Even in an extremely-unlikely scenario that it ends up in the opposition bloc again, the Move Forward Party will still have to tussle with political gravity. And future tests will…
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Even in an extremely-unlikely scenario that it ends up in the opposition bloc again, the Move Forward Party will still have to tussle with political gravity. And future tests will…
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The eight-party coalition’s bid to form Thailand’s next government is threatened by a dispute between its two leaders – Move Forward and Pheu Thai – over the House Speaker’s seat….
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Despite slowing inflation, the residential market in the first few months of 2023 has been sluggish, the real estate sector reports. Overall, the housing demand in Thailand has dropped and…
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Theerarat Samrejvanich is unique among Bangkok MPs who were elected on May 14 for one simple reason. She is the only successful candidate who did not run for the Move…
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Hours after Move Forward’s shocking election victory, Voice TV presenter Nattakorn Devakula said something that is politically sensible but democratically questionable. Pheu Thai, he suggested, should go ahead and be…
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If the debt crisis roiling Washington were eventually to send the United States crashing into recession, America’s economy would hardly sink alone. The repercussions of a first-ever default on the…
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Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat is on the road to becoming Thailand’s next prime minister after his three-year-old progressive party’s shock victory in last Sunday’s general election. The election…
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After every big earthquake, major aftershocks ensue. A Pheu Thai landslide would have made headlines, but unpredictability would not have been as prevalent. Move Forward’s wham-bam victory means a lot…
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For many Thais, the proposed new coalition government of parties from the opposition camp represents a “dream team” of liberal democrats. The six-party coalition, led by election-winner Move Forward, would…
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A combination of the Thaksin factor, appeal of a youthful image and repellence of old-style politics has contributed to one of the biggest surprises in modern Thai political history. Signs…
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The Pheu Thai Party is still widely tipped to win more seats than any other party, but signs are that their ambition of surpassing the 300-seat mark is unlikely to…
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When Thais go to the polls on Sunday, the challenge is how to help lay the groundwork for a system that can prevent the next election from being held under…
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There is a strong possibility that Prayut Chan-o-cha could see himself sidelined in the upcoming election, said a professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University, Dr. Siripan Nongsuan Sawasdee in…
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The region’s two economic giants’ recent steps on the road to recovery, in terms of their friendship and cooperation, come as welcome news for ASEAN members as their leaders gather…
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Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidate Paetongtarn Shinawatra gave birth to a baby boy on May 1st, a happy piece of news amidst the intense campaigning ahead of the long-awaited general election…
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It could be a Hail Mary pass in an increasingly unpredictable playing field. The scenario of imminent Thaksin Shinawatra homecoming, amplified by the man himself, can help Pheu Thai, but…
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Bangkok’s landmark “Robot Building” on Sathorn Road is under threat. The heritage building erected in 1987 is likely to see its internationally acclaimed design come to an end if its…
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Sararat Rangsiwuttaporn, the suspect in what looks certain to become one of the world’s most talked-about criminal cases, is entitled to full-scale legal defense. But there is no stopping of…
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Striking a right balance in its relationship with the US and China whose ongoing geopolitical rivalry is rattling the world will be a major policy challenge for Thailand’s new administration,…
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To different people, Bt10,000 is worth differently. In other words, one rural man can use it to buy a food stockpile that may last a year or even longer, while…
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Fighting in Sudan between forces loyal to two top generals has put that nation at risk of collapse and could have consequences far beyond its borders. Both sides have tens…
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While veteran TV personality Leena Jungjunja, aka “Leena Jung”, may see herself as a colorful figure, many others believe her famously provocative stunts have now gone too far. Just before…
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Gracing the cover of Vogue Magazine Philippines’ Beauty Issue is a 106-year-old lady from one of the hill tribes in the Northern Philippines. Creating quite a stir globally, the cover…
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Five years after stepping down as chief executive of budget carrier Nok Air, Patee Sarasin is making a comeback in Thailand’s aviation industry by launching his own carrier. Really Cool…
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French President Emmanuel Macron’s three-day visit to China turned out to be a game-changer in ways no one could have expected. Whatever he said during the meeting with Chinese President…
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Thailand expresses gratitude and respect for the older generation every year on April 13, National Elderly Day. Yet, every year the number of senior Thais in dire straits, struggling to…
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Songkran is an elephant and everyone can be one of the blind men fumbling around for its shape. Road accidents make it a nightmare festival for related authorities or rescue…
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Press freedom remains a challenge in Thailand, especially when it comes to political issues. According to the 2022 World Press Freedom Index, by Reporters Without Borders, Thailand’s press is considered…
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Pheu Thai and Move Forward, who once seemed perfect allies as Thailand’s two largest opposition parties, are now in a fierce fight to lure votes from the same voter base….
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The thin line between being a whistleblower and shrewd schemer is thinner in Thailand, which boasts one of the world’s biggest numbers of squealers, who exist largely in the political sphere….
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Chonsawat Asavahame’s untimely death last Friday (March 31) is expected to hit not only his family’s political empire in Samut Prakan but also the ruling party’s chances of sweeping MP…
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While the young Generation Z adults may not be the biggest group of voters yet, their keen interest in politics is set to have a super-sized influence on the outcome…
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Registration of constituency candidates nationwide on Monday (April 3) marks the official start of the May 14 general election, as candidates and their parties will now have to comply with…
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Four starving men trudge across a vast desert with just one piece of bread left. Sharing it and nobody will die first or immediately, but most likely they all will…
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The global financial markets are highly interconnected. When Thailand’s banking system suffered a collapse and the baht’s value plummeted in 1997, the contagion effect spread to other Asian countries. Similarly,…
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In a surprise move, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra last Friday (March 24) announced he was ready to return and serve his prison term in Thailand regardless of the May…
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While there are plans to develop and invest in the Thai province of Trat, alongside the Eastern Economic Corridor project, the province itself has never really felt a serious push….
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Today marks the 20th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, a conflict that is still having significant impacts on the current international order and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.In…
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The SEA Games, Southeast Asia’s regional “Olympics” held every two years, has earned a reputation as a gold-medal mine for its host nations. Since its birth in 1959, when the…
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Thailand is to hold a general election in under two months. While parliament is still officially in session, political parties began to campaign weeks ago, mostly offering populist policies ranging…
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Thailand’s justice system was forced to swing into damage control mode after a series of disclosures pointed to senior judges and police officers attempting to spare a senator prosecution for…
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“How did I know that I was pregnant? I knew it because I had missed my period but, then I was just a kid, I thought it was probably delayed….
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Multiverse teases, taunts, gives hope, darkens mood, sells books and inspires new-age movies. Cue quantum physics and screenplay writers can do just about anything, since the very fundamental concept of…
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General Prawit Wongsuwan, leader of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, has offered himself as the man to lead the country out of its two-decade political conflict. Prawit has floated the…
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Can Washington come to the rescue of the depositors of failed Silicon Valley Bank? Is it even politically possible? That was one of the growing questions in Washington Sunday as…
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For decades, an unknown number of Chinese nationals have been involved in illegal or “gray” businesses in Thailand but managed to stay clear of trouble with the law thanks mainly…
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Thailand’s famous forensic pathologist has been on a rollercoaster ride over the past few decades, and though Dr Porntip Rojanasunan is now bracing for a downhill plunge, she is confident…
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The marking of Women’s Day on March 8 in Thailand is considerably “political”. But it’s political “constructively”. Demands for free tampons at workplaces, extended pregnancy leave or legalised prostitution, whether…
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The latest statistics show an overall improvement in Thailand’s labor market, nearly returning to the pre-COVID level, but questions remain about the availability of well-paying jobs. Unemployment fell to 1.15…
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Paetongtarn Shinawatra has a big couple of months ahead of her. The 36-year-old looks set to become a prime ministerial candidate for the Pheu Thai Party, but she is also…
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Professional sports have long been a male-dominated arena. Both regionally and globally, this prevailing domination of the playing field by men disadvantages women and girls from media to participation. A…
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When a 17-year-old recently confessed to throwing the body of her eight-month-old son into a canal and reporting him missing, she exposed huge flaws in Thailand’s three major social systems….
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The Thai foodie community was recently in an uproar after a website published a listicle article in which “Kaeng Som” (sour curry) was named as among the world’s top 20…
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We have heard people expressing their frustration of being called ‘girls’ at work, along with many other workplace micro-aggressions related to race, age and gender in recent years. Meanwhile, in…
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Prawit Wongsuwan, Jatuporn Prompan and the unbendable Move Forward Party have all expressed sound reasons lately when it comes to the future course of Thai politics. The greatest influencer, though,…
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Despite Thailand gaining global recognition for its world-class medical and wellness facilities, lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, rising health expenditure, and the surge in the aging population are putting…
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“Thailand will be a full-fledged aging society this year, as citizens 60 years old and above will represent 20 per cent of the total population,” said Worawan Plikhamin, deputy secretary-general…
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Senator Upakit Pachariyangkun is back in the spotlight over his alleged links with a crony of Myanmar’s military ruler Min Aung Hlaing who was arrested in Thailand on drug charges…
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The ruling party appears to be reinventing the image of its leader, General Prawit Wongsuwan. His wardrobe has been updated with trendy clothes popular among fashion-conscious young celebrities half his…
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Sleepless nights and days have already begun for the Fire Hawk Team. February to May is the peak period for forest fires and that means no rest, no leisure, no…
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People express their individuality in many different ways, among them how they wear their hair. Some color their hair blond. Girls shave their heads. Boys grow their hair long. Some change…
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Despite Thailand’s increasing desperation to boost the quality of its education, authorities have decided that teacher trainees only need to be tested on one subject to get a license. This…
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Hackers working for online gambling platforms have hijacked the webpages of many Thai government agencies and turned them into portals for illegal gaming sites. Websites of state agencies under all…
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One year into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the West is convinced that, with more powerful arms support to Ukraine, the country will win the war. After all, the US and…
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More resounding than explosions in Ukraine are words uttered over the past few days by top politicians of the rival superpowers. The statements did not quite offer anything new that…
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Considering the time frame, it is not correct to assume that russia’s war against Ukraine started after 24, February 2022. In February last year, the world witnessed the escalation of…
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Teenagers who endure pregnancy without any support, especially from their school, are likely to have babies who grow up in poverty and eventually become young parents themselves. “Research shows the…
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A deep connection between Myanmar’s arms dealer Tun Min Latt and the Thai elite has triggered a political controversy in Thailand at a time when Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is…
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The concept of a national urban search and rescue (USAR) team set up for large-scale natural or man-made disasters is rather new in Thailand. The country’s only USAR team has…
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Thailand’s economic growth in the fourth quarter of last year has disappointed many people. Real gross domestic product (GDP), a broader measure of economic output, grew just 1.4 percent year on year,…
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It is common sense for politicians to campaign on a platform of tax cuts in the run-up to an election, as opposed to making a case for tax hikes, which…
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It seems like the right thing to do – a visit by Malaysia’s newly appointed facilitator for the peace process between the Thai Government and the rebel Barisan Revolusi Nasional…
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Bangkok has become a bigger target for political parties campaigning for the upcoming election as it now offers more MP seats. After redrawing of boundaries, the number of constituency seats…
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It’s the Pheu Thai Party who has done much of the talking in Parliament this week, but it’s Move Forward who stands to benefit the most. The biggest opposition camp,…
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“Do you have a boyfriend?” “When are you getting married?” “When will you come down off the ‘kaan’?” These are the most common sayings heard in daily conversation among Thais,…
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Resolving the logistics bottleneck at the Customs checkpoint in the South and increasing overall trade and investment were high on the agenda of Malaysia’s newly elected Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim when…
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Chuwit Kamolvisit has earned the reputation of an anti-corruption hero after repeatedly exposing police bribery and underground businesses linked to corrupt state officials. Once a self-declared “super pimp”, Chuwit has…
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Irritated by the fact that local history in Thailand’s Malay-speaking South embraces a very different version from that of the Thai State, the Fourth Army Area commander, Lt. General Santi…
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For a change, heavy equipment and machinery are being mobilised from all parts of the world to one destination to save lives, not destroy them; religious and political differences were…
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As the general election approaches, rival political parties have unveiled their policy pledges designed to lure voters. Parties usually make promises that could make an immediate impact, without taking into…
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If you think hard work won’t kill you, think again. The story of a senior employee of a television news channel in Thailand, who suddenly died at his desk, recently…
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“If the Mekong were a human, she would be half-dead, because everything has completely changed,” said Niwat Roykaew, a Goldman Environmental Prize recipient who has been leading the movement for…
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After the dramatic Cabinet shake-up over the past several weeks, Vietnam has been quick to restore confidence in its external relations with allies and friends, near and far. It is…
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The latest statement by hardline politician Piyabutr Saengkanokkul provides the clearest evidence that one of Thailand’s newest political parties, which thrives on unorthodoxy and drastic reforms that border on extremism,…
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Museums and cultural institutions bring learning to life, enabling members of the public to get close to history and culture. They are able not just to educate adults, but also…
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Despite the ambitious goal of freeing Thailand from HIV/Aids by 2030, the authorities have suddenly rationed the distribution of so-called before and after pills that keep infection at bay. “If…
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Right behind San Sebastian Basilica, one of Manila’s most revered churches, a high-rise condominium is under construction, triggering a conflict between developers and conservationists. The unsavoury development also threatens to…
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Newly appointed facilitator for the Patani peace talks, Gen. Zulkifli Zainal Abidin, will arrived in Thailand on February 1stfor a two-day visit to introduce himself to Deputy Prime Minister Prawit…
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With a general election just around the corner, political parties are now competing to woo voters via the popular welfare card scheme. Academics, however, warn that this scheme has already…
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At the very beginning, it must be stressed that Thailand and Türkiye share a common national identity – neither has ever been colonised by the Western powers. They are also…
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Former deputy prime minister Yongyuth Wichaidit is back in the media spotlight after celebrity lawyer Sittra Biabungkerd exposed a sex scandal he said involved a former deputy premier in Yingluck…
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Former red-shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan has shocked political observers by launching stinging criticisms of his former party Pheu Thai and its patriarch, Thaksin Shinawatra. Jatuporn demanded that the core opposition…
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The Pheu Thai Party has decided to spar with Jatuporn Prompan only, but did it really have the choice of going toe to toe with him in full scale? The…
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The Cabinet recently approved a framework for government spending in fiscal year 2024 with planned expenditure of 3.35 trillion baht, up 5.18 percent from the current fiscal year. The spending is equal…
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It may be that the Thai negotiators sitting across the table from the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) see them as easy pickings, but this low-hanging fruit – the Cessation of…
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Education Minister Treenuch Thienthong has scrapped her ministry’s rule on student hairstyles – a rule that youngsters have long complained about. However, her decision has been panned instead of praised…
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Thailand’s lenient stance as well as the close ties between its armed forces and the Myanmar military — also known as Tatmadaw — would undermine the efforts of ASEAN and…
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Many were surprised to see master powerbroker Thammanat Prompow kneeling on stage to present a garland to Palang Pracharath leader General Prawit Wongsuwan, in a symbolic apology and show of…
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Along with reducing pressure of raising a child, innovative policies such as allowing freezing of eggs and attracting workers from other countries should be considered if Asian countries want to…
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The recent meeting in Zurich between US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He sent a positive signal that the world’s two superpowers are on the path…
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