “curb these activities” during “robust” talks. A senior South Korean official told reporters that the troop deployment didn’t align with China’s interests, adding that Seoul had asked officials in Beijing to play a responsible role in the conflict.
For Xi, it’s a diplomatic headache that comes at a perilous time.

The United States on Wednesday imposed curbs on hundreds of targets in fresh action against Russia, taking aim at sanctions circumvention in a signal that the U.S. is committed to countering evasion.

The action, taken by the U.S. Treasury and State departments, imposed sanctions on nearly 400 entities and individuals from over a dozen different countries, according to statements from the Treasury and State departments.

The action was the most concerted push so far against third country evasion, a State Department official told Reuters. It included sanctions on dozens of Chinese, Hong Kong and Indian companies, the most from those countries to be hit in one package so far, according to the official.

Also hit with sanctions were targets in Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Thailand, Malaysia, Switzerland and elsewhere.

Gambling poses a growing worldwide threat to public health, with its rapid expansion via mobile phones and the internet harming far more people than previously thought, a report warns.

Much stronger global regulatory controls are urgently needed to curb the impact of commercial gambling on global health and wellbeing.

About 450 million people have at least one behavioural symptom or have experienced a harmful personal, social or health consequence of gambling.

80 million people suffer from gambling disorder, a mental health condition identified by a pattern of repeated and continuous betting despite negative consequences on a person’s life.
Incredibly sophisticated marketing, ever-widening easy access to the internet and mobile phones are enabling the gambling industry to reach more people than ever before. These included adolescents and younger children who were routinely exposed to advertising of gambling products in ways that were unprecedented before the digital revolutio

China's anti-dumping measures against brandies imported from the European Union are "legitimate trade remedy measures", the commerce ministry said on Wednesday, a day after imposing the temporary curb.

French brands such as Hennessy and Remy Martin will face the strictures, adopted just days after the 27-nation bloc voted for tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs), sparking its biggest trade row with Beijing in a decade.

China's commerce ministry said preliminary findings of an investigation showed that dumping of brandy from the European Union threatened "substantial damage" to domestic industry.

On Wednesday the ministry said the EU's actions against Chinese EVs "seriously lack a factual and legal basis" and "clearly violate" World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
Trade tensions have surged since the European Commission said last week it would press ahead with tariffs on China-made EVs, even after Germany, the bloc's largest economy, rejected them.

China's meteoric rise as the world's powerhouse of electric vehicle production makes Western efforts to curb their exports a tough sell -- and means they could even stifle the fight against climate change, analysts warn.

The European Parliament is expected to vote Friday on whether to impose hefty tariffs on imported EVs from China -- part of a bid to protect its automotive industry from low-cost, subsidised competition.

And the United States has sought to stop a flood of cheap Chinese electric cars from flooding its markets, undercutting its own car giants and pricing out American workers

Western powers have long raised concerns about the risks of Chinese "overcapacity", fuelled by Beijing's vast industrial subsidies and waning consumption at home

"There is no way the EU and US can reach their climate goals within the timeframes they've originally articulated without the help of Chinese EVs," Tu Le

"They'll either need to reconcile their goals or allow some entry of Chi

China Warns Japan of Retaliation for Possible New Chip Curbs..
China has threatened severe economic retaliation against Japan if Tokyo further restricts sales and servicing of chipmaking equipment to Chinese firms, complicating US-led efforts to cut the world’s second-largest economy off from advanced technology.
Chinese officials have repeatedly outlined that position in recent meetings with their Japanese counterparts. One specific fear in Japan, Toyota Motor Corp. told officials in Tokyo, is that Beijing could react semiconductor controls by cutting Japan’s access to critical minerals that are essential for automotive production.

Toyota most important companies in Japan and is deeply involved in the country’s chip policy, partly reflected by the fact that it has invested in a new chip campus being built by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. in Kumamoto.
Tokyo Electron Ltd., the semiconductor gear-maker that would be principally affected by any new Japanese export control

Oil prices face pressure from slow China demand and inventory rise.
Analysts have lowered their 2024 oil price outlook due to weak fuel demand from leading importer China and rising inventory levels as Saudi Arabia and OPEC+ allies prepare to ease some output cuts from October, a Reuters poll found.

The poll of 37 analysts and economists surveyed by Reuters in the last two weeks forecast Brent crude would average $82.86 per barrel in 2024, a fourth straight cut in estimates, from $83.66 forecast in July.

The poll showed U.S. crude would average $78.82 this year, slightly lower than last month's estimate of $79.22.

"Despite heightened geopolitical tensions, oil prices have been trading below $90 per barrel so far this year, as weak crude intake from China and Europe has offset the bullish impact of still-curbed OPEC supplies," Florian Grunberger, senior analyst at data and analytics firm Kpler.

Geo-Political Issues:-
How do energy resources and energy dependency shape international relations?
By Hugo Keji

Energy resources and energy dependency play a crucial role in shaping international relations by influencing economic power, geopolitical strategies, alliances, and conflicts.

1. Economic Power and Influence
Resource Abundance as Leverage: Countries rich in energy resources, such as oil, natural gas, and coal, often wield significant economic and political influence. For example, major oil-producing countries like Saudi Arabia and Russia use their energy exports as tools of economic power, shaping global markets and influencing the policies of energy-importing nations.

Revenue and Development: Energy-exporting countries generate substantial revenue from resource sales, which can be invested in national development or used to exert influence abroad. However, this can also lead to over-reliance on energy exports, making these economies vulnerable to fluctuations in global energy prices.

2. Energy Dependency and Vulnerability
Import Dependence: Countries that rely heavily on imported energy are vulnerable to supply disruptions, price volatility, and geopolitical pressure from supplier nations. For example, Europe’s dependence on Russian gas has influenced its foreign policy, making it cautious in its dealings with Russia, especially during crises like the Ukraine conflict.

Diversification Strategies: To reduce dependency and vulnerability, countries often seek to diversify their energy sources, suppliers, and routes. This includes investing in renewable energy, securing alternative suppliers, and developing strategic reserves.

3. Geopolitical Alliances and Conflicts
Strategic Partnerships: Energy needs often drive the formation of alliances and partnerships. For instance, China's "Belt and Road Initiative" includes significant energy infrastructure projects, strengthening its ties with energy-rich countries in Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Resource Conflicts: Competition over energy resources can lead to conflicts. The South China Sea is a prime example, where overlapping territorial claims are driven by the desire to control potentially vast underwater oil and gas reserves.

4. Energy as a Foreign Policy Tool
Energy Sanctions: Countries may use energy as a tool of foreign policy, imposing sanctions or embargoes to exert pressure on other nations. For example, the United States has used sanctions on Iran’s oil exports to curb its nuclear program, significantly impacting Iran’s economy and international relations.

Supply Manipulation: Energy-rich nations can manipulate supply to achieve political objectives. Russia has occasionally reduced gas supplies to Europe to exert political pressure, highlighting the leverage that energy suppliers have over dependent countries.

5. Energy Transition and Global Competition
Renewable Energy and Technology Race: The global shift towards renewable energy is reshaping international relations, with countries competing to lead in green technologies. This transition is creating new alliances and rivalries, as nations like the U.S., China, and the EU vie for dominance in renewable energy markets and technological innovation.

Resource Control in Energy Transition: The move to renewable energy has also sparked competition for critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements, essential for batteries and other technologies. Countries rich in these resources, such as Australia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are becoming strategically important.

6. Energy Security and Military Strategy
Protecting Supply Lines: Energy security concerns often drive military strategies. The protection of oil shipping lanes, like the Strait of Hormuz, is a key strategic priority for countries dependent on Middle Eastern oil. Military presence in these regions is often justified by the need to ensure uninterrupted energy supplies.

Resource Wars: Historical and potential future conflicts over energy resources, termed "resource wars," can involve military intervention to secure access to vital energy supplies. Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, driven by oil disputes, is a notable example.

7. Regional Stability and Instability
Energy Wealth and Regional Influence: Energy-rich countries often play pivotal roles in regional politics, using their wealth to influence neighboring countries. Saudi Arabia, for example, uses its oil wealth to exert influence in the Middle East, funding allies and stabilizing markets during crises.

Resource Curse: The "resource curse" refers to the paradox where countries with abundant energy resources often experience economic instability, corruption, and conflict. This instability can spill over into international relations, as seen in regions like the Middle East and parts of Africa.

8. Climate Change and International Relations
Global Energy Transition: The global effort to combat climate change is influencing international relations, with countries negotiating how to transition away from fossil fuels. This transition is creating both cooperation and tension, as nations balance environmental goals with economic and energy security concerns.

Environmental Diplomacy: Energy-dependent economies are increasingly engaging in environmental diplomacy, negotiating carbon emissions reductions, and participating in international agreements like the Paris Agreement. These negotiations are shaping global power dynamics, particularly between developed and developing nations.

Energy resources and dependency are central to international relations, affecting everything from economic stability and geopolitical alliances to conflicts and environmental policies.
The control, distribution, and transition of energy resources continue to shape the strategies and interactions of nations, making energy a pivotal factor in global affairs.
As the world moves towards renewable energy, the landscape of international relations will likely evolve, introducing new dynamics and challenges.

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