Dec 30,2020 Special Forum US-DPRK relations and China’s response in the Biden era Whether Washington and Beijing cooperate under the Biden administration depends heavily on whether they reach an understanding on how to approach the DPRK. This was a touchstone for prospects of cooperation under George W. Bush and Barack Obama as well as during the first year of the Trump administration. China is watching to see what […] Cheng Xiaohe* COVID-19 , Denuclearization , Economic sanctions , THAAD , US-China rivalry , US-DPRK diplomacy
Dec 30,2020 Special Forum America’s Indo-Pacific challenge This article has been updated on February 4. Competing with China is the foremost external policy challenge for the new US administration of President Joe Biden. More precisely, the problem is how to manage China’s power and assertiveness in a state of what incoming National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell have […] Rory Medcalf ASEAN , COVID-19 , free and open Indo-Pacific , US-China rivalry
Dec 28,2020 Country Reports Country Report: China (December 2020) In the fall of 2020, Chinese analysts assessed US and Japanese policies in light of recent anti-globalization trends and made predictions about the United States’ near-term relations with its allies. They also examined the Japan–Russia bilateral relationship by considering the legacy of the Abe administration and the likely future under Suga. They continued to evaluate […] Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin) ASEAN , COVID-19 , CPTPP , RCEP , trilateralism , US-China rivalry
Nov 02,2020 Country Reports Country Report: China (October 2020) In the fall of 2020, Chinese analysts assessed the likely impact on Sino–US relations of the US presidential election and praised the effectiveness of China’s pandemic-era foreign policy. They continued to carefully monitor South Korea’s foreign policy and ROK–DPRK relations. They also contested allegations that China’s BRI loans create a “debt trap” for vulnerable countries […] Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin) "Belt and Road" Initiative , COVID-19 , Debt trap , Donald Trump , Joe Biden , US presidential election , US-China rivalry , US-ROK alliance
Oct 12,2020 Open Forum Washington Insights, Vol. 8, No. 5 Leadership change was on peoples’ minds in the late summer and early fall of 2020. What would a Biden administration do differently from Trump in the Indo-Pacific region? How does the departure of Abe Shinzo impact Japan’s foreign policy, given his personalized relations with the leaders in the US, China, Russia, and India as well […] Editorial Staff COVID-19 , Donald Trump , free and open Indo-Pacific , Joe Biden , US-China rivalry , Yoshihide Suga
Oct 08,2020 Special Forum Contemplating US Policy on China and the Indo-Pacific: Some Thoughts regarding a Possible Biden Administration By most accounts, the last four years have been something of a sea change in US foreign policy. During this time, the US has stepped back from its familiar leadership role in several multilateral initiatives, cast aspersions at global governance efforts, flirted with dictators and authoritarian regimes more openly and brazenly than ever in the […] Amanda Trea Phua , Liow Joseph Chinyong* COVID-19 , Donald Trump , free and open Indo-Pacific , Hong Kong , Joe Biden , Taiwan , US-China rivalry , Xi Jinping , Xinjiang
Aug 31,2020 National Commentaries A Japanese Perspective Japan’s human rights policies, freighted with a historical baggage that South Koreans are well-aware of, are subtle, nuanced – and ultimately, quite frustrating. Governments in Tokyo continue to wrestle with the appropriate weight to give human rights in foreign policy. While recognizing that Japan’s status as a leading industrialized nation demands rhetorical support (at least) […] Brad Glosserman "Belt and Road" Initiative , COVID-19 , free and open Indo-Pacific , Hong Kong , Senkaku Islands , Shinzo Abe
Aug 31,2020 Country Reports Country Report: China (August 2020) In the summer of 2020, Chinese analysts continued to grapple with the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the future of multilateralism and globalization. They questioned whether the pandemic would accelerate existing competitive and nationalist trends or serve as a turning point toward a more cooperative international environment. They also assessed US opposition to China’s […] Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin) "Belt and Road" Initiative , COVID-19 , Digital Silk Road , free and open Indo-Pacific , US-China rivalry , US-China-Russia Triangle
Aug 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. […] Editorial Staff COVID-19 , Liberal international order , US-China rivalry , US-Japan alliance , US-ROK alliance
Aug 27,2020 Special Forum Multipolarity versus Sinocentrism: Chinese and Russian Worldviews and Relations On July 3 Hu Xijin of Huanxiu Shibao inserted a needle in the bubble of Sino-Russian harmony, which some may be tempted to equate to Mao Zedong’s response to the 20th Party Congress in 1956.1 He was reacting to a Weibo (blog) in Chinese sent from the Russian embassy in Beijing celebrating the 160th anniversary […] Gilbert Rozman "Belt and Road" Initiative , Bipolarity , COVID-19 , Eurasian Economic Union , Multipolarity , Russocentrism , Sinocentrism , US-China rivalry