Latest Stories
COP29 Failed the ‘Third Pole’: Wither Tibet in the Climate Agenda?
The U.N. process shows little appetite for addressing the urgent climate crisis on the Tibetan Plateau – in part due to China’s apathy.
With Indonesia’s XL Axiata-Smartfren Merger, Telecom Consolidation Marches on
Amid both financial and geopolitical pressures, there has been a trend toward increased consolidation in Southeast Asia’s telecom industry.
Emerging Russian Firm Takes Place of Sanctioned Lender in Central Asia
Russia’s substitution of VEB.RF with an under-the-radar firm is helping the country and its neighbors find a way around Western sanctions.
Can There Be a Settlement on the Korean Peninsula Without an End to the War in Ukraine?
A changed political situation in South Korea and the U.S. could represent an opportunity for an opening gambit. But any progress toward an agreement is contingent on the outcome of the Ukraine war.
In the UK, Labor’s China Audit Is Fast Becoming a Post-Mortem
The trajectory of the new government’s China policy could be set well before the foreign secretary’s much vaunted audit sees the light of day.
China’s Real Estate Crisis: Why the Younger Generation Is Not Buying Houses Anymore
Between skyrocketing home prices, the housing market debt default crisis, and a shifting culture, China’s younger generation is facing a vastly different housing market than their parents.
Most Read
Drones, Desperation, and Displacement: Rohingya Flee Violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State
Amid a growing humanitarian crisis, the personal accounts of two Rohingya women illuminate the profound struggles faced by those escaping the turmoil in Rakhine.
US Needs to Accept the Reality of India-Russia Relations
Constraining India’s foreign policy choices will be seen as disregard for its sovereignty and provoke ire.
China’s Amphibious Warfare: History, Doctrine, and Forces
Part one of a two-part series detailing China’s amphibious warfare and the implications for Taiwan.
Magazine
Governing From Weakness: The LDP Under Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru
Ishiba is in a far weaker political position than his immediate predecessors – and has far more international volatility to contend with.
Traveling Through Myanmar’s War-Ravaged Arakan
In the region of Myanmar now held by the Arakan Army, the impacts of war and decades of economic neglect are easily visible.
Is the Indian Ocean Ready for Another Mega-Tsunami?
The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami sparked the world’s largest humanitarian and disaster recovery effort. But 20 years on, governments still fail to sufficiently integrate disaster reduction into longer-term strategic thinking.
Kelly Grieco on Indo-Pacific Reactions to Trump’s Reelection
“The Trump administration can have a tough-on-China policy, or it can have a tough-on-allies policy, but it probably cannot have both.”
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
China’s Real Estate Crisis: Why the Younger Generation Is Not Buying Houses Anymore
Between skyrocketing home prices, the housing market debt default crisis, and a shifting culture, China’s younger generation is facing a vastly different housing market than their parents.
Rivers of Influence: How Droughts and Chinese Investment Shape Ecuador’s Energy Crisis
Syria Is Not One of China’s Strategic Priorities
What COVID-19 Revealed About China and Its Role in the World
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
Can There Be a Settlement on the Korean Peninsula Without an End to the War in Ukraine?
A changed political situation in South Korea and the U.S. could represent an opportunity for an opening gambit. But any progress toward an agreement is contingent on the outcome of the Ukraine war.
International Maritime Law and the Taiwan Strait
Minilaterals as Norm Entrepreneurs: The Case of the Quad
Left on Read: America’s Taiwan Warning Crisis
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
Yoon Suk-yeol’s Downfall Should Spark Introspection on the US Approach to South Korea
Moving away from the quest for military primacy would provide a more stable basis for the South Korea-U.S. alliance – one not reliant on having conservatives in government in Seoul.
Japan’s MHI Launches 10th Mogami-Class Multirole Frigate for JMSDF
Beyond Firepower: Rethinking Indonesia’s Surface Vessel Acquisition Priorities
PLA Maneuvers Near Taiwan in December: Misperceptions and Strategic Realities
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
Thai Activist Sentenced to Additional Prison Time For Defaming Monarchy
Arnon Nampa has now been sentenced to more than 18 years imprisonment in six lese-majeste cases.
Thailand Hosts ‘Informal Consultation’ on Myanmar Conflict
Who’s Afraid of a ‘Cambodia Spring’?
Philippine Congressional Committee Recommends Filing of Criminal Charges Against Duterte
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
COP29 Failed the ‘Third Pole’: Wither Tibet in the Climate Agenda?
The U.N. process shows little appetite for addressing the urgent climate crisis on the Tibetan Plateau – in part due to China’s apathy.
India’s Pathways to a Just Energy Transition
US Unveils Sanctions on Pakistan Ballistic Missile Program
Is the Haqqani Network Parting Ways With the Taliban Regime?
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
South Korea’s Yoon Impedes Constitutional Court’s Impeachment Trial
Despite his vow not to avoid legal and political responsibility, President Yoon has repeatedly refused to receive documents from the Constitutional Court that are related to his impeachment trial.
Political Polarization, Factionalism, and Military Influence: A Cautionary Tale from South Korea’s Recent Turmoil
In Defiant Address, Yoon Denies Treason Charges, Vows to Fight on
The Economic Costs of Delaying the Impeachment of South Korean President Yoon
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
Japan-South Korea Relations Under Trump
After a meltdown in South Korea, what becomes of a thorny relationship?
Why Japan Is Worried After the Impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol
For Japan, Whaling Is Intertwined With Maritime Sovereignty
Yoon’s Martial Law Declaration Puts Japan-South Korea Relations in Jeopardy
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
In the UK, Labor’s China Audit Is Fast Becoming a Post-Mortem
The trajectory of the new government’s China policy could be set well before the foreign secretary’s much vaunted audit sees the light of day.
Busan Was a Major Political Win on Plastic Pollution, Even If Not a Procedural One
Rubio’s Nomination Could Be the Change Cambodia’s Democracy Needs
Why Indonesia Needs To Reform Its Oil and Gas Exploration Landscape
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
Emerging Russian Firm Takes Place of Sanctioned Lender in Central Asia
Russia’s substitution of VEB.RF with an under-the-radar firm is helping the country and its neighbors find a way around Western sanctions.
Uzbekistan Moves to Protect Rights of Uzbek Citizens in Russia
In Kyrgyzstan, Matraimov Wriggles Free Again With a Fine
With Prime Minister’s Visit, Mongolia Boosts Third Neighbor Ties With the Middle East
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
How Will Trump’s National Security Team Shape His China Policy?
Trump’s second administration includes representatives of all three foreign policy camps in the Republican Party. What does that mean for China policy?
Will Trump Reopen Back-Channel Diplomacy with North Korea?
Could US-North Korea Talks Resume Under Trump?
What Will Donald Trump’s Priorities Be in the Asia-Pacific?
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
With Indonesia’s XL Axiata-Smartfren Merger, Telecom Consolidation Marches on
Amid both financial and geopolitical pressures, there has been a trend toward increased consolidation in Southeast Asia’s telecom industry.
The Good, the Bad, and the Uncertain of Australia’s Economic Outlook
UK Officially Joins Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement
The Importance of the EU-Philippines Trade Deal
Oceania
The South Pacific
Solomon Islands’ Mega Coral Points the Way to Save Our Reefs
The world must dramatically curb the emission of the greenhouse gases that drive global warming. But protecting the right 30 percent of our ocean will buy us time.
China Is Learning to Be a Better Aid Partner in the Pacific. The West Can Too.
The Nauru-Australia Security Treaty: Win-Win or Trouble Ahead?
Getting Australian Cities Back to Health
Videos
Asia on Video
What’s Driving Taiwan’s Mass Protests?
Chiang Min-yen, a non-resident fellow at the Taiwan Economic Democracy Union, joins The Diplomat to discuss the concerns over the bill, the China factor, and what comes next.
What’s Behind Vietnam’s Political Upheaval?
The Danger of China’s Digital Silk Road
What Will China’s Shift From Oil Mean for Saudi Arabia and Russia?
Podcasts
Asia Geopolitics
South Korea’s Martial Law Crisis: Geopolitical Implications and Beyond
What does 2025 portend for South Korea's politics and foreign relations?
Central Asian Militaries and Asian Geopolitics
America First, Again: US-China Relations and the Second Trump Administration
America First, Again: Asian Geopolitics and the Second Trump Administration
Photo Essays
Asia in Pictures
Life in Ladakh Along the Disputed Sino-Indian Border
For Changpa women in Chushul, the 2020 clashes came during a larger societal shift in gender roles.