May 19,2015 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (May 2015)

The Park administration’s diplomatic strategy was tested in the last two months concerning AIIB and Japan. On AIIB, while Seoul kept silent about its decision before joining as a founding member, the pressure from Beijing and Washington was growing. The South Korean government labeled its diplomacy “strategic ambiguity,” but, on both the left and the […]

Editorial Staff (prepared by Han Minjeong)
aiib , historical revisionism , kono statement , thaad
May 12,2015 Country Reports

Country Report: China (April 2015)

In Waijiao pinglun, no. 2, Xiong Lili and Pan Yu analyze Russia’s predicament in Europe, discerning elements of both continuity and discontinuity in the Ukrainian situation. In order to contain Ukraine after its decision in February 2014 to sign the agreement with the European Union to “leave Russia, enter Europe,” Russia with military force annexed […]

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Dong Jiaxin*)
aiib , maritime silk road , new cold war , sino-japanese relations , us strategic encirclement
March 25,2015 Country Reports

Country Report: Russia (March 2015)

An article by Gleb A. Ivashentsov attacks US moves in the Indian Ocean, while siding completely with China and suggesting that its plans fully meet Russia’s aspirations. In No. 2, Mezhdunarodnaia zhizn’ he discusses the situation in the Indian Ocean, which is described as the liveliest trade route in the world and the only year-round […]

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Olga Puzanova)
shanghai cooperation organization , sino-russian relations
March 18,2015 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (March 2015)

Assessments of the Park administration’s foreign policy Marking the third year of the Park administration, criticism of her foreign policy grew more intense. On March 2, a Chosun Ilbo article assessed it as unbalanced, charging that too much weight has been put on the inter-Korean relationship. Reunification is, for sure, important, but related policies are […]

Editorial Staff (prepared by Han Minjeong)
asia-pacific alliance , tpp , wendy sherman
March 02,2015 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (February 2015)

South Korea preoccupied Japanese media more than China, recognized as a threat, North Korea, posing an ever greater threat, and Russia, which was transfixing the media elsewhere. Conservatives were obsessed with the “comfort women” issue and linked progressive dishonor of Japan with South Korean disrespect and campaigns in the United States and elsewhere to sully […]

Editorial Staff
historical revisionism , murayama statement , yasukuni shrine
February 27,2015 Country Reports

Country Report: China (February 2015)

An article by Zhong Feiteng in Waijiao pinglun describes China’s new Asian strategy. It observes that Europe has been the geopolitical center and Asia the periphery, and Great Britain and the United States have reigned as the leaders of the international system. With China and India rising, in the 21st century Asia is becoming the […]

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Dong Jiaxin*)
asean , cool japan , indo-pacific strategy , korean wave , maritime silk road , peaceful development , ukraine
January 27,2015 Country Reports

Country Report: Russia (January 2015)

Russian publications have had to react to an unexpectedly difficult environment at the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015. Counting on increasing polarization in the Asia-Pacific region, they observed Xi Jinping soften his opposition to the United States in meeting with Barack Obama in November. Intending to separate troubles in Europe from aspirations […]

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Olga Puzanova)
brics , ftaap , india , look east policy , maritime silk road , tpp
January 12,2015 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (January 2015)

Deepening confrontation between China-North Korea-Russia on one side and South Korea-the United States-Japan on the other was the center of discussion over the last two months. As the year 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of Korea-Japan relations and the 70th of Korea’s independence, how to overcome the stalled relationship gained weight. Park […]

Editorial Staff (prepared by Han Minjeong)
eurasia initiative , human rights , korean reunification , revisionism , sanctions , yasukuni shrine