Blog
Flashpoints
Will China’s military rival the United States’ in the Pacific? Will Japan abandon the constitutional fetters on its own military? How will India respond to the String of Pearls strategy? The Diplomat has put together a team of leading analysts to offer must-read, regular commentary on the big defence and security issues in the Asia-Pacific.
June 30, 2020
How Terrorists Use Cryptocurrency in Southeast Asia
By V. Arianti and Kenneth Yeo Yaoren
The first transactions involving cryptocurrencies have been made recently by Islamic State-linked terrorist networks in the Philippines.
June 30, 2020
U.S. Navy ‘Dual Carrier Operations’ Send Message to China, Allies
By Steven Stashwick
In rare move, twice this month two U.S. aircraft carriers operated together in Philippine Sea.
June 29, 2020
Trump Denies Knowledge of Intel Report on Russian Bounties for Killing Americans in Afghanistan
By Catherine Putz
A series of media reports, citing U.S. intelligence sources, allege that President Trump was briefed on an alleged Russian operation offering bounties for dead Americans in Afghanistan.
June 26, 2020
Taiwan President Asserts Sovereignty Over Disputed Islands Claimed by Japan and China
By Nick Aspinwall
Tsai Ing-wen reiterated Taiwan’s claim over the Diaoyutai/Senkakus after opposition politicians pushed her to respond to a Japanese move to change their administrative name.
June 25, 2020
The Sino-Indian Clash: Russia in the Middle
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
The Sino-Indian clash puts Russia in an awkward position.
June 24, 2020
Who Is Winning the US-China Power Battle?
By Monish Tourangbam and Anand. V
A global pandemic has, in a matter of months, changed the discourse on global order and U.S.-China great power competition.
June 23, 2020
The Uneven Effects of US Restrictive Immigration Policy for Chinese Nationals
By Robert Farley
The Trump administration’s immigration will have negative -- but uneven -- effects on both the United States and China.
June 23, 2020
The Big Lesson of the India-China Conflict: Borders Don’t Work at High Altitude
By Ruth Gamble and Alexander Davis
The clash should call into question the necessity of territorializing these fragile and isolated environments in the first place.
June 19, 2020
Why a US-China Détente Is Coming in 2021: The COVID-19 Factor and the Turn Inward
By Dingding Chen
COVID-19 will cause the United States -- and its prospective partners -- to look inwards.
June 18, 2020
China Just Botched a Monumental Opportunity With the Philippines
By Derek Grossman
Did China miss its shot at the U.S.-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement?
June 18, 2020
The Galwan Valley India-China Skirmish Is a Gamechanger for New Delhi
By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
This time around, it is probably fair to say that no “Wuhan spirit” can salvage bilateral relations.
June 18, 2020
Will American and Chinese Societies Support a New Type of Cold War?
By Matt Ferchen and Hanns W. Maull
Leaders on both sides are taking a more confrontational line, but are the people willing to go along?