India’s large tariff cuts for EV importers that plan to set up local production, recent financial commitments from Australia to its rare earths industry, Taiwan’s attempts to attract international students to fill labour shortages, the ongoing nuclear rollout plans of Southeast Asian countries, and a sharp increase to US home insurance rates due to intensifying extreme weather events.

Progress on Russia, Iran and India’s north-south trade corridor, Cambodia’s aim to draw Chinese investment for a canal on the Mekong River, a surge of investments in coal plants in India, recent large investments by European automakers in Brazil, and chip companies turning towards Malaysia to diversify from China.

The slew of chip manufacturing investments in India, EU automakers reducing the price of EVs to drive uptake and compete with China, Thailand and Cambodia’s negotiations on the joint development of a gas project in disputed fields, and India’s effort to build an indigenous arms industry.