Written by Ritika V Kapoor
Although Sri Lanka has stated it will adopt an ‘India-first approach’ under Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s presidency, observers will be watching what the election portends for Sino-Sri Lankan relations, particularly as they had burgeoned during Mahinda’s presidential terms from 2005 to 2015.
Read MoreWritten by Joseph Hammond
This summer the State Department approved a $23 billion plan for Japan to acquire 105 F-35 stealth fighters of both the conventional take-off (the F-35A), and the short take-off and vertical landing variant (the F-35B). As a result of this deal, Japan is now home to one of only two F-35 production final assembly and check-out facilities outside of Fort Worth, Texas.
Read MoreWritten by Stephen Nagy and Hanh Nguyen
Surveys conducted by American and European Union Chambers of Commerce showed that more than 80 per cent of businesses do not have relocation plans. Despite rising labour costs and geopolitical tensions, China still holds several critical advantages — high-skilled labour, a giant market, adequate infrastructure, and complex supply chains for business.
Read MoreWritten by Sreeradha Data
Aung San Suu Kyi’s choice to align with Myanmar’s armed forces, the Tatmadaw, served to display little sympathy for the plight of the hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas that were forced to flee their homes amid a widespread campaign of ethnic cleansing in Rakhine State.
Read MoreWritten by M. Sudhir Selvaraj
Most scholarship on communal violence in India focuses on Hindu-Muslim contentions, it is essential to note that Christians in India, who constitute 2.3 per cent of the population, are also targets of violence. Academics and activists share the consensus that violence against Christians is primarily caused by those who subscribe to the Hindutva ideology.
Read MoreWritten by Raul ‘Pete’ Pedrozo
As China continues to leverage its military modernisation and predatory economic policies to achieve regional hegemony, a second Trump administration would remain committed to upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific that provides prosperity and security for all nations, large and small.
Read MoreWritten by Sung-Young Kim, Elizabeth Thurbon, Hao Tan and John Mathews
South Korea’s economy has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, its export industries dropped by 24 per cent in May as demand for the nation’s mainstay products fell away. In response, Korean President Moon Jae-in launched the Korean New Deal or “K-New Deal”.
Read MoreWritten by Avinash Godbole
The new principal contradiction, as stated by Xi Jinping in his 2017 Party congress speech, essentially acknowledges that a new form of state-society relationship is required in China as the country is in the midst of one of the most significant transitions in its modern political history.
Read MoreWritten by Angshuman Choudhury
COVID-19 cases in Myanmar have grown rapidly since the end of August. Although postponing the election has so far been ruled out, the government is scrambling to contain the virus. What’s more, the dramatic spurt began in arguably the most strife-torn region in the country today, Rakhine State.
Read MoreWritten by Antoine Bondaz
Maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is a key interest for the EU. A military conflict in the Taiwan Strait would entail heavy humanitarian consequences, tremendous economic disruptions, and would embolden authoritarian regimes to act aggressively in violation of international law.
Read MoreWritten by Javed Iqbal Wani & L. David Lal
The Indian government’s attitude towards the people of the region has become clear over the past year. It has not taken enough steps towards ameliorating Kashmiri fears of Hindu nationalism and overreach by the Indian state has put them at the crossroads of an active confrontation between three nuclear powers in South Asia.
Read MoreWritten by Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy
Building on its gratitude towards Taiwan for its provision of medical supplies, the EU and its member states should meaningfully push for Taiwan’s inclusion in international efforts. More importantly, the EU should support Taiwan’s participation in international organisations.
Read MoreWritten by Sana Hashmi
Calls for India to engage Taiwan from its domestic sphere and China’s continued aggression provide India with an opportunity to rethink its Taiwan policy – not because Taiwan can be used as a “card” against China but because India needs to find new credible partners in East Asia as New Delhi moves away from Beijing.
Read MoreWritten by Melissa Conley Tyler
The Morrison government wants sweeping new powers to cancel international arrangements by universities, councils and state governments. After announcing its intentions in August, it introduced a bill to parliament last week.
Read MoreWritten by Felix Kuhn
A policy that will find much greater favour among LDP hardliners is Suga’s promise in his election pamphlet to revise the constitution, which would include a clear statement on Japan’s right to hold military forces. This has long been a dream of more right-wing politicians.
Read MoreWritten by Simran Walia
Abe attempted to reorient Japan’s security policy with regard to a rising and increasingly assertive China and in so doing expanded its security and strategic ties with Australia, India, France, the UK, and several countries in Southeast Asia. Abe has therefore left an indelible imprint on the country’s foreign and security policy.
Read MoreWritten by Garima Mohan
The real significance of these guidelines lies in the signal they send — to China, to partners in the region, and to other European countries. Timing is significant — coinciding with Germany’s EU Council presidency, releasing this document suggests Germany will make a real push, along with France and other Member States, towards an EU-wide approach to the Indo-Pacific.
Read MoreWritten by Robert Ward
While Abe may have had his most obvious successes in foreign relations, he also leaves his successor a full in-tray of foreign policy problems, not least a failure to advance on a territorial dispute with Russia and relations with South Korea that are at their lowest ebb since the 1965 bilateral normalisation treaty.
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