Mar 28,2014 Country Reports

Country Report: Russia (March 2014)

Russia’s writings on Asia over the past two months included much on Russia’s pivot toward the Asia-Pacific, its relations with Japan, and its approach toward the Korean Peninsula. Writings on China were detailed and mainly focused on China’s domestic developments, as well as some celebratory remarks about the Olympics cooperation between the two nations. China […]

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Olga Puzanova)
debate on DPRK , economic integration , priority of Southeast Asia , Russia's pivot , Russian Far East development and security , Southeast Asia , Southeast Asia US World domination , Ukraine
Mar 21,2014 Topics of the Month

Sino-US Relations – 3

Obama’s Trip to Asia—How to Deal with China in the “Gray Zone”   President Obama’s visit next month to four East Asian allies and partners almost certainly will feature conversations on how to deal with Chinese incremental territorial expansion at its neighbors’ expense. Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Malaysia are all disputants in recent […]

Robert Sutter
Anti-submarine warfare , gray zone , rebalance , salami slicing , Second Thomas Shoal , security integration , Southeast Asia
Feb 21,2014 Topics of the Month

Sino-US Relations – 2

United States Pushes Back Against Chinese Assertiveness; Xi Urges Dialogue Carefully sequenced statements by Obama administration officials in late January and February pushed back against Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea and other maritime disputes, taking Sino-American competition to a new stage. America’s measured resolve adds to circumstances that work against overall success in […]

Robert Sutter
ADIZ , domestic concerns , interdependence , Kerry , Medeiros , Philippines , Russel , South China Sea , Southeast Asia , Xi Jinping
Nov 22,2013 National Commentaries

US Perspective

"China and International Law/Norms: A US Perspective" China’s territorial disputes with its maritime neighbors have become the most contentious and high-profile elements in Beijing’s regional foreign policy—so much so that they overshadow and complicate other dimensions of its relations with the region. These quarrels have deep historical roots and have produced periodic crises and occasional […]

Jacques deLisle
Diaoyu/Senkaku , East China Sea , EEZ’s , PLA navy , Rebalancing , South China Sea , Southeast Asia , sovereignty , Taiwan , UNCLOS
Nov 22,2013 Country Reports

Country Report: Russia (November 2013)

The Russian media kept its eye on areas around China’s borders, cautiously raising questions about clashing Russian and Chinese interests. In September the spotlight turned to Central Asia. In November with Lavrov and Shoigu going to Japan for the first 2+2 meetings and then Putin traveling to Vietnam and South Korea, areas on two other […]

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Olga Puzanova)
Anti-Americanism , Balanced diplomacy , economic regionalism , Iron Silk Road , Moscow-Beijing axis , Multipolarity , natural gas price , Southeast Asia , Vietnam
Oct 18,2013 Topics of the Month

The China Dream – 4

This monthly post tracks developments around the “China Dream” since September 17, 2013 and engages Manoranjan Mohanty whose view was summarized in the rejoinder to my previous post. Mohanty suggested that the “China Dream” was used mainly as a political mobilization instrument and did not represent a fundamental shift in Chinese policy making. I agree […]

Ming Wan
APEC summit , CCP power , EAS , good-neighborly treaty , Li Keqiang , Mao legacy , purify the society , Shanghai FTA , Southeast Asia , Taiwan
Jul 19,2013 Special Forum

Another Cold War in Asia?

The biggest strategic challenge for policymakers in the Asia-Pacific is the peaceful integration of China into the international order. Within three decades, China has transformed from a rural society to the second largest economy in the world. As China continues to grow economically and its interests and influence expand, its neighboring countries and the United […]

Michishita Narushige* , Peter van der Hoest
Arms Race , Australia , New Cold War , Sino-US Relations , Southeast Asia , Trade
Jul 19,2013 Special Forum

Cold War in Asia? China, Russia, and Asian Security

Although the Cold War ended by 1991, commentators, experts, and others repeatedly invoke this metaphor at any sign of great power tension. 1 Since the United States and China are the two strongest global and Asian powers, mounting bilateral tensions stimulate many to postulate a new Cold War between them. Others argue that US-Russian relations […]

Stephen Blank
Arms Race , Central Asia , Cold War , India , New Cold War , Sino-Russian Relations , Southeast Asia
Jul 19,2013 Country Reports

Country Report: Russia (July 2013)

Country Report: Russia (with the assistance of Olga Puzanova) This is an ideal time for a debate about the balance of Russian foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific region. Nervousness about its economic prospects keeps growing with implications for its strategy to develop the Russian Far East, whose plight drew new attention in 2012 when Vladivostok […]

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Olga Puzanova)
India , Multipolarity , North Korea , Obama-Putin Summit , Sino-Russian Relations , Southeast Asia , Xi-Obama Summit