Geopolitics

China

After Covid-19, Japan Recalibrates its Foreign Policy

Thursday, July 2, 2020

The diminished prestige of China and the US will prompt Japan to step up engagement with like-minded powers to reinforce stability and the existing rules-based order.

China

Why Did the Bloody Galwan Clash Take Place?

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

A repeat of the clash is inevitable if Delhi cannot shake off the specter of Nehru and reconsider its relations with Beijing, writes a Chinese South Asia expert

Koreas

The Eight Steps of North Korean Brinkmanship: Is This Time Different?

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Pyongyang’s increasing assertiveness makes the current confrontation more dangerous to regional and global stability than usual.

China

The China-India Confrontation in Ladakh: Three Explanations

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Beijing and Delhi will have to do much to repair trust, stabilize their border, and promote cooperation in the years ahead.

Asia Pacific

How Not to Respond to China

Thursday, June 18, 2020

As China pursues a more assertive foreign policy, other countries should push back whenever Beijing over-reaches, writes former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans

Asia Pacific

After the Nuclear Deal: China and Iran Tread Carefully

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Tehran and Beijing must tread carefully, given the numerous overlapping spheres of interest in a volatile area of the world, US pressure and the impact of Covid-19.

China

Resolving the China-US Competition and the Greater Global Challenge

Thursday, May 28, 2020

Any accelerated decoupling of the US and Chinese economies will have serious implications for their trading, technology and financial partners.

China

US-China Competition: It’s the Economy, Thucydides

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Graham Allison’s “Thucydides trap” is not a trigger for war, but only the pre-condition for hegemonic conflict.

China

Covid-19 and the Implementation of Xi Jinping’s Major-Power Diplomacy

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Tensions between China and the US have been exacerbated by the emergence of a more assertive China on the global stage and Xi Jinping’s pursuit of major-power diplomacy

Asia Pacific

Covid-19 and the Decade of Risk

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

A dangerous decade lies ahead for the global economy as well as for health and safety, and only a fundamental rethink about how nations can collaborate will be the cure.

Global

The Blame Game: Asia, Democracy and Covid-19

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Winning the battle against the coronavirus pandemic is not a case of democracy vs. dictatorship or “East vs. West”. What matters are trust, equality and competence.

ASEAN

Crossing the Rubicon: Duterte Moves to End the Philippine-US Alliance

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Behind Duterte's façade of triviality and pettiness is a concerted plan to shift the Philippines away from the US and closer to China.

Asia Pacific

Rethinking US Alliances and Partnerships as Insurance Contracts

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Alliances and partnerships with the US should be viewed as insurance contracts to hedge against the uncertainties of Beijing’s growing power and influence.

China

Russia, China and Central Asia: Cooperation over Competition

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Central Asia has become an important arena of collaboration for Russia and China, with Moscow focusing on the region's security and Beijing promoting trade and commerce

China

India’s China Conundrum

Thursday, January 23, 2020

India and China have been trying to break out of the cycle of diplomatic ups and downs, yet obstacles remain.

ASEAN

Asia 2020: Learn the Lessons of 2019

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Vasuki Shastry, Associate Asia Fellow of Chatham House in London, offers lessons from the past year and considers what they may portend at the beginning of a new decade.

ASEAN

Can New ASEAN Chair Vietnam Make Progress on the South China Sea?

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Vietnam’s taking the ASEAN chair in January 2020 offers a diplomatic opportunity, says Vietnam scholar Truong-Minh Vu.

China

The China-US Technological Competition and its Opportunity Costs

Thursday, December 12, 2019

The US-China trade dispute is much more than a battle over a US$420 billion deficit, what the tensions are really about is a race for “geo-technological” superiority.