Free Republic

<p>As China faces a scenario of negative population growth, the government has started to force its citizens to marry early and have at least three children each. The administration has also begun rolling out various contests as bait, reported Geo Politica.</p>

leaked audio clip purportedly featuring the Chinese Communist Party's top brass discussing military plans for a Taiwan invasion has triggered a controversy online. According to Indian media, the 57-minute leaked clip is reportedly the first-ever recording of a Chinese military brass gathering. Expert analysis of the audio clip posted on the YouTube channel of Lude Media appears authentic, reported The Times Of India, a New Delhi-based news media. The viral audio clip was also shared by Jennifer Zeng, a China-born human rights activist, on her Twitter handle. Zeng also published the transcript on her website. International Business Times could not...

Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif was very content during a trip to Turkey on Friday. He said it was productive and smiled alongside his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. He said it was a “wonderful” trip where he spoke with his “brother Cavusoglu.” The trip signals the growing alliance that Turkey and Iran have in the region. Zarif said: “As before, constructive engagement on bilateral and regional issues. Ultimate aim: Apply Iran and Turkey’s experience of 400 years of peace to our region. Together, anything is possible.” Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took Russia’s side in a growing spat with...

The war in Ukraine is not only about the future of Ukraine. Both Russian and US leaders are making it increasingly clear that the brutal fight for territorial control inside the former Soviet republic is but part of a larger superpower struggle that will determine a new balance of power around the world. In Iowa to talk about strategies for containing the soaring price of gas, US President Joe Biden termed Russian leader Vladimir Putin a “dictator” who is committing “genocide.” This came a mere two weeks after Biden distressed many of his own staffers by going off-script to invoke...

Over the past ten years, China’s Communist Party (CCP) has strategically relied on its $4 trillion Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to boost its image and influence with at least 149 countries to date. But success has eluded its efforts, and the BRI strategy may be doomed as a result. Consider for example the CCP’s stalled attempts at pushing the BRI strategy across countries in Europe. Not anticipated were the barriers and delays created by sanctions imposed on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. Before the sanctions, China used Russia as a convenient transit point for the shipment of BRI...