Latest Stories
The TTP and the Pakistan-Afghanistan Conundrum
It’s hard to imagine that cross-border airstrikes will serve the desired goal of ending the rising level of violence and lawlessness in the areas of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.
China Alleges Taiwan Is Paying Bribes for US Support
The narrative is part of a larger disinformation campaign designed to undermine Taiwan-U.S. relations.
Looking Back at India-Japan Security Ties in 2024: A Way Forward
In 2025, India and Japan will delve deeper into defense and security ties that they diligently strengthened throughout 2024.
Is Japan’s Sudden Pivot to China Naïve?
Japan has little to show for an unprecedented relaxing of its visa program for Chinese nationals.
From Leadership to Limbo? South Korea’s Democracy Faces Its Toughest Test
South Korea must prioritize constitutional integrity over partisan gains to ensure that democratic ideals do not devolve into enduring political instability.
China vs India: Economic Outreach to Central Asia
Despite similar interests and ambitions, China’s economic presence in the region outweighs India’s.
Most Read
China Alleges Taiwan Is Paying Bribes for US Support
The narrative is part of a larger disinformation campaign designed to undermine Taiwan-U.S. relations.
J-36: Assessing China’s New Generation Combat Aircraft
What we know – and what we don't know – about the next-generation fighter that made its first public appearance over Chengdu.
5 Factors That Catapulted Arakan Army to Unprecedented Success Against the Myanmar Military
The AA has entered into alliances and built on terrain and other advantages to emerge as a formidable organization in Rakhine State.
Magazine
Malaysia’s Turn in the ASEAN Hotseat
Malaysia’s year as ASEAN chair arrives at a pivotal moment to confront unprecedented challenges facing the bloc.
How COVID-19 Transformed China’s Domestic and International Trajectory
The pandemic left an indelible but mixed imprint on everything from patterns of socio-economic development to China’s state apparatus and foreign relations.
2025: What to Expect in the Asia-Pacific
Welcome to the new year, and to our annual primer on what to expect in the Asia-Pacific.
Meera Gopal on the Asia-Pacific at COP29
“All in all, vulnerable countries lamented that [COP29] was a lost opportunity for collective action and the outcome did not reflect a meaningful agreement on climate finance.”
Blogs
China Power
A New World Order
China’s Middle East Moment: Will Beijing Seize the Opportunity in Syria?
The Syrian conflict presents a pivotal opportunity for China to exhibit its readiness to assume a true global leadership role.
Navigating Taiwan’s Pacific Identity: Challenges for Lai Ching-te’s Hawaiian Shirt Diplomacy
Taiwan’s Legislature-Government Clashes Heat up
Post-Disaster, Chinese Aid Trails Other Donors in Vanuatu
Flashpoints
Diplomacy by Other Means
What’s Next for China-India Relations?
2024 brought a thaw that is likely to deepen over the coming year, but a number of uncertainties threaten to limit progress.
China Sets Record for Activity Near Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in 2024
Digital Sovereignty: Securing India’s Submarine Cables
Can There Be a Settlement on the Korean Peninsula Without an End to the War in Ukraine?
Asia Defense
Militaries of the Asia-Pacific
Japan Approves 9.4 Percent Increase in Defense Spending for FY2025
For the 11th year in a row, the budget draft set a new record for national defense spending as Japan continues to pursue its Defense Buildup Program.
Yoon Suk-yeol’s Downfall Should Spark Introspection on the US Approach to South Korea
Japan’s MHI Launches 10th Mogami-Class Multirole Frigate for JMSDF
Beyond Firepower: Rethinking Indonesia’s Surface Vessel Acquisition Priorities
ASEAN Beat
Insights Into Half a Billion
Anwar Ibrahim’s ‘Postnormal Times MADANI Exhibition’ Aims to Change Malaysia’s Conversation
The Kuala Lumpur exhibition challenges the exclusionary narratives advanced by the Malay right-wing. But are the country’s two political camps talking past each other?
Indonesia’s Constitutional Court Voids Threshold for Presidential Nominations
Myanmar Military Junta Enacts Repressive New Cybersecurity Bill
Malaysian Police Arrest Satirical Artist Over Caricatures of Sabah Governor
The Pulse
Perspectives on South Asia
The TTP and the Pakistan-Afghanistan Conundrum
It’s hard to imagine that cross-border airstrikes will serve the desired goal of ending the rising level of violence and lawlessness in the areas of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.
The Role of Bangladesh’s Military in the July Revolution and Its Historical Legacy
Will India-Indonesia Ties Take a Leap Forward in 2025?
The Evolving Strategic Partnership Between India and Kuwait
The Koreas
Divided Peninsula
From Leadership to Limbo? South Korea’s Democracy Faces Its Toughest Test
South Korea must prioritize constitutional integrity over partisan gains to ensure that democratic ideals do not devolve into enduring political instability.
Investigators Fail to Arrest South Korean President
Arrest Warrant Issued Against South Korean President Yoon
179 Killed in Airplane Crash, South Korea’s Deadliest
Tokyo Report
News From Japan
Looking Back at India-Japan Security Ties in 2024: A Way Forward
In 2025, India and Japan will delve deeper into defense and security ties that they diligently strengthened throughout 2024.
Japan-South Korea Relations Under Trump
Why Japan Is Worried After the Impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol
For Japan, Whaling Is Intertwined With Maritime Sovereignty
The Debate
Comment and Opinion
Is Japan’s Sudden Pivot to China Naïve?
Japan has little to show for an unprecedented relaxing of its visa program for Chinese nationals.
3 Years on: Kazakhstan’s Kafkaesque System Fails Bloody January Torture Victims
To Strengthen Defense, Taiwan Must Revamp Its Military Procurement
In the UK, Labor’s China Audit Is Fast Becoming a Post-Mortem
Crossroads Asia
The New Silk Road
China vs India: Economic Outreach to Central Asia
Despite similar interests and ambitions, China’s economic presence in the region outweighs India’s.
Uzbek Driver Punished for ‘Petty Hooliganism’ Following Gas Station Outburst
The Chechen Connection: Kadyrov Weighs in on Allamjonov Case in Uzbekistan
World’s Coldest Capital Endures Electricity Interruptions as Mongolia Tackles Energy Insecurity
Trans-Pacific View
U.S. Policy on Asia
China Alleges Taiwan Is Paying Bribes for US Support
The narrative is part of a larger disinformation campaign designed to undermine Taiwan-U.S. relations.
How Jimmy Carter’s Legacy Could Impact Trump’s China Policy
How Will Trump’s National Security Team Shape His China Policy?
Will Trump Reopen Back-Channel Diplomacy with North Korea?
Pacific Money
Economy And Business
Taiwan’s TikTok Liberal Paradox
In contrast to the United States’ fiery debates over regulating TikTok, Taiwan’s policy discourse has remained conspicuously subdued.
Indonesia Scales Back Planned VAT Hike, Will Apply Only to Luxury Goods
China Is Dominating the Race for Generative AI Patents
With Indonesia’s XL Axiata-Smartfren Merger, Telecom Consolidation Marches on
Oceania
The South Pacific
Indian Australians, Cricket, and Urban Planning
What do a Boxing Day cricket test match, Melbourne’s booming western suburbs, and the U.S. HB-1 visa battle have to do with Australia’s relationship with India and Indian migrants?
With New Agreements, Australia Confirms Its Pacific Ties
More Than Backpacking: The True Value of Australia’s Working Holiday Maker Visa
Solomon Islands’ Mega Coral Points the Way to Save Our Reefs
Videos
Asia on Video
What’s Driving Taiwan’s Mass Protests?
Chiang Min-yen, a non-resident fellow at the Taiwan Economic Democracy Union, joins The Diplomat to discuss the concerns over the bill, the China factor, and what comes next.
What’s Behind Vietnam’s Political Upheaval?
The Danger of China’s Digital Silk Road
What Will China’s Shift From Oil Mean for Saudi Arabia and Russia?
Podcasts
Asia Geopolitics
South Korea’s Martial Law Crisis: Geopolitical Implications and Beyond
What does 2025 portend for South Korea's politics and foreign relations?
Central Asian Militaries and Asian Geopolitics
America First, Again: US-China Relations and the Second Trump Administration
America First, Again: Asian Geopolitics and the Second Trump Administration
Photo Essays
Asia in Pictures
Life in Ladakh Along the Disputed Sino-Indian Border
For Changpa women in Chushul, the 2020 clashes came during a larger societal shift in gender roles.