Top Stories
TOP
April 28, 2021
Why Isn’t South Korea Buying Chinese Vaccines?
By Jin Kai
Like many Asian countries, Seoul is having troubling sourcing vaccines. But unlike its neighbors, South Korea has so far refused to turn to a ready supplier: China.
April 28, 2021
It’s Time to Talk About J-15, China’s First Carrierborne Fighter
By Rick Joe
Rumors of the J-15's unreliability have been greatly exaggerated.
April 27, 2021
Sunk Indonesian Submarine Should Worry Pacific Powers
By Nick Danby
The increased reliance on undersea warfare means submarines need to run silent, deep, and safe in the Pacific.
April 26, 2021
The COVID-19 Disaster in India: Chronicles of Agony and Pain on the Ground
By Ritu Mahendru with Inshah Malik
India's current level of suffering was not inevitable. Voices from the ground tell stories of mismanagement, neglect, and apathy.
DRI | Monthly Report
DRI
DRI REPORT NO. 3
An Asian Space Odyssey
Civil, Military, and Commercial Space Ambitions
COVID-19 in Asia
May 13, 2021
COVID-19 Hits Prisons in Thailand, as Nearly 3,000 Cases Detected
By Sebastian Strangio
Recent Thai COVID-19 outbreaks highlight the dangers posed by Asia's overcrowded and unsanitary prisons.
May 13, 2021
Australia Signs Deal for 25M Moderna Doses Through Next Year
By Rod McGuirk
Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government has drawn fire for the country's slow vaccine roll-out.
May 13, 2021
Japan Set to Accelerate COVID-19 Vaccine Program For Elderly
By Thisanka Siripala
Japan will step up efforts to complete the vaccination of its elderly population by the end of July.
May 13, 2021
COVID-19 Worries Return to Vietnam
By Hugh Bohane
Amidst a spike in new cases, the country is tightening restrictions in the hopes of repeating its 2020 successes against the virus.
Magazine
M
May 01, 2021
Learning From Kyrgyzstan’s Local Elections
By Colleen Wood
Local elections provide a window into the state of Kyrgyz politics – and what might come next in the three decade-long game of political musical chairs.
May 01, 2021
5 Years of Duterte: A Calamity Reaching Its Crescendo
By Michael Beltran
The Diplomat spoke with experts, victims, documenters, and communities affected by one of the most polarizing governments in Philippine history.
May 01, 2021
South Korea’s Political Pendulum Swings Again
By Youngmi Kim
The “old boys” are back after April 7 by-elections in Seoul and Busan.
May 01, 2021
Beyond Xinjiang: Xi Jinping’s Ethnic Crackdown
By James Leibold
The shifts in ethnic policy go well beyond Xinjiang. This is fundamental rethink of how the CCP manages ethnocultural diversity and its colonial possessions.
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
P
May 14, 2021
Death of Student in China Triggers Questions, Protests
By Huizhong Wu
A student’s death and his mother’s online posts have stirred controversy and questions.
May 13, 2021
China’s Population Is Peaking
May 13, 2021
Drop in Xinjiang Birthrate Largest in Recent History: Report
May 08, 2021
How Chinese Fans Enforce Chinese Nationalism on the World
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
F
May 14, 2021
Taiwan at the Nexus of Technology and Geopolitics
By Ian Bremmer and Ali Wyne
The tightening nexus of geopolitics and geotechnology will make U.S.-China competition increasingly fraught. But Taiwan’s core challenge is not a near-term crisis.
May 13, 2021
India-France Naval Exercise: Growing Strategic Synergy
May 04, 2021
Can China-US Relations Improve During the Biden Administration?
May 01, 2021
Is China Done With Salami Slicing?
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
D
May 13, 2021
US Army Tests New Missile with Pacific Threat in Mind
By Steven Stashwick
The Precision Strike Missile will give the U.S. Army a long-range anti-ship weapon.
May 12, 2021
Japan, US, France hold 1st Joint Drills on Japanese Land
May 10, 2021
Upgrading South Korean THAAD
May 06, 2021
Philippine Marines’ New Operating Concept Highlights Their Growing National Security Role
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
B
May 13, 2021
Myanmar’s Human Rights Violations and ASEAN’s Response
By OBA Mie
The recent measures may be less significant than they seem.
May 13, 2021
COVID-19 Hits Prisons in Thailand, as Nearly 3,000 Cases Detected
May 13, 2021
China Proposing to Host ASEAN Ministers Next Month
May 12, 2021
Japanese PM Suga Talks Maritime Security With Vietnam’s President
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
P
May 12, 2021
What US Support For a Vaccine Waiver Means For India
By Urvi Tembey and Ameya Pratap Singh
In an integrated world there can be no national solutions to a global pandemic.
May 12, 2021
Education in Pakistan Amid COVID-19: A Test Case for Policymakers
May 12, 2021
The Asymmetrical EU-Afghanistan Cooperation on Migration
May 11, 2021
EU-India Summit 2021: Pushing Ahead With the 4 Cs
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
K
May 13, 2021
Cybersecurity Should Be a Priority for the Moon-Biden Summit
By Troy Stangarone
Cyber risks will only continue to grow as more of our daily lives become digital and interconnected.
May 11, 2021
North Korea Leaves Room to Renew Dialogue with the US
May 06, 2021
Moon’s Prosecutor Pick Puts Reform Efforts Back in the Spotlight
May 05, 2021
South Korea’s Climate Pledges: Less Than Meets the Eye
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
R
May 13, 2021
Japan’s Ambivalent Diplomacy in Myanmar
By Daisuke Akimoto
Given its political and economic influence over the Myanmar military, the Japanese government can do more to help the international community pursue non-military R2P options.
May 14, 2021
The Iron Ceiling and Japan’s Chrysanthemum Throne
May 13, 2021
Why Is Japan Hesitant to Improve Relations with South Korea?
May 13, 2021
Japan Set to Accelerate COVID-19 Vaccine Program For Elderly
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
D
May 13, 2021
Reversing the Coup is No Solution for Myanmar
By Michelle Onello and Akila Radhakrishnan
A return to the pre-coup status quo is not politically sustainable. What Myanmar needs is a more fundamental shift.
May 12, 2021
Artificial Intelligence in a Natural Partnership: India and the UK
May 11, 2021
Why Humanitarian Assistance Matters: The Case of Climate Disaster and COVID-19 in Timor-Leste
May 11, 2021
How Canada’s Assistance Has Benefited Afghanistan
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
A
May 12, 2021
Young People, Social Media, and Urban Transformation of Dushanbe
By Sher Khashimov and Tahmina Inoyatova
In the Tajik capital, young people turn to social media to document and discuss the changing face of the city.
May 11, 2021
Russian Foreign Minister Finally Responds to Kazakh Sovereignty Worries
May 11, 2021
Uzbek Blogger Otabek Sattoriy Sentenced to 6.5 Years
May 08, 2021
Kyrgyzstan’s Worrying New Limits on Dissent
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
V
May 11, 2021
Biden’s First 100 Days and India-U.S. Relations
By Monish Tourangbam and Priyanjali Simon
Policy mandarins in New Delhi need to pay attention to the shifting domestic and foreign imperatives that are shaping Washington's foreign policy.
May 11, 2021
Transatlantic Cooperation on the China Challenge
May 05, 2021
3 Reasons Why the US Doesn’t Have a Coherent China Strategy
April 30, 2021
China Is No Excuse for Biden to Ignore Human Rights in India
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
M
May 12, 2021
India’s Economy Begins to Feel Pandemic Second Wave Pinch
By Prachi Priya
Just as the Indian economy was beginning to show signs of recovery following last year’s disastrous downturn, a second COVID-19 wave could undo the gains.
May 11, 2021
How Jokowi Solved Indonesia’s Toll Road Dilemma. Sort Of.
May 10, 2021
COVID-19 Drives Uptake of Digital Payment Systems
May 08, 2021
Chinese Subsidies: A Threat to US Competitiveness?
Oceania
The South Pacific
OMay 13, 2021
Australia Signs Deal for 25M Moderna Doses Through Next Year
By Rod McGuirk
Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government has drawn fire for the country's slow vaccine roll-out.
May 07, 2021
How the US Can Protect the Sovereignty of the Smallest Pacific Islands
May 07, 2021
Under Pressure, Australia Reverses Ban on Returns from India
May 03, 2021
New Zealand Prime Minister Ardern Takes Tougher Stance on China
Videos
Asia on Video
V
May 01, 2021
Is ASEAN Still Relevant?
By The Diplomat
Hoang Thi Ha, Ja Ian Chong, and Evan A. Laksmana discuss ASEAN's regional role amid the Myanmar crisis and China-U.S. tensions.
March 23, 2021
Ceasing Fire: India, Pakistan, and Elusive Peace in South Asia
March 15, 2021
Violence Follows New ‘Anti-Conversion’ Law in India’s Madhya Pradesh
March 04, 2021
Myanmar Coup and the Aftermath
Podcasts
Asia Geopolitics
P
April 30, 2021
Solidarity in Cambodia
By Luke Hunt
A conversation with the trade unionist Wim Conklin.
April 14, 2021
Understanding North Korea’s Fuel Smuggling Networks in East Asia
April 03, 2021
China’s Maritime Militia at Whitsun Reef: Trouble in the South China Sea
March 30, 2021
Breathing Fresh Life into Cambodia’s Art Scene
Photo Essays
Asia in Pictures
E
May 05, 2021
4 Dams on the Upper Mekong in Yunnan, China: 2011-2019
By Scott Ezell
Firsthand glimpses of how dam construction changed the river over the course of eight years.