January 29,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: Russia (January 2018)

The late fall and early winter was a quiet period for Russian diplomacy in Asia and analysis after the busier period from September to mid-November. Optimism about Sino-Russian relations was less pronounced than in recent years, but it is still present, while pessimism failed to gain much momentum. The 2016 interest in Japan faded without warnings about poorer relations or much reflection. Tr..

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Olga Puzanova)
BRI , EEF , Russian Far East , Silk Road , THAAD , Trans-Siberian Railways
January 04,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (December 2017)

In late 2017, a succession of galvanizing themes dominated media coverage in Japan. At the beginning of November and again in mid-December, the media focused on Moon Jae-in’s turn toward China. Through much of November, it was Donald Trump’s travels to five countries in Asia, beginning with Japan. By early December, the focus had turned to North Korea’s new ICBM test and a c..

Editorial Staff
North Korea , Russiagate , THAAD , TPP , Trump-Xi Summit , US-Japan FTA , US-ROK alliance
January 04,2018 Open Forum

Washington Insights: December 2017

Confusion reigns with scant clarification by the oft-dysfunctional US government. The preoccupation with Trump’s tweets and statements persists, obscuring other points of analysis of East Asian matters. North Korea is a perpetual concern. At last, new appointees in the State Department and the Department of Defense are giving some hope of professional competence to the DC think tank com..

Editorial Staff
Donald Trump , Indo-Pacific strategy , KORUS FTA , Russiagate
January 02,2018 National Commentaries

A US Perspective

During the Cold War, a polarized order prevailed in East Asia due to China’s switching sides. Some have predicted its return as China and Russia draw closer, away from the United States and Japan as they rally others behind an order that would contain these rival powers. The Obama approach, solidifying alliances and partnerships while introducing initiatives such as TPP, was a soft vers..

Editorial Staff
Abe Shinzo , Donald Trump , Indo-Pacific strategy , Moon Jae-in , Quad , THAAD , TPP
December 29,2017 Special Forum

Introduction

Recounting Donald Trump’s visit to five countries in East Asia in November, this Special Forum asks if divisions across the region have since widened or narrowed. It examines political, economic, security, and civilizational divisions, stressing developments in the course of Trump’s trip and its immediate aftermath. Trump rallied his counterparts in Asia behind intensified pressur..

Editorial Staff
BRI , Donald Trump , Indo-Pacific strategy , Quad , TPP
December 29,2017 Special Forum

A Political Perspective

From November 3 through November 14, 2017, President Donald J. Trump traveled to Japan, the Republic of Korea, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines on a lengthy tour of East and Southeast Asia. The White House described the trip as focused primarily on three issues: “strengthening international resolve to denuclearize North Korea, promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and advanc..

Scott W. Harold
BRI , CPTPP , Donald Trump , Indo-Pacific strategy , Quad , TPP
December 29,2017 Special Forum

An Economic Perspective

The election of Donald Trump as president of the United States in November 2016 created shock waves across the Asian countries that had been the targets of his campaign rhetoric. Candidate Trump had accused China of “outrageous theft of intellectual property, … illegal product dumping, and … devastating currency manipulation,” characterized the South Korea-US free trade agreem..

William W. Grimes
BRI , CPTPP , Donald Trump , KORUS FTA , RCEP , TPP
December 29,2017 Special Forum

A Security Perspective

Despite much anticipation and concern, President Donald Trump wrapped up his East Asia trip without making unexpected moves. Although Trump realized economic gains by striking multiple business deals with Asian partners, he made little progress in achieving his primary objective of taking one step further toward resolving the North Korean nuclear problem. 1 As Trump put more focus on econo..

Shin Beomchul*
Donald Trump , Hwaseong 15 , Indo-Pacific strategy , Super 301 , UNSCR 2397 , US-ROK alliance
December 29,2017 Special Forum

A Civilizational Perspective

Donald Trump is pressing his idea of “America First,” which could have deep civilizational implications, undercutting “universal values” and adding momentum to recent assertiveness about distinctive civilizations by the leaders of the other great power players in Northeast Asia. Putting the emphasis on Abe Shinzo, this article considers the impact of what each leader i..

Kazuhiko Togo
America First , China Dream , Donald Trump , Gosudarstvennost , Shinzo Abe , Take Back Japan
December 23,2017 Country Reports

Country Report: China (December 2017)

In late 2017, Chinese analysts explored Japan’s response to the North Korean nuclear crisis, its warmer relations with Russia, and conciliatory economic cooperation with the United States. They also analyzed South Korea’s foreign policy strategies, the implications of the Malabar exercises for Chinese interests in the Indo–Pacific, and the prospects for repairing Sino–Indian r..

Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin)
America First , Donglang dispute , Malabar exercises , middle power , THAAD , US-Japan alliance