East Asia

Beijing’s submarine fleet is not as big or powerful as US military planners once feared. Have its blue-water ambitions been overstated?

A new poll shows Taiwan President Ma Ying-jou trailing his DPP opponent. Inequality, unemployment and close ties to China are complicating his bid for re-election next year.

China’s mix of historical and legal claims in the South China Sea are inconsistent, says Frank Ching. Beijing can’t have its cake and eat it.

Hillary Clinton’s new essay on the US role in Asia makes clear the United States is there to stay. There’s little China can do about it.

Vladimir Putin looks certain to become Russian president again. China and Iran may welcome him, but will the neighbours want his Eurasian Union?

In marking a key anniversary this weekend, Chinese have had the chance to reflect on how far they have come, and where they are going.

Seoul’s plan to develop a naval base on Ulleung Island is aimed at boosting its claim over the disputed Dokdo islets. It will also inflame tensions with Japan.

The Arab Spring has offered some useful pointers for countries such as China about what works in suppressing dissent — and what is counterproductive.

Asian nations need to be grappling with the lessons of the Libyan civil war. How will they respond if conflict erupts in their backyard?

The US is wrong if it assumes it can always be business as usual after arms sales to Taiwan. As China rises, the temptation to push back grows.

A sex slave scandal, a gutter oil factory, beatings and murders – its been a bad few weeks for the city of Luoyang in China. But not for the Chinese media’s image.

Chinese policymakers are often assumed to be the archetypal practitioners of realpolitik. But their coddling of dictators is counter-productive.