Latest Stories
Challenges to China’s Growing Interests in Afghanistan
While Chinese investment is rising, particularly in the mining sector, the operations face both local pushback and logistical headaches.
No Aid, All Investments: The Future of Chinese Engagement in Kazakhstan
With U.S. aid diminished, it seems unlikely that China will fill the gap. Beijing favors investments in infrastructure over civil society.
US Private Equity Is Making Interesting Moves in the Indo-Pacific
Have recent acquisitions by major U.S. firms been made on the basis of commercial considerations, or is there a geopolitical motive at play?
US-China Competition in Southeast Asia Under the Second Trump Administration
Malaysia to Tighten Chip Controls After Pressure From US, Report Says
The Trump administration is investigating the illicit export of restricted Nvidia graphics processing units to China.
Vietnam Island Building in South China Sea Continuing At ‘Breakneck Pace’
The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative estimates that Hanoi has created 641 new acres of land in the disputed Spratly Islands since June.
Most Read
What’s Behind the Constitutional Court’s Delayed Verdict on Yoon Suk-yeol’s Impeachment?
The Constitutional Court is taking longer than expected to issue its ruling. South Koreans are divided over how to interpret the delay.
China Watches, Taiwan Learns: Ukraine’s War and the Indo-Pacific
Over the course of a year-long study, we analyzed the campaign in Ukraine, comparing it with Taiwan’s military strategies and defense posture. Here’s what we found.
Tensions Rising in the Philippines After Former President Duterte’s ICC Arrest
The ex-leader may finally face justice for his bloody “war on drugs”, but the country he leaves behind is increasingly divided.
Magazine
Pakistan Under Shehbaz Sharif: The State of the Nation
With domestic politics gravely polarized, security increasingly fragile, and the economy barely stable, there is little sign of an end to Pakistan’s chronic dysfunction.
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?”
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
China’s Impatient State Capital Impedes the Innovations It Aims to Promote
China envisions a system of patient capital where investors are committed to supporting hard tech companies through high-risk, high-reward R&D. So far, it has had limited success.
China’s New Economic Coercion Toolkit
Amid Panama Port Sale, China Demands Patriotism From Its Private Sector
China’s 2 Sessions: Slow Growth Collides With Tech Supremacy
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
Malaysia to Tighten Chip Controls After Pressure From US, Report Says
The Trump administration is investigating the illicit export of restricted Nvidia graphics processing units to China.
Collateral Damage: UN Sanctions on North Korea at Risk in Putin-Trump Dealings
The ‘Reverse Kissinger’ Strategy Is Based on Bad History
The AI Superpower Rivalry: A Zero-sum Game Between China and the United States?
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
Evolving Missile Technologies in India and Pakistan
New advances in missile technology risk undermining strategic stability in the region – and increasing the odds of conflict.
Navigating Uncertainty: Why Indonesia Needs a National Maritime Strategy
China’s Arms Imports Are Declining – But So Are Its Arms Exports
Japan to Pay First Visit to Cambodian Naval Base Funded by China
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
Vietnam Island Building in South China Sea Continuing At ‘Breakneck Pace’
The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative estimates that Hanoi has created 641 new acres of land in the disputed Spratly Islands since June.
French Diplomacy Lies Behind Delay in Cambodia Grenade Attack Trial
Myanmar Junta Chief to Attend Regional Summit in Bangkok: Report
Can Philippine President Marcos Survive the Wrath of the Dutertes?
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
Poster of India’s Yogi Adityanath in Pro-Monarchy Rally Triggers War of Words in Nepal
Adityanath, who is the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, which borders Nepal, is a prominent leader of the BJP.
Concept of ‘Greater Mizoram’ Gets a Shot in the Arm From Myanmar’s Spring Revolution
Breaking Decades of Silence, Sri Lanka Revisits the Batalanda Legacy
Erasing Aurangzeb to Marginalize Muslims: India’s ‘Grave’ Concern
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
Constitutional Court Overturns Impeachment of South Korean Prime Minister
Ahead of the ruling on the South Korean president’s impeachment, the Constitutional Court overturned the impeachment of Han Duck-soo.
What’s Behind the Constitutional Court’s Delayed Verdict on Yoon Suk-yeol’s Impeachment?
As Impeachment Verdict Nears, Yoon’s Public Support Remains Dismal
Ahead of South Korea’s Impeachment Verdict, Partisan Division Is Worsening
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
China’s ‘Malinformation’ Comes for Okinawa
China has been intensifying its information war against Japan's Achilles' heel – Okinawa.
Why Did Japan Cut Funding to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women?
Japan Appoints First Chief of New Joint Operations Command
At Fukushima Daiichi, Japan’s Unprecedented Nuclear Cleanup Continues
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
Pakistan’s War on Balochistan Has Reached a Point of No Return
The arrest of Dr. Mahrang Baloch, the leader of the peaceful Baloch protest movement, has set the entire province aflame.
Afghan Schools Reopen for Another Year Without Girls
What India Needs to do to Fix the Foundations of its WASH Sector
The Disappearance of Voice of America Is a Failure of American Values
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
No Aid, All Investments: The Future of Chinese Engagement in Kazakhstan
With U.S. aid diminished, it seems unlikely that China will fill the gap. Beijing favors investments in infrastructure over civil society.
In the Face of Oppression, Feminist Resistance in Kazakhstan Persists
Mongolia’s Central Asia Connection: Kazakhstan
Concern in Mongolia After Police Raid on Independent News Outlet
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
US Private Equity Is Making Interesting Moves in the Indo-Pacific
Have recent acquisitions by major U.S. firms been made on the basis of commercial considerations, or is there a geopolitical motive at play?
Betting on the Demise of Free Trade? Make Way for the New Players at the Table
Are Investors Pulling Out of Southeast Asia?
The Scandal at Indonesia’s State-Owned Energy Firm Pertamina, Explained
Oceania
The South Pacific
Risky Business: Bridging the Insurance Gap in Australia
Australians facing steep insurance premium hikes in a world of disasters are sharing a global problem. The solutions are out there, but they are complex.
In the Face of Disengagement and Distrust: Civics Education in Australia Is Critical
Half-truths and Lies: An Online Day in Australia
America or Europe? Why Trump’s Ukraine U-turn Is a Fork in the Road for New Zealand
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
Trump, Tariffs, and America’s Global Messaging
The Asia Geopolitics podcast discusses the latest developments in Washington and their implications for Asia policy.
Duterte in The Hague: The Philippines and the Geopolitics of International Law
Is the United States Relitigating Its Grand Strategy?
DeepSeek and the AI Competition
Photo Essays
Asia in Pictures
The Untold Stories of Peshawar’s Gemstone Market at Namak Mandi
Pakistan’s largest and most important gemstone and mineral market is deeply intertwined with the region’s borders, conflict, and undocumented economies.