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To woo Asean, Russia needs to offer trade, not just arms Illustration: Craig Stephens
Editor’s note: The opinions in this article are the author’s, as published by our content partner, and do not represent the views of MSN or Microsoft.
Summing up the cold-blooded maxim of 19th-century Europe, a French officer declared, There is no judge more equitable than cannons. They go directly to the goal. Here in the 21st century, a resurgent Russia is following the same logic, using its state-of-the-art cannon and military technology to win over vital regions such as Southeast Asia.
Over the past decade, Russia has emerged as the leading supplier of armaments to the region, as Southeast Asian countries modernise their armed forces and diversify their strategic partnerships. More recently, the Eurasian power has also engaged in its own vaccine diplomacy , with President Vladimir Putin claiming Russia s Sputnik V vaccine is as reliable as an AK-47 rifle.
Russia-China bromance is going strong, but it s far from perfect
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As China moves towards net zero emissions, is the world ready for the economic impact?
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How girls in patriarchal China rose to outperform the boys in school Illustration: Craig Stephens
This year, the release of results for China s National Higher Education Entrance Examination, or gaokao, usually a season of fame and celebration for top students, seems rather quiet, especially after the education ministry warned against hype. But a video interview of a study goddess who scored 692 points out of a possible 750 has gone viral.
In it, she said she would like to study computer engineering at university and become a programmer. When told it was a male-dominated field, she dismissed the concern, retorting that no boy in her school did better than her in the gaokao.