Latest Stories
Why the Port of Darwin’s Chinese Leaseholder May Welcome an Australian Buyout
As Landbridge faces serious solvency issues in China, the most pressing risk threatening the port is a financial one.
Inequalities of Caste and Contract in Sewage Work in Delhi
Rising contractual employment in sanitation work draws upon and reproduces historical inequalities of caste and class in urban India.
Greenland Eyes China Amid Denmark-US Tensions – But Chinese Investors Won’t Rush In
China’s companies appear to have lost interest even before the United States began pushing back against Chinese influence in Greenland.
Australia’s China Policy in the Lead-up to the 2025 Federal Election
Australia’s fragile bipartisan consensus on China is beginning to fray, but the differences are largely in tone and rhetoric, not substance.
Why Sri Lanka’s Rejection of a Land Bridge With India Is the Right Call
Physical connection to India could dissuade other countries from deepening ties with the island, as it will be seen as New Delhi’s client state.
Plummeting Academic Freedom and Autonomy in Modi’s India
India figures in the bottom 15 percent of 179 countries with regard to academic freedom, according to V-Dem’s 2025 report.
Most Read
Terrorists Target Tourist Hotspot in India’s Jammu and Kashmir
The Resistance Group, an affiliate of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the mass killings. How will India respond?
MH370: The Devil Is in the Data
Could data gathered by amateur radio operators finally unlock the truth about the doomed Malaysia Airlines flight?
The Art of Not Dealing: China’s 3-Ring Strategy for a Prolonged Trade War
Beijing is executing a three-layered plan: shoring up its domestic front, tightening the screws on the U.S., and repositioning itself on the global stage.
Magazine
Adani’s Controversial Footprint in India’s Neighborhood (and Elsewhere)
The growth of the Adani Group, especially overseas, has mirrored Modi’s political ascendancy. As a result, controversy involving Adani projects causes backlash against India as a whole.
Cambodia: The Unbearable Memory of the Khmer Rouge
April 17, 1975 – the day Phnom Penh fell – can perhaps never be fully reappropriated because of the strong sense of shame and pain that surrounds it.
Will Lee Jae-myung Rise From South Korea’s Political Chaos?
Lee Jae-myung’s strategic bet – that he can leverage widespread public discontent without further deepening societal divisions – will pose a key test for South Korea’s democracy.
Larry Diamond on the Importance of US Foreign Aid
“Ending aid is not a strategy to make America great again. It’s a strategy to make America resented and isolated in the world.”
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
Greenland Eyes China Amid Denmark-US Tensions – But Chinese Investors Won’t Rush In
China’s companies appear to have lost interest even before the United States began pushing back against Chinese influence in Greenland.
Xi Jinping’s Tour Highlights Southeast Asia as the Frontline of the Global China-US Competition
As US Decouples, China Strengthens Biotech Ties With Japan
What Top Chinese Economists Think of Trump’s Tariffs
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
How the Philippines Can Counter China’s South China Sea Aggression
The Philippines’ uncoordinated maritime responses are playing into China’s hands. It's time to integrate Manila’s maritime security apparatus.
What Russia’s Support Means for North Korea’s Nuclear Modernization
The Danger of a Trump Doctrine for Taiwan
China’s New Deep-Sea Cutting Tool Exposes Vulnerability of Undersea Cables
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
India, France to Sign Contract for 26 Rafale Marine Fighters
At $7.6 billion, this is the Indian military’s costliest defense purchase ever.
Vietnam Has Reached Deal With US on F-16 Fighter Purchase, Report Claims
US, Philippines Begin Balikatan Annual Drills With South China Sea in Mind
The Martial Law Crisis: How Military Disobedience Helped Save South Korea’s Democracy
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
Myanmar Junta Announces Extension of Earthquake Ceasefire
The announcement came amid reports of junta airstrikes in resistance-held regions of the country.
US Bars Its Diplomats From Attending Vietnam War Anniversary Events: Report
Disunity Within the Philippines’ First Family
Online Scam Syndicates Expanding Within and Beyond Southeast Asia, UN Warns
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
Inequalities of Caste and Contract in Sewage Work in Delhi
Rising contractual employment in sanitation work draws upon and reproduces historical inequalities of caste and class in urban India.
Why Sri Lanka’s Rejection of a Land Bridge With India Is the Right Call
Plummeting Academic Freedom and Autonomy in Modi’s India
Terrorists Target Tourist Hotspot in India’s Jammu and Kashmir
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
South Korea: Recognizing Yoon’s Achievements
It is not hard to understand why some would be inclined to reverse Yoon's policies in their entirety. Nonetheless, his administration’s foreign policy was effective.
Han Duck-soo’s Risky Negotiation With Donald Trump
The ‘Trump Doctrine’ and South Korea’s Geopolitical Balancing Act
Will the PPP’s Attempt at an Anti-Lee Jae-myung Coalition Work?
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
Tariff Talks an Opportunity to Reinvigorate the Japan-US Alliance
With the 24 percent additional tariffs on Japan suspended for 90 days for negotiations, the U.S. and Japan should approach this moment as a chance to forge a new economic compact.
Abe Shinzo and Japan’s ‘Discovery of India’
Japan and Europe Should Forge Ahead With Their Own Alliance, Without the US
Japan Enacts FY 2025 Budget After Rare Revisions
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
Mongolia’s Interim Free Trade Deal With the EAEU: What’s at Stake?
Mongolia's government sees the temporary FTA as tool to expand imports, but business groups and policy experts in Mongolia have voiced concern about the deal's implications.
How Has Kazakhstan’s Foreign Policy Evolved Under Tokayev?
Central Asia Opens Diplomatic Rift With Turkiye Over Cyprus
Trans-Afghan Railway: Will Uzbekistan Develop the Kandahar Route?
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
What Did US Businesses Have to Say About Trump’s Tariffs?
Before the tariffs, businesses took advantage of a public comment period to lay out the dangers of a trade war. It seems clear that the Trump administration didn’t take their concerns into account.
Ending China’s De Minimis Exception Brings 3 Benefits for Americans
China Doesn’t Fear Tariffs. It Fears a Credible US Industrial Strategy.
After FM Phone Call, Are Pakistan-US Ties on the Mend?
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
Why the Port of Darwin’s Chinese Leaseholder May Welcome an Australian Buyout
As Landbridge faces serious solvency issues in China, the most pressing risk threatening the port is a financial one.
The Real Threat Behind Trump’s Trade War: China’s Currency Offensive
US Government Finalizes Tariffs on Southeast Asian Solar Imports
China’s Bet on Railways in Southeast Asia Is Starting to Pay Off
Oceania
The South Pacific
Australia’s China Policy in the Lead-up to the 2025 Federal Election
Australia’s fragile bipartisan consensus on China is beginning to fray, but the differences are largely in tone and rhetoric, not substance.
Australia’s Third Election Debate Overshadowed by Pope’s Death
The 4 Keys to Australia’s Democracy Edge
Solomon Islands, FSM Consider Labor Mobility Scheme
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
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.