🇮🇷🇦🇲 “In case of occupation of Sivnik Province of Armenia, the land connection between Iran and Europe and Iran and Russia will be practically destroyed.”

🇷🇺🇺🇸🇸🇾 Armed Russian jets have flown over a U.S. military garrison in Syria nearly every day in March, violating a four-year-old agreement between the U.S. and Russia and risking escalation, according to the U.S. general in charge of air operations in the region.

📎 NBC News

🇨🇳🌐 The China reopening effect that’s been highly anticipated — and at times, perhaps dangerously so — around the world is starting to emerge, the Bloomberg Trade Tracker shows.

📎 Bloomberg

🇨🇳🇺🇸 Xi Jinping’s meetings in Moscow with Vladimir Putin put the Biden administration in an uncomfortable position: on the sidelines as two adversaries discuss a proposal to end war in Ukraine.

📎 Bloomberg

🇨🇳🇷🇺 Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin vow to ‘significantly increase’ trade between China and Russia.

📎 SCMP

🌐🇨🇳 “Russia surpassed Saudi Arabia as China's largest oil supplier in 2022. But there may not be more room for growth given an apparent ceiling for suppliers at ~25% market share.

That's good news for Iran. A sharp rise in Malaysian + UAE imports points to a recovery in Iran's share.”

📎 @yarbatman

🇨🇳🇪🇺🇺🇸 Beijing’s openly articulated aim to distance Europe from the U.S. (and drive the U.S. in isolation) is well underway with the help of EU’s major economies, foremost that of Germany.

📎 Politico

🇨🇳🌐 “Beijing is working hard to create a perception of balance. But in doing so, it is playing primarily to a few audiences while ignoring the United States: Ukraine, Russia, the Global South, and, to a much lesser extent, Europe.”

📎 Carnegie Endowment

🇹🇼 Taiwan became an ‘ageing society’ in 1993, an ‘aged society’ in 2018 and will become a ‘super-aged’ society in 2025. Share of the population aged 65 plus increased from 2.5% in the 1950s to 17.56% in 2021 & is set to rise to 20% in just two years from now.

🧵 by Aaronal16 on Taiwanese Demographcis

🇲🇦🇺🇸 U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan calls for transferring the #Africom HQ from Germany to #Morocco

➡️Speech given in U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee

➡️Watch for deepening of #US-Military relations
while Biden admin attempts to balance with Algiers

📎 Michael Tanchum

🇲🇦🔋🚗 Move over China, Morocco's now in the fast lane to be an EV manufacturing hub - and it has the minerals to do it

"#Morocco’s green mobility revolution: The geo-economic factors driving its rise as an electric vehicle manufacturing hub"

📎 MEI

🇺🇸🇿🇲🇨🇩 The U.S.-Zambia-DRC memorandum of understanding to strengthen electric vehicle battery value chains will require support from the U.S. private sector and a competitive environment to succeed.

📎 CSIS

🇺🇸⛽️ “Rising energy costs and increasing grid-reliability concerns raise serious questions about maintaining a viable balance of energy security, sustainability, and affordability through the decarbonization process.”

📎 CSIS

🇱🇾🛢️ How Oil Traders Fueled & Funded the Demise of Gaddafi in the Libyan Civil War

How did a British commodity trader completely change the course of the Civil War in Libya and help usher in years of destabilization and endless bloodshed?

🧵 by Genco Capital

🇯🇵🇰🇷 Japan and South Korea reconciliation is hailed as being as important as the Quad, "if it lasts." Analysts say ensuring that any agreements made by President Yoon survive after he steps aside will be the focus of Japan.

📎 Nikkei Asia

🇯🇵🇰🇷 "Yoon also reportedly told Kishida he wanted a 'complete normalisation' of a 2016 military agreement called the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA)."

📎 Barrons

🇯🇵🇰🇷 South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol says he would restore Japan's fast-track trade status.

📎 Nikkei Asia

🇰🇷 “South Korea exports dropped -17.4%Yoy in first 20-day of March vs -2.3% in Feb. Daily shipments, which stripped out seasonality, dropped even worse at -23.1%. Chips plummeted -44.7% and shipment to China rather bad at -36.2%.”

📎 Trinh

🇯🇵🇮🇳 Kishida meets Modi in India, flags 'new plan' for Indo-Pacific.

📎 Nikkei Asia

🇯🇵🇮🇳 “Kishida, who is on a two-day trip to India, said he hopes to promote a vision of free and open Indo-Pacific, a Tokyo-led initiative for greater security and economic cooperation that is geared toward curbing Beijing’s growing assertiveness. It includes Japan’s assistance to emerging economies, support for maritime security, a provision of coast guard patrol boats and equipment and other infrastructure cooperation.”

📎 Reuters