East Asia

Inter-Korean defence talks take place next month. But until there’s a leadership change in Pyongyang, don’t expect any breakthroughs.

After a tense 12 months in US-China ties, Barack Obama and Hu Jintao appeared to get the largely incident-free visit they both wanted.

Last year was a bad one for China’s soft power. Will Japan’s response prompt a dangerous spiral of arms spending—and spark conflict?

China’s leadership seems divided, United States Institute of Peace President Richard Solomon tells The Diplomat. If it’s to rise peacefully it will have to rethink its recent assertiveness.

In the third in our series on Asia-Pacific navies, Alessio Patalano argues that Japan has had no choice but to develop a powerful navy.

Forty years on, the bet Nixon and Kissinger placed on China’s future direction looks increasingly misplaced, argues Stephen Yates.

Currency revaluation, trade surpluses and globalization—there’s plenty to talk about during Hu’s upcoming trip to the US, says the former country director for the World Bank in China.

Robert Park grabbed global headlines after walking into North Korea on Christmas Day, 2009. He tells The Diplomat why he’s now angry with Seoul.

Hu Jintao will be in Washington next week. But improved ties with the US won’t change Chinese discomfort with Washington’s hedging in Asia.

China’s first fifth-generation, J-20 fighter plane could shake up the Pacific order, writes David Axe. But it probably won’t.

Maritime strategy seems increasingly focused on the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. It risks leaving the Navy vulnerable in the Pacific.

China has so far relied on appeals to economic interests in its dealings with other countries. It’s time for some more rounded diplomacy.