Written by Joe Varner

This is more about an aggressive hegemonic China's conventional warfighting capabilities and ensuring they have free reign in the Western Pacific against states like Taiwan without facing the prospect of nuclear war.

Three hawks and a dove: Defence issues and the 2021 LDP election

Written by Corey Wallace

Kishida’s increasingly muscular security stances also reflect toughening attitudes towards China within Japan’s political elites and public opinion throughout the spectrum. Ultimately, it is very likely that the Chinese government will be disappointed that Kishida is not a sheep in wolf’ clothing.

Heating up: An arms race on the Korean Peninsula

Written by Joe Varner

North Korea, on the other hand, has in the last month made clear it is going nowhere. It is bound and determined to hold Washington’s feet to the fire, holding its bases in the region, US cities and their populations hostage now and for the foreseeable future.

The future of South Korea’s feminist movement

Written by Shan-Jan Sarah Liu

Gendered expectations of women in South Korea are long-established and thus make the current feminist breakthrough even more significant than it might be in western societies. Recent developments illustrate that feminism can be an empowering tool for young South Korean women to stand in solidarity with one another in fighting misogyny.

Kuomintang: The only party capable of maintaining a US-China-Taiwan trilateral balance

Written by Eric Chu

As conflict rages around the world and political divisions continue to drive nations apart, Taiwan’s political leadership must emphasise bipartisanship and cooperation for mutual benefit while also being able to stand up for the country’s principles: looking for commonalities while respecting differences.

The EU’s new hype around Taiwan: Prospects for a more granular approach

Written by Justyna Szczudlik

The European Parliament’s role in popularising the Taiwan issue cannot be overestimated. The EU should promptly move towards popularising existing platforms for cooperation with Taiwan, such as those on industrial, digital and high-tech topics.

Taiwan’s fight against COVID-19: Balancing pandemic control with democratic oversight and rule of law

Written by Grace Faerber

Taiwanese society must rally its democratically elected representatives in the Legislative Yuan and Executive Yuan to take a hard look at the “necessary measures” currently in place and determine if one daily domestic case truly warrants such a wide margin of executive discretion and infringement on individual privacy.

The challenge of Chinese digital payment networks

Written by Felix Garten

Chinese-owned companies that use a Chinese digital payment platform outside of China also must adhere to the standards set by this platform. This could further be extended to companies and businesses that are not Chinese-owned but depend on the platform.

Why Hong Kong is no longer safe for business

Written by Jennine Liu

Bilateral disagreements over trade and extradition policies are likely to worsen China’s relations with the US and Canada, which will likely increase the threat of hostage diplomacy and arbitrary detentions for American and Canadian travellers in Hong Kong.

China’s expanding nuclear forces

Written by Gerald C. Brown

If China adopts a launch-on-warning posture that could cause substantial damage to the United States regardless of arsenal size, nuclear weapons are also unlikely to be enough to deter conventional conflicts outside the United States.

Assessing Taiwan’s ‘people-centred’ New Southbound Policy in Southeast Asia

Written by Ratih Kabinawa

Epistemic networks in Taiwan and Southeast Asia might learn from the success of their counterparts in European and North American countries in establishing regional Taiwan Studies associations. The Taiwanese government should also play an active role in fostering the establishment of such associations.

China’s tech clampdown signals push for ideological security

Written by Aleksandra Gadzala Tirziu

In the case of Didi and China’s wider technological crackdown, it is then ideology, above all else, that is at the centre. Recognising and internalising this fact will help foster a better global understanding of China, and a better ability to anticipate what else is to come.

Cross-Strait relations amid the CPC’s centenary celebration

Written by Li-chia Lo

Strategic ambiguity used to provide a grey area for cross-strait communications and provided some stability in the region. But the CPC's "unshakeable commitment" may spell the end of strategic ambiguity and force all parties to play on their own terms.

Parallel Universes — Why Beijing’s celebrations didn’t leave the rest of the world in party mood

Written by Kerry Brown and Astrid Nordin

Exposed to scrutiny as never before, it will have to do better at speaking to the world than the bullying diplomacy of the ‘Wolf Warrior’ phenomenon witnessed over late 2020 and into 2021.

Agriculture 4.0 aid: The key to domestic and foreign policy fusion for Taiwan

Written by Maxwell S. Wappel

By training a generation of farmers that is highly literate in data collection and sharing, as well as transitioning from purely agricultural production to a model that creates competitive value-added products, Taiwan can be a first mover in reforming a pattern of aid dependency — and gain invaluable diplomatic goodwill in doing so

China’s wolf warriors: How the continent that gave birth to diplomacy lacks the means to respond

Written by Sari Arho Havrén

The question is not how wolf warriors behave but whether behind the noise European policymakers understand Beijing’s grand plan, and what it means for maintaining fundamental European values.

Denuclearisation means regime change in North Korea

Written by Benedikt Christoph Staar

North Korea’s neighbours are not too keen on denuclearisation either. Admittedly, neither China nor Russia benefits from a nuclear-armed North Korea because it causes regional insecurity at best and unforeseeable political and economic damage at worst.

'Deterrence and stern diplomacy': where do we go from here?

Written by Edward Howell

Growing tensions in Sino-US relations vis-à-vis Taiwan and the treatment of Uyghur minorities in Xinjiang only underscore the Biden administration’s policy of maintaining stability over the possible unintended consequences of any attempt to reach out to Kim Jong-un.