The European Union needs a more pragmatic foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific

Written by Angelo M’BA

Perhaps counter-intuitively, only an approach less concerned with morals and more with pragmatic engagement can pave the way for the EU to spread its values in the Indo-Pacific.

The fight for the future of global digital payments

Written by Andrew Gordan

Global digital finance will also increasingly become entangled with broader structures of major power competition, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. Anxiety about Chinese economic influence in Oceania has likely driven India to pitch the Pacific Islands on digital infrastructure, inking an agreement on DPI with Fiji in November 2024.

Japan and Cambodia: Partners in a diplomatic balancing act

Written by Shin Kawashima

Japan and other US allies must strengthen ties with Southeast Asian countries to address US retrenchment, positioning themselves as credible alternatives for countries seeking to avoid over-reliance on China.

Building bridges: EU–Taiwan–ASEAN connectivity for a multipolar world

Written by Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy and Julia Gurol-Haller

Together, the EU, Taiwan, and ASEAN can redefine connectivity not as a geopolitical tool for influence, but as a platform for empowerment, resilience, and strategic autonomy in the Global South.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific, Southeast Asia9DLJuly 24, 20259DASHLINE, Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, Julia Gurol-Haller, Taiwan, ASEAN, EU, connectivity, trilateral cooperation, multipolarity, New Southbound Policy, Global South, China, sustainability, connectivity dialogue, Building bridges: EU–Taiwan–ASEAN connectivity for a multipolar world

Indonesia in BRICS: New chapter or familiar story?

Written by Dominique Fraser and Dr Premesha Saha

Indonesia will need to ensure that it carefully balances its commitments to BRICS alongside its responsibilities and obligations within ASEAN and its existing relationships with Western nations like the US and the EU.

NATO on a risky course

Written by Uwe Hoering

With every further escalation, the pressure to close ranks, to form hostile blocs and thus the danger of a military confrontation grows.

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.

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What the Chinese renminbi’s momentum means for US sanctions power

Written by Andrea Leonard Palazzi

In the end, the path to widespread use of the renminbi — at least to trade with China — is US sanctions themselves.

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Diverting from China: Cambodia’s foreign policy in a new era

Chhay Lim and Kimpor Try

While there is leeway for Cambodia to hedge and pursue an independent foreign policy, the new government under Hun Manet has no choice but to continue diversifying strategic and economic partners.

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Navigating Sinophobia amid Indonesia's economic ascent

Written by Dr Narayani Sritharan and Peter Rizkillah

Sinophobia in Indonesia is not merely a by-product of the BRI but a consequence of economic ambition intersecting with security concerns in a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape.

Emerging Issues, Southeast Asia, Most Popular9DLJune 18, 2024Navigating Sinophobia amid Indonesia's economic ascent, NARAYANI SRITHARAN, PETER RIZKILLAH, 9DashLine, China, Indonesia, geopolitics, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chinese lending, BRI-related loans, infrastructure, Sinophobia, Global South, Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, economic growth, debt sustainability, debt, AidData, Xi Jinping, Global Civilisation Initiative, Global Security Initiative (GSI), development tools, President Jokowi, Chinese investments, influx of Chinese workers, Chinese workers, immigration, labour migration, COVID-19 pandemic, Jakarta, PT Gunbuster Nickel Industry (GNI), nickel, nickel processing plant, Jiangsu Delong Nickel Industry, Morowali, Central Sulawesi, PT Virtue Dragon Nickel Industry (VDNI), Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesian labour regulations, labour disputes, labour unions, ferronickel smelter, Indonesia Country Climate and Development Report, data protection laws, tourist visas, ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, visa-free, visa-waiver policy, North Sumatra, Dairi regency, regional security, Islamist extremist groups, Jamah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), counterterrorism, counterterrorism cooperation

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.

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In Forum — Great power politics amid great turbulence

For many in the Global South and the Indo-Pacific, the West’s contrasting responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Isreal-Palestine conflict have revealed a hypocrisy that undermines the international order it is seeking to protect and promote.

In this In Forum, 9DASHLINE asks a number of experts how these factors will shape great power competition.

BRICS Plus: India’s perspective on the group’s expansion

Written by Rishma Banerjee

Given the broader context of India’s rivalry with China, and its tightrope act of balancing ties between Russia and the West, New Delhi’s support for the six new BRICS members reflects its broader strategic and geopolitical interests.

Editor's Picks9DLDecember 19, 20239dashline, BRICS Plus: India’s perspective on the group’s expansion, BRICS, BRICS Plus, BRICS expansion, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Argentine, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, eligibility criteria, New Delhi, Global South, geopolitical interests, strategic partnership, bilateral relations, Prime Minister Modi, African Union, regional bloc, AU, foreign policy, international forums, G20, I2U2 grouping, strategic partnerships, Middle East, INSTC, IMEEC, oil, oil imports, energy security, diaspora, Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Gulf region, strategic autonomy, bilateral trade, GCC, BRICS platform, US-India nuclear deal, New Delhi Declaration, Chabahar Port, global economic output, global governance, oil-producing nations, BRICS Interbank Cooperation Mechanism, BRICS Pay digital payment platform

Structural trends could force swing states to choose sides

Written by Marc Saxer

‘Partnerships of the Middle’ recognise the aversion of Asian powers against alliances and offer informal avenues of collaboration to safeguard global public goods.

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Forum: The Israel-Palestine conflict and the Indo-Pacific

Recent events have again shaken the decades-long conflict between Israel and Palestine leading to new unspeakable levels of suffering.

Here, 9DASHLINE brings together a group of experts to provide us with a view from the Indo-Pacific and explore the conflict’s significance for the region.

China’s uncertain future as a global security provider

Written by Lukas Fiala

The key question is whether Xi’s growing assertiveness and inadequacy of existing means to ensure the security of Chinese entities abroad will lead to a more pronounced security footprint over the coming decade, featuring new military base arrangements and, potentially, institutionalised security guarantees.

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In Conversation with Dr Rohan Mukherjee

9DASHLINE recently sat down with Dr Rohan Mukherjee to talk about his fascinating book Ascending Order: Rising Powers and the Politics of Status in International Institutions. Using original and robust archival evidence, the book offers the first comprehensive study of conflict and cooperation as new powers join the global arena.

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Why China is an unlikely mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war

Written by Dr Eva Seiwert

Despite China’s interest in increasing its involvement in crisis resolution, it remains unclear whether Beijing is willing to mediate, and whether it can be a fair broker, in the Russia-Ukraine war.