Rob Schmitz is NPR's international correspondent based in Berlin, where he covers the human stories of a vast region reckoning with its past while it tries to guide the world toward a brighter future. From his base in the heart of Europe, Schmitz has covered Germany's levelheaded management of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of right-wing nationalist politics in Poland and creeping Chinese government influence inside the Czech Republic.
Jackie Northam is NPR's International Affairs Correspondent. She is a veteran journalist who has spent three decades reporting on conflict, geopolitics, and life across the globe - from the mountains of Afghanistan and the desert sands of Saudi Arabia, to the gritty prison camp at Guantanamo Bay and the pristine beauty of the Arctic.
China launched major military drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, simulating attacks and maritime blockades, in what Beijing called a warning after Taiwan's president labeled China a hostile foreign force.
When President Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on China during his first term, few countries benefitted like China's neighbor to the south, Vietnam. Its economy is now booming.
President Trump signed an executive order invoking war time powers to help boost production of critical minerals and rare earth elements. There is a global race for those materials, but the U.S. lags behind its main competitor, China.