Region
East Asia
China’s Third Plenum Shines Light on Center-Local Fiscal Challenges
By Jennifer Lee
China watchers should temper their expectations and anticipate incremental changes building off of existing policy rather than deep reform.
South Korea to Deploy Laser Weapons to Intercept North Korean Drones
By Hyung-jin Kim
South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration said that it will deploy at least one anti-air laser weapons system called "Block-I" by the end of this year and more in coming years.
Finance is No Longer the Darling Career in Xi Jinping’s New Economic Order
By Lizzi C. Lee
As China shifts its focus from finance to technology, the ripple effects are profound and far-reaching.
What’s in Hong Kong’s Proposed Critical Infrastructure Bill?
By Charles Mok
The new law seeks to regulate critical infrastructure operators responsible for “continuous delivery of essential services” and “maintaining important societal and economic activities.”
25 Years On, Falun Gong Still Firmly in Beijing’s Repressive Sights
By Levi Browde and Larry Liu
With its continued efforts to persecute the group, the CCP is implicitly admitting that its effort to wipe out Falun Gong has categorically failed.
China and 22 Arab Countries Reach Consensus on Gaza Ceasefire and Further Cooperation
By Nick Carraway
China is one of the few geopolitically prominent countries that has managed to maintain good relations with Israel, Palestine, and the wider Muslim world.
US Tariffs Against China: It’s National Security, Stupid
By Denny Roy
Maximizing economic efficiency, the goal of most critics of tariffs, will not deliver national security.
The Russia-North Korea Military Alliance: Reducing Its Negative Fallout
By Jongsoo Lee
Moscow needs to assure Seoul that it will not let its relations with South Korea deteriorate unduly.
What South Korea Can Accomplish at NATO To Help End the War in Ukraine
By Scott Snyder
Given the revitalized North Korea-Russia relationship, South Korea has an even more direct stake than before in the duration and outcome of the war in Ukraine.
Why the Panchen Lama Matters
By Antonio Terrone
The Panchen Lamas and Dalai Lamas consider themselves “spiritual friends,” but the relationship between the two figures and their communities has hardly been smooth.
Japan and the Philippines Sign Defense Pact in the Face of Shared Alarm Over China
By Jim Gomez and Haruka Nuga
The Reciprocal Access Agreement allows Filipino and Japanese forces to enter the other’s territory for joint drills.
The Manner Coffee Case: Trending Terms, Income Inequality, and China’s Private Sector
By Gavin Hsu
A recent Baidu trending search term reveals Beijing’s continued efforts to suppress the private sector.