Author: HeraldStar

By Qaiser Nawab Chairman, Belt and Road Initiative for Sustainable Development (BRISD) The early hours of May 6–7, 2025, will remain etched in the minds of many in South Asia as a night of unnecessary suffering and avoidable escalation. As civilians in Muridke, Kotli, Muzaffarabad, and Bahawalpur slept, Indian fighter jets crossed the Line of Control, targeting what New Delhi claimed were “terrorist infrastructures.” Instead, what the world witnessed was the tragic bombing of civilian areas—including a mosque—resulting in the loss of innocent lives, including women and children. In what is trumpeted as an act of strength, India’s savage attack…

By Hadia Safeer Choudhry One month after U.S. President Donald Trump rolled out the mega tariff plan in a bid to make his country great again, hundreds of millions of households and companies this willful policy claimed to protect are groaning from the pain in the neck. According to SmartScout, a U.S.-based e-commerce analytics firm, 930 items on Amazon saw price hikes since April 9—the day a 109% tariff on Chinese imports took effect, later raised to 245%. The average increase was 29%, spanning categories such as clothing, jewelry, household items, electronics, and toys. Fearing a disruption in access to…

Shenzhen, China – [03 May 2025] — In a significant gesture of cultural diplomacy and appreciation, Mr. Qaiser Nawab, Chairman of the Belt and Road Initiative for Sustainable Development (BRISD), has appointed Mr. Wang Xiangrong, also known by his pen name Yilong, as an Honorary Member of the BRISD Silk Road Culture and Innovation Hub for Shenzhen. During his recent visit to Shenzhen, Chairman Nawab toured Mr. Wang’s art gallery and deeply appreciated his artistic contribution to sustainable development, rural revitalization, and the promotion of Silk Road heritage through his distinctive style of Philosophic Ink Painting. Speaking on the occasion,…

By Karter Linn In 1987, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) was founded on a largely untested model: producing chips for designers without their own fabs. Nearly four decades later, it has become the backbone of the global semiconductor industry, supplying most of the world’s cutting-edge chips and dominating 7nm-and-below foundry production, with advanced-node revenue making up 69% of its sales in 2024. Taiwan has leveraged this dominance as a strategic deterrent—the so-called “silicon shield.” But that may be changing. Boosted by the Biden administration’s CHIPS and Science Act and trade pressure from the Trump era, TSMC is shifting more and…

By Qaiser Nawab Global Peace Advocate | Chairman, Belt and Road Initiative for Sustainable Development (BRISD) In recent weeks, we have witnessed yet another dangerous escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan. In the immediate aftermath of a tragic terrorist incident in Pahalgam, New Delhi wasted no time in pointing fingers across the border, accusing Pakistan within moments—without any credible investigation, evidence, or even the passage of basic due process. This habitual blame game not only jeopardizes peace in the region but dangerously diverts global attention from India’s broader strategic objectives—particularly its disturbing intentions toward the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)…

China has advanced high-standard environmental protection in tandem with high-quality economic development in its drive to build a beautiful China. Facing complex challenges, these efforts have yielded encouraging progress in ecological and environmental governance, contributing to steady improvement in the country’s overall ecological and environmental quality.

By Qaiser Nawab With the right tools, partnerships, and community involvement, Balochistan’s mineral wealth can shift from being a source of conflict to a beacon of prosperity for all. Blessed with vast reserves of copper, gold, chromite, and rare earth minerals, Balochistan accounts for a third of Pakistan’s mining potential. Yet, many of its communities remain impoverished, their lives untouched by the region’s $3 billion annual contribution to the national mining GDP. Illegal extraction plagues resource-rich zones like Chagai and Khuzdar, where 60% of copper mining occurs through unauthorized channels (2024 data). This shadow economy fuels criminal networks, endangers workers—including…

According to China’s natural conditions, social and economic situation, and distribution of natural resources and major species under protection, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment divided the country into eight natural regions covering 35 priority areas for biodiversity conservation.

By Qaiser Nawab U.S. President Donald Trump announced on April 22 that the exorbitant tariffs imposed on Chinese goods would be “significantly reduced.” For a politician once obsessed with trade wars and economic brinkmanship, this volte-face is a candid concession that protectionist overreach has its limits. On the same day, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent echoed this sentiment, declaring the existing tariff regime on China “unsustainable.” These statements unmask a fundamental truth: Washington’s tariff war is floundering under the weight of its own contradictions. Let us not forget the numbers. According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, cumulative tariffs on some Chinese…

By Hadia Safeer Choudhry The Trump administration’s recent move to exempt smartphones, semiconductors, and other key electronic products from its reciprocal tariff plan signals not strategic brilliance but a desperate attempt to salvage economic stability amid internal discord and rising global defiance. Initially portrayed as a bold tactic to reinforce U.S. manufacturing and intimidate rivals, the policy is unraveling—exposing chaos within the administration and underestimating the world’s capacity to defend its own economic interests. This article explores two central dynamics of this unraveling: (1) the internal contradictions that have undermined the coherence of U.S. policy implementation, and (2) the growing…