August 27,2020 Special Forum

Introduction

On the northern tier of Asia, rethinking about geopolitics centers on three arenas. The first is the Sino-Russian nexus looking outward, particularly at the US role in Asia but also at linkages in which this bilateral relationship is enmeshed. The second is the Korean Peninsula, framed by South Korea as the centerpiece for regional reorganization. Finally, Japan has emerged as an alternate so..

Editorial Staff
COVID-19 , Liberal international order , US-China rivalry , US-Japan alliance , US-ROK alliance
August 27,2020 Special Forum

Accommodation versus Alliance: Japan’s Prospective Grand Strategy in the Sino-US Competition

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has lately appeared to want it both ways: to tighten the alliance with the United States to the point of joining the “five eyes” in intelligence sharing, and to boost relations with China by insisting on going forward with a state visit by Xi Jinping as the key to upgrading ties despite growing opposition at home due to China’s assertive and growing..

Stephen Nagy
"Belt and Road" Initiative , COVID-19 , free and open Indo-Pacific , Hong Kong , the Quad , US-China rivalry , US-Japan alliance
August 04,2020 Open Forum

Washington Insights, Vol. 8, No. 4

In mid-2020, US policy took a decidedly more negative turn toward China, driven by leaders whose foreign policy judgment was highly suspect. While there was bipartisan consensus on what was objectionable in Chinese foreign and domestic policies and on the necessity of a more robust pushback by the US and its allies, the specifics and tone of top officials’ statements were often viewed..

Editorial Staff
"Belt and Road" Initiative , COVID-19 , free and open Indo-Pacific , GSOMIA , Hong Kong , the Quad , US-China rivalry , US-Japan alliance , US-ROK alliance , Wolf Warrior Diplomacy
July 29,2020 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (August 2020)

Japanese were asking in the late spring and early summer what the collapse of Sino-US ties means for their country and for bilateral relations with both parties. Would Abe’s pursuit of Xi Jinping, awaiting a delayed state visit by the Chinese leader, harm ties to the US? Would a lack of outrage about China’s policies, including the new security law for Hong Kong, leave Japan out..

Editorial Staff
COVID-19 , free and open Indo-Pacific , G7 , Hong Kong , Northern Territories , US-China trade war
June 24,2020 Country Reports

Country Report: China (June 2020)

In the spring of 2020, Chinese analysts began to grapple with the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the future world order, Sino–US relations, and China’s relations with South Korea and Japan. They also continued to assess China’s global governance approach by examining its relationship to China’s national identity, exploring its connection to China’s overarc..

Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin)
"Belt and Road" Initiative , 2008 Financial Crisis , AIIB , COVID-19 , Japan-South Korea relations
June 01,2020 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (June 2020)

The spring of 2020 saw a downturn in Sino-Japanese relations, which were now embroiled in the pandemic war of words, with little else on the foreign policy radar. Some warnings about North Korea and Russia were heard, while wishful thinking about South Korea also appeared. Some raised the puzzle of why Abe’s poll numbers were falling even as Japan was controlling the pandemic comparat..

Editorial Staff
"Belt and Road" Initiative , Cold War , COVID-19 , Northern Territories , Senkaku Islands , Wolf Warrior Diplomacy
April 22,2020 Country Reports

Country Report: China (April 2020)

As 2020 began, Chinese authors were busy not only summing up the far-reaching results of 2019 but also putting them in broad analytical perspective. China’s other bilateral relations had slipped as a focus, secondary to the telling impact of the transformative core of the international order—the Sino-US nexus. Sino-Russian relations paled in significance. Relations with both Japan and..

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Dong Jiaxin*)
"Belt and Road" Initiative , Cold War , community of common destiny , COVID-19 , Six-Party Talks , Xi Jinping
April 13,2020 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (April 2020)

Geopolitics were not high on the media’s attention list in the first months of 2020; we need to look back a little to capture the state of the Japanese debate before it was put on hold. The pandemic saw people look inward, but China, its source, and the United States, soon to become its epicenter, always loomed in the background. Given the troubled state of Japan-ROK ties, the impact ..

Editorial Staff
Abe-Putin summit , COVID-19 , GSOMIA , Senkakus , Shinzo Abe , Tokyo Olympics
March 23,2020 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (March 2020)

In February 2020, the South Korean government tackled the coronavirus outbreak, also known as COVID-19. Following the diagnosis of “patient 31” in Daegu, the virus spread rapidly, and Korea raised its alert to the highest level. South Korean media focused on 1) ROK-China diplomatic relations; 2) South Korea’s supply chain disruptions and economic dependence on China; and 3) ..

Yumi Ko
Coronavirus , COVID-19 , Korea-phobia , Special Measures Agreement , THAAD , Three nos
March 19,2020 Special Forum

Introduction

As we awaken to alarm bells that this year has the potential to be transformative—a pandemic, a jolt to energy markets amidst climate change, the arrival of 5G, and far-reaching domestic political realignment—we should not lose sight of historical memories poised to be revived in a year of commemorations. Should 2020 be seen as a turning point to a new era to replace the post-Cold War er..

Editorial Staff
Abe Shinzo , Cold War , COVID-19 , Donald Trump , Moon Jae-in , Vladmir Putin , WWII , Xi Jinping