Are online trends that get people to adopt customs and traditions from other countries appropriate, or is it appropriation? Two Labubu dolls discuss the China-maxxing trend. (Illustration by News Decoder) Approach a boba or bubble tea vendor in just about any city in...
When a nation provides international aid for medical supplies and doctors it can gain allies around the world. Refusing aid builds resentment. In Ethiopia, politician Shumete Gizaw hands over a box of medical supplies to Minister of Health Lia Tadesse, part of a...
Two of the world’s most powerful nations share a border. But do they share the same objectives? What happens if they don’t? Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China 20 May 2026....
With the eyes of the world focused on the Strait of Hormuz, what is happening between China and its neighbors is largely ignored. That’s a mistake. Analysts studying a map focus on Iran and ignore China. (Illustration by News Decoder) Southeast Asia plays an...
With the world’s attention on Ukraine, Venezuela and Gaza, China has been hovering around an island it wants back, badly. Taiwan reservists pose during a reserve military training in Ilan County, Taiwan, 2 December 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)...
Many people in the United States feel they can’t live without an iPhone. But its global components have put it is at the heart of an international trade battle. An iPhone box. (Photo credit Marcy Burstiner) This article was produced exclusively for News...
Interlocking economies have turned China and the United States into powerful frenemies. What happens when the illusion of friendship dissolves? A box of U.S. flag picks labeled “Made in China.” (Illustration by News Decoder) Editor’s note: U.S....
The renegade nation launched ballistic missiles into the sea and sent troops to Russia and rubbish to its southern neighbor. Can Kim Jong Un be controlled? North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and then-U.S. President and current President-elect Donald Trump prepare...
Vietnam has long had to dance between powerful allies and enemies. That’s left it poised to maneuver in the political chaos that now swirls around it. The Vietnam flag waves behind a screen of bamboo. (Illustration by News Decoder) This article was produced...
A selfie on the Olympic podium of competing ping pong players from North and South Korea reminds us of the ability of sports to bridge political divides. North Korea’s Ri Jong Sik, left, and Kim Kum, foreground left, with their bronze medals, China’s Wang...