Written by Rushali Saha
Russia’s ‘return’ to the Indo-Pacific strengthens India’s claim for a multipolar Indo-Pacific and opens up another avenue, beyond defence, for closer cooperation with a long-term partner. The presence of a strong military power such as Russia can increase the weight of middle powers such as India in the increasingly bipolar contest between the US and China.
Read MoreWritten by Ellen Ehrnrooth
Abe Shinzo will also be remembered for his efforts to redefine Japan’s bilateral relations. Under his premiership, he strengthened Japan’s ties to the US through his adept management of President Donald Trump, built on Japan’s ties to actors like Australia, India, and a host of Southeast Asian countries.
Read MoreWritten by Shantanu Roy-Chaudhury
The latest RIC meeting took place on 23 June 2020. For India, however, questions arise about whether the RIC fits New Delhi’s aims as it increases its strategic engagement with the United States, Japan, and Australia. This goes against the RIC’s objective to undermine a growing American presence in the Indo-Pacific.
Read MoreWritten by Joshua Bernard B. Espeña
Like Modi, Duterte’s approach is based on caution and building mutual trust to avoid a wider geopolitical conflict, and setting aside territorial disputes in exchange for trade and investment opportunities. This policy has continued despite regular harassment of Filipino fishing vessels by Chinese coast guards.
Read MoreWritten by Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat and M. Habib Pashya.
Oman is no way going to replace the U.S. or China as Indonesia’s main economic and security partner. However, Muscat could become one of the many alternative partners that Indonesia should embrace to be less dependent on China and the U.S., especially in the realm of counter-terrorism.
Read MoreWritten by Zachary Abuza
In Thailand there is a growing frustration that after holding power for five years, the military junta continues to cling to power and disenfranchise the electorate. The government of Prayut Chan-o-cha holds little in the way of legitimacy and increasingly, so does the monarchy.
Read MoreWritten by Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat
Southeast Asian countries should lessen their dependency on China and the US due to China’s growing assertiveness in the region and growing distrust of the US as a security partner. Although the region wants to continue enjoying access to China’s market and Chinese investments, China’s expansionist policy threatens the sovereignty of Southeast Asian countries.
Read MoreWritten by Masahiro Kurita
While further deepening cooperation with Delhi, Tokyo has selectively redefined and strengthened its relationships with certain geopolitically important countries in the region, in concert with India’s “Neighborhood First” policy.
Read MoreWritten by I-wei Jennifer Chang and Haiyun Ma
Indonesia and Malaysia (also referred to as the Nusantara world in Indonesian-Malay languages) sit at the cross-section of the Indian Ocean and Pacific and have become a meeting ground for the Washington’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific and Beijing’s 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
Read MoreWritten by Hanh Nguyen
While US-Vietnam relations lack the official name of a strategic partnership, the substance of bilateral cooperation is already at this level. As China continues to press its territorial and strategic ambitions in the South China Sea and Sino-US relations deteriorate, US-Vietnam ties will continue their upward trajectory.
Read MoreWritten by Kannan R Nair
Despite two decades of the Look East Policy and a more assertive Act East policy under Narendra Modi, New Delhi has not truly explored the potential of promoting increased cooperation and economic ties with the Mekong subregion.
Read MoreWritten by Alan Tidwell
The Morrison government sees a sharpening of the strategic competition between the US and China and signals a continued deepening of the American alliance. At the same time, the Update also points to other like-minded partners, such as Japan and Singapore, with whom Australia can work with.
Read MoreWritten by Mateusz Chatys
Considering the scale and scope of Chinese actions in the South China Sea, as well as the previous arrangements with ASEAN regarding how to resolve maritime disputes, the 36th ASEAN summit did not bring strong opposition to Beijing’s recent conduct.
Read MoreWritten by Tridivesh Singh Maini
Even in the midst of the pandemic, countries have been in talks regarding trade. The UK is seeking to sign an FTA, not just with the US, but also with Japan, so as to buttress the bilateral economic relationship and gain entry to the 11 member Comprehensive Partnership for Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Read MoreWritten by Francis C. Domingo
The Philippines has been collaborating with the US to strengthen its response to cyber threats but the current government under Rodrigo Duterte decided to distance itself from Washington and work with China and Russia.
Read MoreWritten by Chetan Rana
India, like many other states in the region, has been reluctant to pursue a balancing strategy against China due to the stark asymmetry in capabilities. After Galwan however this strategy has failed and India should look to new partners in the face of Beijing’s assertiveness.
Read MoreWritten by Jay Maniyar
China-Japan relations are caught between the spread of COVID-19 and rising tensions in the East China Sea on the one hand, but growing trade and economic relations on the other. It remains to be seen whether the relationship between these two rivals worsens or improves.
Read MoreWritten by Sriparna Pathak
In 1962, China and India engaged in a brief but bloody border war. Faced with the failure of the Great Leap Forward, Mao Zedong sought to reassert his authority by defeating an outward foe: India. Faced with COVID-19, economic uncertainty and political crisis, has Xi Jinping taken the same calculation in 2020?
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