REALPOLiTiCS

North Korea Shows The Most Powerful Weapon in the World Just prior to the inauguration of elected-president Joe Biden, North Korea held a parade attended by its leader Kim Jung-un that reportedly Show cased a new submarine-launched ballistic missile it called the world's "Most powerful weapon". Photos released by state media showed SLBM was labelled Pukguksong-5, potentially marking an upgrade over the Pukguksong-4 that was unveiled at a larger military parade in October. though it is possible that the Pukguksong-4 will exceed the 1900-2000km estimated effective range of its predecessor while offering enhanced offensive capabilities, it is unlikely to pose the same massive leap in capabilities as the one between the pukguksong-3 and older Pukguksong-l.  the display comes just days after Kim said North Korea was pursuing sophisticated new armaments for the country's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs , including a nuclear powered submarine, tactical n...

 Iran's strategic importance for China World Economy: Following the introduction of a 25-year agreement between Iran and China, the publication of the Center for International and Strategic Studies examined the dimensions and consequences of this possible agreement. The analysis underscores Iran's strategic importance to China, saying that following the agreement, Tehran and Beijing could become strategic allies of each other. The agreement goes on to say that the agreement could be a prelude to China's challenge to the United States in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. The growing competition between the United States and China for trade and presence in the South China Sea is so widespread and multifaceted that it is sometimes easy to ignore China's changing behavior in other regions. In the last few weeks, a step has been taken that can really have a vital impact on such competition. On July 6, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced that his country ...

 The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment is a win for China, and a blow to transatlantic relations. On December 16, 2019, answering a question at an event in Brussels, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that it was unlikely that China could sign an investment agreement with the European Union, because China was a “developing economy.” Fast forward to December 30, 2020. China’s President Xi Jinping held a long-awaited video conference with European Union leaders including Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. After the video call, the European Union announced in a press statement, “The EU and China concluded in principle the negotiations for a Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI).” What happened? Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) into the EU has increased exponentially over the last few years, primarily directed to the strategic areas of infrastructure and high technology. According to European Commission data, cumulati...