Latest Stories
Forgotten Voices: The Uyghurs Facing Deportation From Thailand to China
The fate of these 48 men has become a litmus test for human rights in Southeast Asia, with far-reaching implications that extend beyond the borders of Thailand and China.
Japan Is Ready to Legalize ‘Active Cyber Defense’
The 2022 National Security Strategy called for an overhaul of Japan's cybersecurity posture. This might be the year the legislation finally gets over the finish line.
Vietnam: No Country for #MeToo
Government connections protect those implicated in sexual violence.
Why Politicians Are Urging Indians to Have More Children
Ethnic politics is driving politicians in India, which accounts for 18 percent of the global population, to call for stepping up the population growth rate.
Why Are Millions of People Flocking to India’s Prayagraj?
This year’s Maha Kumbh Mela is particularly significant. The alignment of stars and planets is said to be the same as when drops of celestial nectar fell on the earth.
What BRICS Membership Means For Indonesia’s Foreign Policy
President Prabowo Subianto's about-turn on membership of the economic grouping is about status rather than material gains.
Most Read
New Bill Asks US Congress to Revoke China’s Normal Trade Relations Status
The bill would “suspend normal trade relations” with China and increase tariffs on all Chinese exports to the United States to at least 35 percent.
2 Recent Moves by the Indian Army Trigger Hinduization Concerns
While some see the moves as reflecting India’s greater security concerns over China, army veterans say the secular foundations of the Indian Army are being undermined.
Should AI Convert to Islam?
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged programmers to infuse "Islamic" values into tech.
Magazine
Malaysia’s Turn in the ASEAN Hotseat
Malaysia’s year as ASEAN chair arrives at a pivotal moment to confront unprecedented challenges facing the bloc.
How COVID-19 Transformed China’s Domestic and International Trajectory
The pandemic left an indelible but mixed imprint on everything from patterns of socio-economic development to China’s state apparatus and foreign relations.
2025: What to Expect in the Asia-Pacific
Welcome to the new year, and to our annual primer on what to expect in the Asia-Pacific.
Meera Gopal on the Asia-Pacific at COP29
“All in all, vulnerable countries lamented that [COP29] was a lost opportunity for collective action and the outcome did not reflect a meaningful agreement on climate finance.”
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
For ‘TikTok Refugees,’ a More Censored Chinese App Won’t Be the Solution
Unlike TikTok, RedNote primarily operates in China. As a result, concerns over content censorship, data privacy, and CCP control are even greater.
Amid KMT-DPP Clash at Home, Taiwan’s Speaker Han Kuo-yu Attends Trump Inauguration
China’s Last-minute Preparations for Trump 2.0
How Taiwan Balances Cybersecurity With Human Rights in Resisting China
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
China-India Relations: The Thaw-Provoke-Repeat Cycle
Since the Cold War, relations have followed a pattern: a thaw, followed by a concoction or recycling of the boundary dispute.
Will Casualties in Ukraine Lead to Change in North Korea?
The US Pivot to Asia Depends on Peace in Ukraine
Beijing’s Targeting of Taiwan’s Undersea Cables Previews Cross-Strait Tensions Under a Trump Presidency
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
Why China’s Military Needs a New Communication Playbook
Chinese officials generally stick to rigidly scripted talking points. In a military context, a lack of real communication could prove fatal.
India’s New Space-Based Spy Network
New Zealand-Singapore Defense Relations in a Volatile World
Why France Is India’s Best Bet for Building Nuclear-Powered Submarines
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
What BRICS Membership Means For Indonesia’s Foreign Policy
President Prabowo Subianto's about-turn on membership of the economic grouping is about status rather than material gains.
Hundreds of Same-Sex Couples Wed as Thailand’s Marriage Equality Bill Comes Into Effect
Cambodian PM Says Government Not Behind Lim Kimya’s Assassination
Singapore PM Forms Electoral Boundaries Committee, Paving Way For Election
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
Why Politicians Are Urging Indians to Have More Children
Ethnic politics is driving politicians in India, which accounts for 18 percent of the global population, to call for stepping up the population growth rate.
Why Are Millions of People Flocking to India’s Prayagraj?
Why India’s Fence Along its Bangladesh Border Riles Dhaka
Will Recent US Sanctions on Russian Oil Trigger an Oil Crisis in India?
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
South Korean President Attends Impeachment Trial
Despite his refusal to appear for questioning in the CIO's investigation, Yoon Suk-yeol attended the impeachment trial held by the Constitutional Court on Tuesday.
Pro-Yoon Rioters Attack Courthouse After New Arrest Warrant Against the President
The Case for South Korea Prohibiting Anti-North Korean Leaflet Launches
South Koreans Separate Support on PPP and President Yoon
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
Japan Is Ready to Legalize ‘Active Cyber Defense’
The 2022 National Security Strategy called for an overhaul of Japan's cybersecurity posture. This might be the year the legislation finally gets over the finish line.
What Next for Japan’s Relations With China?
Trump 2.0 and Japanese Firms: Assault, Acclimation, and Adaptation
Can Ishiba Shigeru Fulfill His New Year’s Resolution?
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
Forgotten Voices: The Uyghurs Facing Deportation From Thailand to China
The fate of these 48 men has become a litmus test for human rights in Southeast Asia, with far-reaching implications that extend beyond the borders of Thailand and China.
Vietnam: No Country for #MeToo
Myanmar’s Resistance Must Be Transparent Regarding ICC Arrest Warrants
The Mauritius-UK Chagos Agreement Is a Good Deal for the US
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
Trump’s Russia Gambit Puts Central Asia on Notice
Given Trump’s past approaches, it’s entirely possible that the new U.S. president will demand that Central Asia’s governments “do more” with respect to Russia.
Receding Waters, Rising Challenges: Navigating the Caspian Sea’s Geopolitical Moment
The Shrinking Caspian Sea: An Environmental and Geopolitical Emergency
Kyrgyzstan’s Social Democrats Under Pressure
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
New Bill Asks US Congress to Revoke China’s Normal Trade Relations Status
The bill would “suspend normal trade relations” with China and increase tariffs on all Chinese exports to the United States to at least 35 percent.
With High-level Visits, India, US Look to Sustain Momentum Ahead of US Presidential Transition
How Jimmy Carter Stopped the Second Korean War
China Alleges Taiwan Is Paying Bribes for US Support
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
With Trump Back in the White House, the Age of Free Trade Could Be Coming to an End
China did very well in a rule-based trade system. But it’s far less clear how the country will sustain its surging exports in the more protectionist world envisioned by Trump.
Why Indonesia is Blocking Apple From Selling the iPhone 16
The Johor-Singapore SEZ: 1963 Reimagined?
The Return of Malaysia’s Government Investment Funds
Oceania
The South Pacific
Australia’s Population Has Grown, But Its House of Representatives Hasn’t
In the upcoming election, the Australian House of Representatives will be losing a seat – the result of a quirk in the constitution.
Erasing Taiwan: Implications of a Growing China-Solomon Islands Partnership
Christopher Luxon’s Important Trip to the UAE
Legislate First, Think Later: Déjà Vu in Australian Tech Lawmaking
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
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.