Latest Stories
Shifting Tides in Phnom Penh
Cambodia is seeking to rebalance its foreign relations by pursuing improved relations with the United States. How far will its relationship with China allow it to go?
How the US Can Make Myanmar a Foreign Policy Success Story
Supporting the country’s pro-democracy movement is both a moral imperative and a strategic necessity for Washington.
US, Japan Issue Travel Alerts for Thailand After Uyghur Deportation
The two governments have warned their nationals about possible retaliatory attacks, citing the Erawan Shrine bombing in 2015.
Myanmar Junta Chief to Meet with Vladimir Putin on Russia Trip
Facing Western sanctions and opprobrium, Naypyidaw and Moscow have strengthened their cooperation in both the economic and security spheres.
Making Sense of China’s Latest Naval Exercises in the Asia-Pacific
In less than a week, China initiated a series of naval drills in the South Pacific, Gulf of Tonkin, and off Taiwan’s southwest coast.
The 2 Koreas Share Experience in Foreign Wars
Sending soldiers to fight in the Vietnam War fundamentally transformed South Korea's economy. The deployment of North Korean soldiers to the Russian-Ukraine War will likely do the same.
Most Read
A Shot Across the Bow: China Signals New Era of Sea Power in the Southwest Pacific
The live-fire exercises were a demonstration of China’s growing sea power in Australia and New Zealand’s immediate periphery – and meant to normalize the PLA presence there.
How Did Asian Countries Vote in the 2025 UN Resolution Condemning Russia’s Ukraine Invasion?
The U.S. was a notable flip-flop, for the first time siding with Russia in voting against such a resolution. Were there any notable changes in Asia-Pacific voting?
China’s AI Breakthrough Signals a New Era of Tech Innovation
China’s major tech companies are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the shift to real-world applications for AI.
Magazine
To Russia With Waning Love: Changing Migration Dynamics in Central Asia
Russia and Central Asia have been mutually shaped by decades of labor migration, but these long-running ties have begun to fray.
The New Age of Global Trade: Aggressive Neo-Mercantilism
International trade, with the U.S. and China at the forefront, is undergoing a paradigmatic shift away from free trade and toward an aggressive form of neo-mercantilism.
Misun Woo on Women’s Rights in the Asia-Pacific
“We need to ask why there hasn’t been much change to advance women’s human rights and end injustice?”
The New Red Scare: When Fear Becomes a Political Weapon
More than seven decades later, the legacies of the Red Scare have resurfaced in the United States – this time targeting China.
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
Making Sense of China’s Latest Naval Exercises in the Asia-Pacific
In less than a week, China initiated a series of naval drills in the South Pacific, Gulf of Tonkin, and off Taiwan’s southwest coast.
Conversations With Chinese Feminists
China Revises PLA Regulations to Focus on ‘Conscious Discipline’
China’s Take on IMEC
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
Budget Cuts, Insufficient Implementation, and Weak Enforcement Are Undermining Taiwan’s Cyber Defenses
The question is no longer if Taiwan will be targeted, but whether it will be ready when the next cyberattack hits.
Is There an Axis of Autocracy?
China Coast Guard Vessels Regularly Enter Territorial Waters of Disputed East China Sea Islands
The Unnoticed Beneficiary of the Mauritius-UK Chagos Island Deal? India.
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
The 2 Koreas Share Experience in Foreign Wars
Sending soldiers to fight in the Vietnam War fundamentally transformed South Korea's economy. The deployment of North Korean soldiers to the Russian-Ukraine War will likely do the same.
Could US Defense Cuts Affect Timor-Leste?
China’s 6th-Generation Fighter: Potential Game Changer for Air Superiority in Asia?
Trump Wants Nuclear Arms Control Talks With China and Russia. Here’s Where to Start.
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
Shifting Tides in Phnom Penh
Cambodia is seeking to rebalance its foreign relations by pursuing improved relations with the United States. How far will its relationship with China allow it to go?
US, Japan Issue Travel Alerts for Thailand After Uyghur Deportation
Myanmar Junta Chief to Meet with Vladimir Putin on Russia Trip
Thailand Secretly Surrenders At Least 40 Uyghur Asylum Seekers to China
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
Beyond Terrorism: A Brief History of SAARC’s Failures
Long before the Uri attack doomed the regional grouping, SAARC was plagued by distrust and a lack of consensus.
Growing Trans-Atlantic Rift on Russia Complicates EU Outreach to India
Bandit Rule: Pakistan’s Burning Domestic Security Issue
India Could Put Chabahar on Slow Burner as IMEC Gathers Pace
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
The Future of South Korea’s Nuclear Exports: The Czech Deal in Focus
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power's successful bid will see South Korea break into Europe's nuclear energy market for the first time.
Constitutional Court Closes Impeachment Hearings for South Korea’s President
South Korea’s Foreign Minister Holds 1st Meeting With US Secretary of State Rubio
Who Are the Potential Candidates to be South Korea’s Next President?
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
Japan’s #MeToo Movement Takes Center Stage With Controversial ‘Black Box Diaries’ Documentary
Japan’s #MeToo icon Ito Shiori faces backlash from her former legal team in Japan, which has delayed the premiere of her feature length documentary investigating her sexual assault.
Will Expo 2025 in Osaka Be a Success?
Tokyo’s Shining, Segregated Future
Caught in the Shockwave: Japan-US Relations Under Trump
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
How the US Can Make Myanmar a Foreign Policy Success Story
Supporting the country’s pro-democracy movement is both a moral imperative and a strategic necessity for Washington.
How Australia Can Reinforce Its Commitment to International Humanitarian Law
Funding Freedom in China: Time for Private Donors to Step Up
What’s Missing From Australia’s Gender Equality Strategy?
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
Trump’s ‘Maximum Pressure’ on Iran Complicates Central Asian Export Routes
Changing U.S. policies present both risks and opportunities for countries like Uzbekistan, which have looked to Iran to connect them to global markets via the sea.
Tokayev’s ‘New Kazakhstan’: Rebranding the Old Guard?
Expanding Mongolia’s Partnership With Japan and South Korea
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan Finalize Border Agreement
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
Indo-Pacific Allies May Rethink US Intelligence Sharing After Gabbard, Patel Appointments
Faced with mounting doubts over Washington’s reliability, U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific may start charting their own course.
Japan and South Korea in the Age of ‘America First’
Trump Can Reverse a Biden Foreign Policy Mistake
What Elon Musk’s Deep Ties to China Mean for Trump’s Foreign Policy
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
Sri Lanka’s 2025 Budget: Balancing IMF Commitments and Domestic Priorities
The 2025 budget – the first under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake – reveals a delicate balancing act between adhering to IMF mandates and addressing domestic economic realities.
Indonesia, Apple Agree Terms For Lifting iPhone Sales Ban: Report
Why Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad Is Going Private
DeepSeek Reflects Both the Success and Failure of US Tech Containment Against China
Oceania
The South Pacific
‘Dark Ads’ Challenge Truth and Democracy in Australia
Political inaction and big tech’s reluctance to protect users leave Australians vulnerable to a murky world of digital misinformation going into the election.
Can ‘Digital Tuvalu’ Survive a Cyberattack?
Australia’s Intelligence Chief Expects More Communal Violence in a Worsening Security Environment
New Zealand’s Kiribati Aid Review Further Opens Door for Chinese Influence
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
Is the United States Relitigating Its Grand Strategy?
What can be gleaned from the first month of the second Trump administration about the U.S. approach to world affairs?
DeepSeek and the AI Competition
Trump 2.0 in America: Geopolitical Ripples Across Asia and the World
The Biden Administration’s Asia Legacy
Photo Essays
Asia in Pictures
In Photos: Rohingya Refugees’ Trial by Fire
Deadly fires in the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar have become a terrifyingly regular occurrence.