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Navigating the middle: Japan-Cambodia relations and the challenge of geopolitical competition

Navigating the middle: Japan-Cambodia relations and the challenge of geopolitical competition

Written by Dr Sophal Ear

Cambodia offers a litmus test: if Japan can sustain influence there, it may do so across mainland Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asia, East Asia9DLMay 29, 20259DASHLINE, Sophal Ear, Navigating the middle: Japan–Cambodia relations and the challenge of geopolitical competition, Khmer Rouge, Cambodia, Japan, United States, China, diplomacy, development, peacebuilding, foreign policy, agency, Great power rivalry, Tokyo, liberal values, Southeast Asia, defense diplomacy, Cambodia’s Ream base, 1991 Paris Peace Agreements, United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), Official Development Assistance (ODA), aid, bilateral donor, Sihanoukville, soft infrastructure, authoritarianism, Phnom Penh, Strategic Partnership, international norms, rule of law, maritime security, ASEAN, South China Sea, Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) framework, Yōko Kamikawa, human resource development, digital connectivity, climate change, US tariffs, transhipment, public debt, United Nations Human Rights Council, debt trap, European Union, “Everything But Arms” scheme, sanctions, democratic backsliding, Hun Manet, “multi-vector” diplomacy, Beijing, alignment, national interest, liberal internationalism, Belt and Road Initiative, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), civil society, Cultural diplomacy, Japan-Cambodia Kizuna Festival, Japanese pop culture, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, State of Southeast Asia surveys, Ream Naval Base, Vietnamese People’s Navy, South China Sea (SCS), multilateralisation, Cold War, Soviet, balancing, non-alignment, middle power, FDI, The Asia Foundation, Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Center (CJCC), Navigating the middle: Japan-Cambodia relations and the challenge of geopolitical competition

China is hedging in Myanmar by leveraging its influence

China is hedging in Myanmar by leveraging its influence

Written by Chetan Rana

Even though Myanmar’s international isolation appears to push it further closer to China, the Sit Tat and the EAOs are simultaneously engaging and contesting with China in different sectors. Beijing will be key in the execution and acceptance of elections planned by the junta.

In Dialogue: Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy and Matej Šimalčík on Taiwan

In Dialogue: Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy and Matej Šimalčík on Taiwan

Central and Eastern Europe’s (CEE) relationship with Taiwan is evolving amid shifting global dynamics.

Dr Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy speaks with Matej Šimalčík, a Taiwan Fellowship recipient currently based at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) in Taipei, to explore the implications of these developments for CEE, Taiwan, and the broader geopolitical landscape.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLFebruary 25, 2025In Dialogue: Taiwan, Central and Eastern Europe, Dr. Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, Matej Šimalčík, 9DASHLINE, Taiwan, China, Russia, Taiwan Fellowship, Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), Taipei, Robert Fico, Hungary, Slovakia, Donald Trump, CEE, great power rivalry, Europe-Taiwan relations, US foreign policy, Israel, Egypt, development aid, Chinese assertiveness in Europe, Europe, Democratic Progressive Party, polarisation, new US administration, Germany, South Korea, Key US ally, Fico administration, Slovakian society, the West, communist nostalgia, Crimea, Vladimír Mečiar, NATO, Russian hybrid warfare, 2014 annexation of Crimea, Victor Orban, CEE region, Hungarian government, Chinese investment, bridge between the East and West, EV sector., EV sector, German value chains, Eastern Opening, All Azimuth Foreign Policy, Hanoi, Moscow, Beijing, Seoul, Vietnam, strategic partnership with China, Western allies, Brazil, Serbia, Orbán’s Eastern Opening, greenfield investments, hinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs), Volvo, EV factory, Gotion, Chinese battery producer, Volkswagen, transitioning to EV production, Automative sector, EU-Taiwan relations, cultural exchanges, people-to-people exchange, Slovakian perceptions, engagement with Taiwan, Mask diplomacy, COVID-19, trade and economic security, invasion of Ukraine, Central Eastern Europe, Polarisation, domestic politics, Civil Society, Grassroots, symbolic and substantive cooperation, One China policy, One China principle, PRC, like-minded partners in Europe, Taiwan-Europe relations, Normative power Taiwan? Human rights and Taiwan-EU relations, cooperation with Taiwan, Partners in Peace: Why Europe and Taiwan Matter to Each Other, Central European Institute of Asian Studies, ational Dong Hwa University, diplomatic recognition, deter coercion, grassroots leve, grassroots level, cities and regions, Tsai administration, Sweden, Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, In Dialogue: Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy and Matej Šimalčík on Taiwan

Towards explicit criteria for de-risking? What the new European Commission has in store vis-à-vis China

Towards explicit criteria for de-risking? What the new European Commission has in store vis-à-vis China

Written by Dr Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova

Risks remain for Europe not just internally, but also externally, as China's support for Russia in its war against Ukraine and US pressure for a unified transatlantic approach limit the EU's room for manoeuvre.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLFebruary 19, 20259DASHLINE, Towards explicit criteria for de-risking? What the new European Commission has in store vis-à-vis China, UNA ALEKSANDRA BĒRZIŅA-ČERENKOVA, EU, European Union, European Commission, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Ursula von der Leyen, China, geopolitics, EU's China policy, partner-competitor-rival trifecta, de-risking, critical raw materials, supply chains, EV imports, anti-subsidy investigation, 2019 strategic outlook, Political Guidelines, cooperation-competition-rivalry, “no-limits” friendship, Russia, economic security, economic statecraft, G7, resilient, rare earths, semiconductor, Mission letter, European Green Deal, Maroš Šefčovič, Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) Forum, AI, US, Chinese military, tariff, Japan, high value-added markets, US bipartisan anti-China stance, Beijing, PRC, EU member states, China-Russia relationship, US President Joe Biden, Ukraine, Donald Trump, Hungary, Germany, Slovakia, transatlantically

China's preferred endgame in Ukraine is a hybrid peace

China's preferred endgame in Ukraine is a hybrid peace

Written by Dr Justyna Szczudlik

Sympathising with the idea of hybrid peace is a dangerous trap for the West. The only way to undermine Sino-Russian alignment, deter China from aggressive moves, and defend the rules-based order is to do everything possible to help Ukraine win the war.

How the Russia-North Korea alliance challenges China's strategic interests in Northeast Asia

How the Russia-North Korea alliance challenges China's strategic interests in Northeast Asia

Written by Anny Boc

Beijing’s passive approach only reflects its dilemma of balancing its regional interests with its need to preserve strategic ties with both Russia and North Korea, especially as the competition between China and the United States is likely to intensify.

In Conversation with Dr. Enze Han

In Conversation with Dr. Enze Han

9DASHLINE’s Southeast Asia Associate Hunter Marston recently spoke with Dr Enze Han about his latest book, The Ripple Effect: China’s Complex Presence in Southeast Asia.

The book provides a nuanced perspective on China’s relationship with Southeast Asia, focusing not just on state-level interactions but also on the significant role of non-state actors, such as businesses and migrants, in shaping regional perceptions of China.

In Conversation9DLJanuary 9, 20259DASHLINE, Enze Han, he Ripple Effect: China’s Complex Presence in Southeast Asia, Southeast Asia, non-state actors, China’s influence in Southeast Asia, Chinese migration, Cold War, Beijing, Beijing’s main goal in Southeast Asia, US-China competition, South China Sea, Thailand’s domestic institutions, Myanmar, Thailand, conduits of Chinese influence, National Unity Government, Myanmar military junta, Cambodia, Chinese criminal syndicates, Malaysia, threat perceptions, low threat perception of china, securitised, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, 2023 State of Southeast Asia, Hunter Marston, Middle East, Donald Trump, Israel, Southeast Asian political elites, criminal networks, CCP, foreign influence, How is Beijing’s influence in Southeast Asia unique?, corporations, Southeast Asian governments, The Ripple Effect: China’s Complex Presence in Southeast Asia, In Conversation with Dr. Enze Han

Despite doubts, the Quad is here to stay

Despite doubts, the Quad is here to stay

Written by Lucas Myers

The Quad’s role is clearer in 2024 than in 2017 or 2007. It coordinates and ensures the provision of public goods in an era of great power competition that is about much more than just traditional hard power security.

Pacific, Faultlines9DLNovember 26, 20249DASHLINE, Lucas Myers, Despite doubts, the Quad is here to stay, Quad, Quad Leaders’ Meeting, Quad Leaders' Summit, Delaware, US President Joe Biden, The Quad is here to stay, Delaware readout, Wilmington, US electoral season, New Delhi, Biden's home, New York, Japan, Australia, UN meeting, US scheduling conflicts, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Shigeru Ishiba, Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Quad collapsed, talk shop, counter-China coalition, Beijing, Southeast Asia, Pacific, Quad’s purpose., force for good, big-ticket infrastructure, 400 million doses, Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), Indo-Pacific, USD 140 million for undersea cables, Open RAN network in Palau, Palau, Global South, undersea cables, USD 500 million cable network, testing us all, East and South China Seas, non-Quad countries, latticework” concept, US-centered alliance system, Western Pacific, AUKUS, the Squad, Asian NATO, minilaterals, US-centric security architecture, rules-based order coalition, US Coast Guard, Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea’s landslides, Typhoon Yagi, Kevin Rudd, 2024 Quad summit, 2022 Quad Summit in Tokyo, Harris administration, Republican Party, Asia First, Republican White House, Development Finance Corporation, allied burden sharing, India, United States, Here to stay, Minilateral grouping, Wilson Center

Hong Kong’s arrest warrants and bounties and why this matters in the EU

Hong Kong’s arrest warrants and bounties and why this matters in the EU

Written by Anouk Wear

Novel threats from the Hong Kong government are already causing real consequences for Hong Kongers in the EU — activists and more ‘ordinary’ citizens alike — and they are creating new challenges for advocacy from civil society and diplomatic channels.

East Asia, Europe and the Indo-Pacific, Editor's Picks9DLOctober 11, 20249DASHLINE, Hong Kong’s arrest warrants and bounties and why this matters in the EU, Anouk Wear, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Protests, Hong Kong extradition bill, Hong Kong’s human rights situation, Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, Article 23 legislation, 2020 National Security Law, 2019 pro-democracy protest movement, EU countries, European Parliament, UN, United Nations, UN Human Rights Committee, UN Universal Periodic Review, China, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, international law, rules-based international order, human rights violations, Beijing, international human rights norms, international human rights language, arrest warrants, activists, Article 96, absconders, transnational repression, European Convention on Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, American Convention on Human Rights, autonomous Hong Kong, bounties, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO), impunity, extraterritorial human rights violations, diaspora, Hong Kong activists, underground resistance, Taiwan Strait, undemocratic, EU jurisdictions

NATO and Northeast Asia: A growing partnership

NATO and Northeast Asia: A growing partnership

Written by Emma Chanlett-Avery

A decisive shift in US policy towards isolationism and “America First” could disrupt or downgrade ‘trans-Atlantic’ and Indo-Pacific alliances.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific, East Asia, Most Popular9DLAugust 8, 20249DASHLINE, Emma Chanlett-Avery, NATO and Northeast Asia: A growing partnership, NATO, NATO Summit, Washington, Biden administration, Joe Biden, foreign policy, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, White House, the Indo-Pacific Partners (IPP), Russia’s aggression, China’s support of Russia’s war in Ukraine, China, Russia, Ukraine, NATO-IPP relationship, Northeast Asia, European allies, Asian democracies, international liberal order, Tokyo, Seoul, South China Sea (SCS), East China Sea, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, information security, counter-piracy, China as a strategic challenge, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Moscow, Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Yoon Suk Yeol, NATO Summit in Madrid, sanctions, humanitarian aid, defence industry, Poland, arms exports, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, DPRK, anti-aircraft systems, Beijing, Putin-Kim summit, nuclear weapons, missiles, Pyongyang, Minilaterals, US-South Korea-Japan, US-Japan-Philippines, AUKUS, Quad, Biden-Harris administration, Donald Trump, isolationism, US Congress, GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance, defence planners, America First

Mending trilateral cooperation amid differences: Japan-ROK-China

Mending trilateral cooperation amid differences: Japan-ROK-China

Written by Daria Kurushina

Whether the driver is counterbalancing China’s influence in the region, addressing economic unfairness and trade barriers, criticising the expansion of the US trilateral alliance systems in the region, or improving diplomatic ties, the three countries have too much in common to neglect their interdependence.

East Asia9DLJuly 18, 20249DASHLINE, Daria Kurushina, Mending trilateral cooperation amid differences: Japan-ROK-China, Japan, ROK, South Korea, CHina, Trilateral, centre of gravity, geostrategic competition, Republic of Korea, regional dynamism, regional dynamics, Japan-ROK-China Trilateral Summit, Trilateral Summit, security, economy, military, US alliance system in the Asia-Pacific, United States, Taiwan Strait, Northeast Asia, historic grievances, wastewater, Fukushima’s wastewater, wastewater release, Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, trade dependencies, Free Trade Agreement, FTA, wartime forced labour compensation, Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Korea-China 2+2 Diplomatic and Security Dialogue, Korea-China Export Control Dialogue, 2023 Camp David summit, united states, tariffs, Chinese EV, solar panels, and battery industries, standards, non-discriminatory regional trade, Korean Peninsula, peace, prosperity, North Korea, nuclear, spy satellite, Russia-North Korea partnership pact, Moscow, Pyongyang, US allies, Japanese seafood products, seafood imports, trilateral diplomacy, free trade negotiations, people-to-people exchange, public health, ageing society, population control, low fertility trap, population halving by 2100, demographic shifts, childcare support, parental leave, healthcare, demographic national emergency, nuclear threats, North Korean missile and nuclear threats, defence spending, Ministry of Population Strategy Planning, dependency ratio, eldery, New Dimension, counterbalancing, olive branch, overcapacity issues

Understanding the Philippines’ changing South China Sea policy: A Chinese perspective

Understanding the Philippines’ changing South China Sea policy: A Chinese perspective

Written by Zhou Wenxing

The Philippine ruling elites need to realise that only political channels and diplomacy can realistically solve their disputes with China.

Faultlines9DLJuly 10, 20249DASHLINE, Wenxing Zhou, South China Sea, China, Philippines, Sierra Madre, Beijing, Manila, Marcos Jr, United States, Second Thomas Shoal, SCS

The EU’s Global Gateway Initiative: Infrastructure cooperation with Southeast Asia

The EU’s Global Gateway Initiative: Infrastructure cooperation with Southeast Asia

Written by Dr Alfred Gerstl and Nick Nieschalke

The investment in the Global Gateway Initiative (GGI) indicates the EU’s stronger global focus on infrastructure and connectivity partnerships within a dedicated scheme.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific, In Focus9DLMay 6, 20249dashline, The EU’s Global Gateway Initiative: Infrastructure cooperation with Southeast Asia, Dr Alfred Gerstl, Nick Nieschalke, EU, European Union, Indo-Pacific strategy, EU Global Gateway Initiative, Global Gateway Initiative, GGI, Indo-Pacific, Africa, Global South, geostrategic challenges, geo-economic challenges, EU institutions, EU member states, China, BRI, private sector, EU funds, Europe-Asia connectivity programme, infrastructure, connectivity partnerships, Brussels, Southeast Asia, alternative models of governance, economic benefits, values-based foreign policy, rules-based order, ASEAN, US, investment, de-risking, green transition, supply chains, energy supply, environment, health, education and research, energy, digital connectivity, UN SDG, sustainability, cooperation, Bac Ai hydropower plant, Vietnam, energy imports, net zero carbon emissions, electricity, hydropower, Hanoi, Beijing, environmental damages, lighthouse project, Philippines, Copernicus, natural disasters, climate change, Manila, soft power tool, geopolitical ambitions, security actor

Charting the future: US elections and the evolving US-Japan alliance

Charting the future: US elections and the evolving US-Japan alliance

Written by Dr Elli-Katharina Pohlkamp

In Japan’s business sector, the speculative phrase “moshi tora”, meaning “if Trump” has become widespread, indicating various industrial scenarios developed in the Japanese business sector for the possibility of a Trump presidency.

Sino-India rivalry for port dominance in Bangladesh

Sino-India rivalry for port dominance in Bangladesh

Written by Mae Chow and Shakthi De Silva

Ultimately, Bangladesh's ability to maintain constructive engagements with China and India will not only shape its own future trajectory but also contribute significantly to the stability and prosperity of the broader Indo-Pacific region.

South Asia, Faultlines9DLApril 24, 2024Sino-India rivalry for port dominance in Bangladesh, Mae Chow, Shakthi de Silva, 9DASHLINE, Bangladesh, India China, India, China, Sino-India rivalry, least developed country, developed economy, port, maritime, infrastructure, trade, port infrastructure, Beijing, New Delhi, Dhaka, intra-regional trade, Belt and Road, Belt and Road Initiative, BRI, Bangladesh-China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCM-EC), Myanmar, Mongla Port, Bay of Bengal, Neighbourhood First Policy, Kyaukpyu, Sri Lanka, Hambantota Port, Chittagong, foreign direct investment, China Harbour Engineering Company, investment, Sheikh Hasina, Sonadia Deep-Sea Port Project, single-point mooring, sea-land integrated super-large oil storage and transportation system, Chittagong port, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), China State Engineering and Construction Company (CSCEC), Payra Deep Seaport, Indian Ocean, littoral, String Of Pearls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maldives, Nepal, connectivity, sea lines, Mongla port, Khulna-Mongla Port Rail Line, Eigs India Consulting Engineers, Mongla Port Authority, development, Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority (BEPZA), Yun Sheng BD, Mongla Export Processing Zone, electric vehicle manufacturing supply chains, loans, balancing, strategic partnerships, sovereignty, diplomacy

China-Maldives military agreement: an upgrade to the bilateral relationship

China-Maldives military agreement: an upgrade to the bilateral relationship

Written by Lea Thome

The Maldives finds itself caught in a tug-of-war between India and China. However, Malé under Muizzu’s presidency has shown increasing openness towards China as it strives to navigate the balance between the two countries and maintain its own sovereignty.

US-Japan-South Korea trilateral cooperation: Overcoming the populist threat

US-Japan-South Korea trilateral cooperation: Overcoming the populist threat

Written by James Kaizuka

Deeper institutionalisation of security cooperation, bilaterally between Japan and South Korea and trilaterally also including the United States, can head off all of these threats and ensure that the ‘inaugural’ Indo-Pacific Dialogue is not the ‘only’ Indo-Pacific Dialogue.

East Asia9DLMarch 27, 20249dashline, US-Japan-South Korea trilateral cooperation: Overcoming the populist threat, James Kaizuka, Japan, South Korea, US, trilateral, Indo-Pacific Dialogue, Populism, Washington, cooperation, mutual threats, Security, GSOMIA intelligence-sharing agreement, GSOMIA, Soviet, Tsushima Strait, nationalism, Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida, South Korea’s President Yoon, President Biden, authoritarian threat, democracy, Republican Party, President Trump, US allies, trans-pacific, transatlantic, isolationist, free-riding, Beijing, Moscow, Pyongyang, depoliticising, Seoul, Tokyo, populism, elections, South Korea’s National Assembly, Democratic Party, Yoon’s Japan policy, Liberal Democratic Party, Nippon Kaigi, revisionism, Takaichi Sanae, Yasukuni Shrine, Ukraine, territory, history, reparations, wartime compensation, nuclear terrorism, Fukushima’s wastewater, Fukushima, Fukushima water, 1923 Kanto earthquake, second Trump presidency, Anti-military base movements, Alkonis affair, America First, Chinese disinformation, espionage, election interference, Camp David summit, NATO, European Union, Southeast Asia, Seibou Bunri, seikei bunri, diplomacy, defence

As the Philippines’ 'agency' in West Philippine Sea rises, so too does its infrastructure development

As the Philippines’ 'agency' in West Philippine Sea rises, so too does its infrastructure development

Written by Joshua Bernard Espeña

In the Philippine context, the country’s newfound middle-power position offers the Southeast Asian state the ability to navigate uncertainties based on clearly defined national interests, and doubling down on its commitment to develop its infrastructures in the West Philippine Sea is one of the ways to do it.

Southeast Asia9DLMarch 21, 20249dashline, Joshua Bernard Espeña, Philippines, Philippine sea, maritime infrastructure development, Anti-Access/Area-Denial operations, A2/AD, South China Sea, SCS, drones, imagery intelligence devices, agency, assertive transparency, revisionist moves, middle-power, Southeast Asia, national interests, Philippine Congress, infrastructure development, Martin Romualdez, economic development, resource base, natural resources, Manila, diplomacy, China, Beijing, theory of victory, strategic culture, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos Jr., National Security Policy (NSP) 2023-2028, NSP 2023-2028, multipolar world, national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national security, resupply missions, joint exercises, construction development, John Mearsheimer, foreign policy objectives, informational spheres, like-minded allies, domestic politics, external powers, foreign policy, Philippine-US alliance, Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, EDCA, Northern Luzon, Huang Xilian, Taiwan, Comprehensive Archipelagic Defence Concept, CADC, Armed Forces of the Philippines, AFP, Mavulis Island, Basco, Batanes province, American interests, Chinese power, Taiwan Strait, West Philippine Sea, Philippine Department of National Defence, archipelagic security, geostrategic agency, Rodrigo Duterte, Philippine-China relations, Malacañang Palace, Cheloy Serafil, Xi, Pantaleon Alvarez, appeasement, Jonathan Malaya, territory, multi-domain future warfare, warfare, As the Philippines’ 'agency' in West Philippine Sea rises, so too does its infrastructure development