9DASHLINE — 9DASHLINE

Why climate disaster risk belongs in defence agreements

Written by Ambika Vishwanath and Priyanka Bhide

The growing number and diversity of disasters in the Indo-Pacific region call for a more methodical approach between countries that share borders.

Cross-Border Interference or Garbled Messaging: China, Nepal, and the Cancellation of the World’s Largest Tibetan Studies Conference

Written by Robert Barnett

On 8 August the Nepalese government ordered Kathmandu University to abort its plan to host a major international conference on Tibet. Media reports and online chatter assumed China to be the culprit, but what remains unclear is whether China had aimed at the total shut-down of the conference or whether Nepal misread the signals from Beijing and went further than required.

Faultlines9DLSeptember 8, 20269DASHLINE, Robert Barnett, Nepal, and the Cancellation of the World’s Largest Tibetan Studies Conference, TIbet, China, Nepal conference, Tibet conference, authoritarianism, cross-border authoritarianism, cross-border interference, 17th seminar of the International Association of Tibetan Studies, conference shutdown, costly signaling, Cross-border Interference or Garbled Messaging China

From Galleons to Gigawatts: How China’s Solar Machine Made Silver Strategic

Written by Jason Togut

The history of silver has not come full circle, but it has begun to rhyme. Ming China pulled silver across the Pacific because its fiscal system created enormous monetary demand. Modern China pulls silver into factories because its industrial system creates enormous technological demand.

Emerging Issues9DLSeptember 4, 2026Jason Togut, From Galleons to Gigawatts: How China’s Solar Machine Made Silver Strategic, 9DASHLINE, China, silver market, photovoltaics, solar pv, solar panels, solar panel industry, critical minerals, silver supply, silver mining, silver demand, silver use in photovoltaics, China's industrial policy, critical mineral security

The Polar Silk Road: Nine Years On and Still Not a Master Plan for the Arctic

Written by Erdem Lamazhapov

Fears that the Polar Silk Road is an instrument for gaining control in the Arctic or over Greenland mistake what is essentially a slogan for a coherent, centrally-directed strategy. Still, while the slogan is heard less frequently these days, it has not yet fallen into obscurity. Under the right conditions, China might find it useful to defrost the Polar Silk Road.

In Brief: Assistant Editors at 9DASHLINE

As 9DASHLINE expands its Indo-Pacific coverage, Assistant Editors — Luana Correia, Akash Nayak and Elizabeth Cherchia — share what drew them to the region, the trends they believe deserve greater attention, and what makes analysis truly stand out.

Their perspectives highlight the region’s complexity and the importance of looking beyond familiar narratives.

News9DLSeptember 2, 2026In Brief: Assistant Editors at 9DASHLINE, 9DASHLINE, Luana Correia, Akash Nayak, Elizabeth Cherchia, Indo-Pacific, China, Taiwan, South Asia, India, Climate change

The Cost of Consistency: Beijing’s Miscalculation in the First Island Chain

Written by Herman S. Taylor

The dispute with the Philippines was temporarily set aside rather than settled, leaving room for neutrality. Then Beijing brought the same coercive reflex to Manila that it used everywhere. The failure was not China’s refusal to yield its claims, but its inability to adopt softer tactics.

Southeast Asia9DLSeptember 1, 2026Philippine sea, South China Sea (SCS), Chinese coercion, US-Philippines, 2016 Arbitral Award, First Island Chain, Scarborough Shoal, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos Jr., Philippine Offshore Gambling Operators, fishermen, Northern Luzon, maritime trade, pacific, 9DASHLINE, The Cost of Consistency Beijing’s Miscalculation in the First Island Chain, Herman S. Taylor

The Navigator’s August issue — out now

The August edition of THE NAVIGATOR is now available, delivering in-depth analysis, up-to-date information, and a comprehensive look at the Indo-Pacific region. This month we examine a region facing mounting pressure on multiple fronts. From extreme climate shocks and economic strain to shifting security partnerships and great-power competition, governments across the Indo-Pacific are increasingly focused on resilience, adaptability, and domestic stability.

Join our briefing today and stay ahead of the curve.

News9DLAugust 28, 20269DASHLINE, US, United States, China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Samoa, South China Sea, India-Pakistan, India, Pakistan, France, New Caledonia, Cambodia, Pacific Islands, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Tonga, PNG, Papua New Guinea, Trump, Myanmar, Elections, Iran, LNG, Energy, Sri Lanka, Arctic, Russia, Europe, Lithuania, Taliban, Afghanistan, Women's rights

In Conversation with Dr Eva Seiwert, Senior Analyst, MERICS

Ahead of the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek (31 Aug – 1 Sept), 9DASHLINE spoke with Dr. Eva Seiwert about her new book, The Shanghai Cooperation Organization and China’s Vision of International Relations. Marking the SCO’s 25th anniversary, Dr. Seiwert draws on Chinese-language sources and interviews to examine how Beijing leverages the alliance to shape an alternative international order and navigate modern geopolitical crises.

In Conversation9DLAugust 27, 2026MERICS, 9DASHLINE, EVA SEIWERT, In Conversation with Dr Eva Seiwert Senior Analyst MERICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, SCO, China, Russia, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mercator Institute for China Studies

‘Free’ from What? China and Ten Years of Free and Open Indo-Pacific

Written by Angelo M'BA

In the future, even less confrontational and security-focused iterations of FOIP are likely to face Beijing’s opposition because their premise of involving external actors — to balance China’s dominance — clashes with Beijing’s own objectives, regardless of content.

Faultlines9DLAugust 24, 2026‘Free’ from What? China and Ten Years of Free and Open Indo-Pacific, Angelo M'BA, 9DASHLINE, Indo-Pacific, FOIP, Free and Open Indo-Pacific, Japan, China, Philippines, South China Sea, ASEAN, Takaichi, Munich Security Conference, Xi Jinping, Asia-Pacific

The Cockroach in the Room: India’s Youth Movement and the Politics of Restraint

Written by Vignesh Rajahmani

The movement’s success is no longer measured by Pradhan’s resignation. What counts now is the institutional response the movement can compel: an independent NEET investigation, a reform timetable, procedural safeguards, and legal defence for those beaten and detained in July.

South Asia9DLAugust 21, 2026The Cockroach in the Room: India’s Youth Movement and the Politics of Restraint, Vignesh Rajahmani, 9DASHLINE, India, Cockroach Movement, Cockroach Protests, Cockroach Janta Party, youth movement, india, Main Bhi Cockroach, Abhijeet Dipke, Jantar Mantar, Indian students, student movement

In Conversation: Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Founder of 112Watch

This week, we speak with Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Founder of 112Watch and Professor at Kyoto University, about Thailand’s lèse-majesté law (Article 112), political repression in Thailand and Southeast Asia, defending civic space, and the future of the movement against Article 112.

Islands, not capitals: the front lines of Philippines-Japan relations

Written by Carmina Yu Untalan

Indeed, if stronger Philippines-Japan relations rest on upholding a rules-based international order, then both parties must extend the same normative and legal commitments to protect and empower the communities in their own island peripheries.

The invisibility of Northeast India's borderland communities in Japan-India cooperation

Written by Satoshi Ota

If the Indo-Japanese partnership is to fully reflect the principles associated with a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, development efforts should extend beyond strategic and economic considerations to encompass meaningful engagement with the historically marginalised communities of Northeast India.

Quad maritime surveillance – A game changer?

Written by Anuttama Banerji and Nayanima Basu

While the IPMSC marks a pivotal shift in US foreign policy strategy, particularly its military posture in the Pacific Ocean, this initiative, coupled with the strategic redesignation of USPACOM, underscores a clear intent to substantially bolster the US military’s presence in the region.

In Brief with Angelo M’BA and Samuel Parmer

As 9DASHLINE continues to expand its coverage across the Indo-Pacific, our editorial team recently welcomed two Associate Editors — Angelo M’BA and Samuel Parmer.

Our Editor-in-Chief, Dr Yatana Yamahata, recently sat down with them to discuss their interests, the key trends shaping the Indo-Pacific, and where they think its coverage should be heading.

News9DLAugust 7, 2026In Brief with Angelo M’BA and Samuel Parmer, 9DASHLINE, Indo-Pacific, Samuel Parmer, Angelo M'BA, Yatana Yamahata, China, Japan, ASEAN, Vietnam, Philippines, World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation, WAICO, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

The strategic case against Japan's rice tariffs

Written by William Ford

If the Takaichi administration makes the difficult decision to lower rice tariffs or expand import quotas, it could bring down rice prices for Japanese consumers while also strengthening Japan’s partnerships with Southeast Asian rice exporters.

The Navigator’s July issue — out now

This month, we examine EU engagement with the Taliban, where Chris Fitzgerald argues that efforts to curb irregular migration risk undermining the bloc's longstanding commitment to human rights and international law. As Europe weighs strategic pragmatism against its normative identity, Fitzgerald asks what is sacrificed when geopolitical priorities take precedence over democratic values.

Join our briefing today and stay ahead of the curve.

News9DLJuly 31, 20269DASHLINE, US, United States, China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Samoa, South China Sea, India-Pakistan, India, Pakistan, France, New Caledonia, Cambodia, Pacific Islands, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Tonga, PNG, Papua New Guinea, Trump, Myanmar, Elections, Iran, LNG, Energy, Sri Lanka, Arctic, Russia, Europe, Lithuania, Taliban, Afghanistan, Women's rights

Bangladesh’s transition under the BNP: A case for stronger India–Australia cooperation

Written by Grace Corcoran and Aditya Gowdara Shivamurthy

Maritime security presents a high-impact avenue for coordination. Bangladesh possesses one of the most capable armed forces in the region and is the second-largest recipient of Chinese military equipment worldwide.