Richard Weitz

The economic crisis prompted many nations to slow arms buys. But Asian governments such as China and Malaysia keep on buying.

Failure to manage the row over a detained ship captain could mean both countries lose out over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.

The Pentagon’s report on the PLA suggests China is getting closer to nixing the US military’s ability to intervene in Asia.

Concerns over the Russia-backed reactor are misplaced. If Iran wants a nuclear weapon it will develop one away from prying eyes.

The US was under pressure from ASEAN countries to step up over the South China Sea. But conflict with China isn’t inevitable.

The US is keen for Asia to follow tougher EU sanctions over Iran’s nuclear programme. Expect China to drive a hard bargain.

An accident involving barrels of toxic chemicals is only likely to exacerbate long-standing Russian concerns over China.

South Korea wants to boost its nuclear capacity. In an already proliferation prone part of the world, this has the US worried.

China’s planned nuclear reactors sale to Pakistan highlights the risk of war on the Subcontinent. It could also increase it.

Can an organisation that excludes China legitimately take the lead on tackling the big security issues facing Asia?

China says arms sales to Taiwan are the cause of Sino-US defence tensions. But even if they stopped now, ties would be chilly.

The problem of narcotics flowing from Afghanistan to Europe is well-known. But the issue also has China and the SCO worried.