Fianna Fáil’s Malcolm Byrne fears surveillance of the largest protests since the 1989 massacre will lead to a similar brutal crackdown

China’s citizens tolerate restrictions on freedoms in exchange for a thriving economy and increased personal wealth. But with slowing growth and oppressive Covid rules, people are growing restless and Chinese president Xi Jinping may have to change course to secure his position

At the first ever presidential face-to-face meeting between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping at the G20 in Bali, it was clear that the gulf which divides them is far wider than the Taiwan Strait

The Chinese president is likely to be in power for another five years, possibly indefinitely. His record as paramount leader of an increasingly inward-looking regime does not bode well for China in dealing with the challenges it faces

The Sino-Russia relationship, with Russia the subservient partner, is united by the belief that a strong autocracy is a bulwark against a decadent democracy

The Russian president is starting to see his own oppressed citizens flee the country or oppose him, and his strongest potential ally begin to distance itself

The most important event could come in October when China’s 20th Party Congress decides on whether to give President Xi Jinping a third term as General Secretary