DRI | COVID-19 IN ASIA
Presented by Diplomat Risk Intelligence
January 07, 2021
China’s Ambitious COVID-19 Vaccine Targets
By Eleanor Albert
With its first homegrown vaccine approved for general use, China aims to vaccinate 50 million people by the Lunar New Year in February.
January 06, 2021
What Is the Truth About COVID-19 in North Korea?
By Mitch Shin
North Korea insists there have been no coronavirus cases in the country. So why does it keep tightening restrictions, despite the heavy cost?
January 06, 2021
India Rolls Out New COVID-19 Vaccines Amid Rampant Skepticism
By Sudha Ramachandran
The country’s approval of two vaccines whose efficacies are not completely known has prompted many to accuse the Modi government of vaccine nationalism.
DRI | APAC Risks, Analyzed
DRI
January 05, 2021
The Unending Saga of India’s Retrospective Tax Debacle
By Abhishek Dwivedi
India finally has an investor-friendly image after almost a decade and should strive to maintain that.
December 31, 2020
Indonesia’s Nuclear Dream, Revived?
By Sung-Mi Kim
Does the Joko Widodo government have nuclear aspirations?
December 17, 2020
US Government Officially Labels Vietnam a Currency Manipulator
By Sebastian Strangio
The unprecedented designation threatens to generate frictions with an important U.S. partner in Southeast Asia.
Magazine
M
January 01, 2021
North Korea Without Nukes: How Does It Measure Up?
By Joost Oliemans
Evaluating North Korea’s conventional military strength.
January 01, 2021
Vietnam’s Coming Leadership Change
By Huong Le Thu
Amid a pandemic and shifting geopolitical winds, Vietnam’s next leaders will be of crucial importance for the country’s future.
January 01, 2021
The Future of US-India Digital Relations
By Justin Sherman
Beneath the surface, the Trump and Modi administrations had more tensions than common ground on digital issues.
January 01, 2021
The Asia-Pacific in 2021: What to Expect
By The Diplomat
The Diplomat looks at the trends to watch across the region in the coming year.
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
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January 13, 2021
What Does a New White Paper Tell Us About China’s International Aid?
By Zhang Chao and Tang Yuxuan
The official document casts light on how China's aid program has grown and evolved since 2014.
January 12, 2021
China’s Foreign Minister Revives Belt and Road on 5-Country Africa Tour
January 12, 2021
Amid US Crisis, Chinese Foreign Minister Embarks on Southeast Asia Tour
January 11, 2021
US Secretary of State Pompeo Lifts Restrictions on Exchanges With Taiwan
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
F
January 12, 2021
China and India’s Stakes in the Qatar Conflict
By Guy Burton
The resolution of the rift between Qatar on one side and Saudi Arabia and the UAE on the other will cause sighs of relief in Beijing and New Delhi.
January 11, 2021
Iran Toughens Rhetoric as Biden Looks to Salvage Nuclear Talks
January 09, 2021
Pompeo Approves New State Department Tech Bureau
January 08, 2021
Tech Companies Can’t Stay Out of National Security — Irrespective of What They Want
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
D
January 11, 2021
Does Japan Need to Develop a New Fighter Aircraft?
By Arnaud Sobrero
China’s military buildup, coupled with existing problems associated with imports from the U.S., may make such a move a necessity.
January 06, 2021
Third Chinese Aircraft Carrier Nears Completion Amid Shipyard Expansion
December 30, 2020
4 Predictions for Defense, Strategy, and Technology in 2021
December 23, 2020
India’s New Maritime Theater Command: A Quantum Leap
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
B
January 12, 2021
Malaysia Declares Virus Emergency, Offering Reprieve for Besieged PM
By Sebastian Strangio
The surprise announcement has given PM Muhyiddin Yassin until August 1 to get COVID-19, and the broader political situation, under control.
January 11, 2021
Beijing’s New Toys in Myanmar
January 11, 2021
Will Supplementary Elections Be Held in Myanmar’s Rakhine State?
January 11, 2021
Indonesian Divers Find Parts of Plane Wreckage in Java Sea
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
P
January 13, 2021
Pakistan Continues to Sacrifice Shia Hazaras to Safeguard Jihadist ‘Assets’
By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
A wide array of causes has led to Pakistan adopting a decades-old policy of appeasement toward anti-Shia militancy. The Hazaras pay the price.
January 13, 2021
Afghan Shiite Leader in Pakistan After Killings of Miners
January 12, 2021
India Asks Sri Lanka’s Rajapaksa Government to Ensure Power Devolution
January 12, 2021
Latest Phase of Intra-Afghan Peace Talks Off to Slow Start
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
K
January 13, 2021
5 Key Takeaways from North Korea’s Party Congress
By Gabriela Bernal
North Korea set an assertive tone for 2021 through its Party Congress.
January 12, 2021
Kim Jong Un Declares North Korea Will Advance Nuclear Capabilities
January 09, 2021
Seoul Court Orders Japan to Compensate 12 Korean Sex Slaves
January 07, 2021
North Korea Party Congress Begins With Kim Jong Un’s Confession of Failure on the Economy
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
R
January 12, 2021
Japan Aims tor Greater Engagement in Latin America
By Astha Chadha
Foreign Minister Motgei’s visit to the region is another manifestation of the Suga administration’s focus.
January 12, 2021
Revisiting the Obama-Hatoyama Relationship
January 02, 2021
Japan Faces Its Worst COVID-19 Outbreak Yet
December 31, 2020
Japan’s New Gender Equality Policy Takes a Step Back
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
D
January 12, 2021
India Must Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
By Kanav Narayan Sahgal
When it comes to gay rights, Indians have come too far forward to go back in time.
January 12, 2021
The US Rescinded Its Taiwan Guidelines. What Does That Actually Mean?
January 11, 2021
China Is Making Support for Democracy a Crime in Hong Kong
January 09, 2021
To China, Spades Are Trumps
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
A
January 13, 2021
Winter Energy Woes Bedevil Central Asia
By Catherine Putz
Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have all suffered in recent months from shortages and blackouts, their citizens experiencing cold nights and darkened lights.
January 12, 2021
Why Did Kyrgyz Voters Give Up Parliamentarism?
January 11, 2021
Nur Otan Tops Kazakh Parliamentary Election That ‘Lacked Genuine Competition’
January 11, 2021
From Prison to Presidency: Sadyr Japarov’s Victory
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
V
January 12, 2021
What Does the EU-China Investment Deal Mean for US-EU Relations?
By Mercy A. Kuo
Insights from Alexander Vuving.
January 08, 2021
Will Congress Be a ‘Spoiler’ in Biden’s China Policy?
January 08, 2021
US Ambassador to the United Nations Will Visit Taiwan
January 06, 2021
Trump, China, and Foreign Policy as Theater
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
M
January 12, 2021
What’s Driving Vietnam’s Renewable Energy Boom?
By James Guild
As elsewhere, Vietnam's increasing reliance on energy imports has driven its green energy push.
January 06, 2021
Could Biogas Hold the Key to Indonesia’s Energy Dilemma?
January 05, 2021
Promotion or Punishment? Sandiaga Uno Named Indonesia’s New Tourism Minister
January 05, 2021
The Unending Saga of India’s Retrospective Tax Debacle
Asia Life
The Other Asia-Pacific
L
January 04, 2021
Spell It Out: Should English Transcription of Indian Words Be Reformed?
By Krzysztof Iwanek
The British colonial government never worked out a coherent and precise way of spelling Indian names.
December 23, 2020
Official Costs of Tokyo Olympics Up by 22% to $15.4 billion
December 19, 2020
Taiwanese Horror Game ‘Devotion’ Gets Pulled Again Over Chinese Objections
December 18, 2020
New Collectors Boost Chinese Public Art Fairs
Oceania
The South Pacific
O
January 12, 2021
After Trump, Can Australia Trust the United States?
By Grant Wyeth
Canberra long assumed it could work with any party in Washington – but is that still true after Trump?
January 12, 2021
Should Australia Buy Papua New Guinea’s Largest Telecom Firm?
January 06, 2021
The Worrying Geopolitical Implications of Australia’s Antarctic Airport Plan
January 04, 2021
Fiji Cleaning Up After Cyclone Yasa
Podcasts
Asia Geopolitics
P
December 31, 2020
A Conversation With the President of the Overseas Press Club of Cambodia
By Luke Hunt
Dutch freelance journalist Ate Hoekstra has hopes for a much better 2021 in Indochina.
December 23, 2020
The Flashpoints of Hun Sen’s Cambodia
December 17, 2020
Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the Coming Biden Presidency
December 01, 2020
South Asia and the Coming Biden Presidency
Photo Essays
Asia in Pictures
E
January 11, 2021
Dhanushkodi Fisherfolk: 50 Years of Life on the Edge
By Sugato Mukherjee
At India’s southernmost tip, a fishing community remains resilient over 50 years after a cyclone wiped their home off the map.