Petr Konovalov

On February 7, 2022, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, in a video message posted on Twitter, expressed support for Japan on the issue of ownership of the Southern Kuril Islands, stating that “the United States supports Japan on the issue of the Northern Territories and has recognized Japanese sovereignty…

China has been actively pushing the US out of its place as “world hegemon” for a number of years now. Through soft power – lucrative trade agreements, economic aid, generous loans and investments – the PRC gains partners and allies across the world. The scale of China’s “offensive” is such that the PRC is cooperating not only with each state bilaterally…

For many decades, the states of the European Union (EU) have been considered the sphere of the US influence. American troops occupied a considerable part of them during the Second World War, and after it ended, they never left. The military presence combined with the strongest economic dependence on the United States, in which these countries found…

Indonesia is the largest country in South East Asia (SEA), with a population of over 270 million. It is one of the leading states in the region, with considerable weight within ASEAN, and the world powers vying for influence in South East Asia are forced to pay a great deal of attention to Indonesia. The US and China, the two mighty superpowers and the world’s first…

Africa is a vast continent, rich in resources of every kind – in addition to its famous diamond mines and hydrocarbon deposits, it has 50% of the world’s gold reserves, and 90% of its reserves of platinum, cobalt, chrome and other minerals required by modern manufacturing industries. And the continent’s vast and largely very poor population represents a promising market and…

Russia and China are two powerful countries, and their relations are essential for the entire world. Despite some hiccups and incidents between the two powers that took place in the second half of the 20th century, Russia and China have been engaged in close and fruitful cooperation in various fields, including defense…

The global Sino-American confrontation that has unfolded in recent years affects all spheres of the world economy and all regions. China stubbornly squeezes the United States in every area, including its traditional sphere of influence in Latin America. At the moment, the United States is the leading trading partner of Latin American countries…

More than eight years ago, in September 2013, Chinese leader Xi Jinping announced the launch of China’s global transport initiative, One Belt One Road (OBOR). The project implies the unification of all major world transport routes into a single system and removing all economic and political barriers to the free circulation of goods…

As the year 2021 comes to a close, the global Sino-American conflict continues, which could radically change our attitude as to how we see the world today. Media reports on the current events do not often mention one of its important world players, the Republic of Korea (or South Korea). After all, most people associate this country…

Just as decades ago, coal remains a strategically important fuel for the world. Despite the constant talk of greenhouse gas emissions and the complete phase-out of coal, the disappearance of this fuel from the market would lead to the collapse of the global economy. It is quite natural that the world’s four major coal consumers, China, India, the USA, and Japan are among…

When the mass withdrawal of coal use in countries following green policies began, many experts predicted that this fuel would soon be forgotten entirely. Its extraction and exports would cease to be profitable for the countries implementing them. Even then, it seemed unlikely because “developed” countries such as all Western countries…

China is the world’s biggest coal consumer. About 50% of all coal burnt on our planet is burnt in China. Although China is also the world’s leading coal producer, it needs to be its main importer as well. Meanwhile China is worried by environmental issues. Chinese industry meets the needs not only of its own country, but also of all those countries that, first for the sake of cheap labor…