East Asia

Last month’s high-speed rail crash was a wake-up call for officials. An emphasis on prevention will be far more effective – and much cheaper.

The Jeju Island base isn’t about containing China. It’s about protecting South Korea and others from an increasingly erratic North Korea.

The Chinese public’s tolerance for the government’s high-speed, low-quality growth strategy is wearing thin. Can China’s leaders avert a political crash?

Fears the US economy is becoming the new Japan are misplaced, argues James Pach. US policymakers have far more options at their disposal than their Japanese counterparts.

The US Congress needs to pass the Korea free trade agreement just to give American firms a level playing field. If it can’t, US rivals will shape the region.

A rare visit by a North Korean official to Cambodia raises the faint prospect of more engagement with Southeast Asia. But ties with Phnom Penh are complicated.

There’s been much speculation about the implications of China’s first aircraft carrier. The Diplomat answers some of the key questions.

Reports that Japan is considering taking the Dokdo/Takeshima dispute to the ICJ risk further inflaming tensions with South Korea. Neither side seems likely to give in.

The centre of international gravity is shifting toward East Asia. With China rising, Washington must focus its economic and security policies there, not the Middle East.

Chinese policymakers face a choice – continue with investment-led growth or focus on building a middle class. Either way, the government can’t defy gravity forever.

Foreigners are often quick to claim that South Korea has a significant racism problem. But the vocal views of many English teachers overshadow a complex issue.

The current turmoil in the US will make it harder to bridge the cultural divide between China and the West – and will bolster efforts to internationalize use of the renminbi.