Written by Jay L Batongbacal
Manila must resume its original policy of standing by international law, reinforce its alliance with the US and strategic partnerships with middle powers like Japan and Australia, and deepen friendships with other external parties such as the UK and the EU.
Read MoreWritten by Gokul Sahni
Greater buy-in among European countries will help broaden the Indo-Pacific concept and the Netherlands would therefore join those voices in Brussels already pushing the EU towards working more closely with 'like-minded' partners in the region in seeking to promote both peace and prosperity.
Read MoreWritten by Michael Trinkwalder
However, if the EU truly wishes to make its Eastern members commit to a common strategy, its Western members will also have to give up on their jealously guarded ‘special relationships’ with China. A strategy devised between Paris and Berlin alone might be more ambitious, but it would do little good if it left half of the Union out in the cold.
Read MoreWritten by Andrew Chubb
This brief, broad-brush picture emerges from the Maritime Assertiveness Times Series (MATS) project, which is compiling corresponding data on other states in the South China Sea, as well as an East China Sea series. Data collection and coding is still in progress, but once complete, the project will enable us to ask an array of new questions on the dynamics of maritime disputes in East Asia.
Read MoreWritten by Michael Cannings
In recent elections, the voters have punished the KMT for appearing too close to the Chinese Communist Party. Opinion polls consistently show the Taiwanese people overwhelmingly want to remain separate from mainland China.
Read MoreWritten by Tom Sharpe
Without knowing what the Royal Navy task group’s specific movements will be (and they will be largely classified until after each stage), it is obvious that FONOPS would form a large part of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s operational output in the Indo-Pacific.
Read MoreWritten by Kuan-Ting Chen
Whoever occupies the White House after November has now clearly experienced first-hand that Taiwan can indeed help. With enough work already carried out here in Taipei, Washington has an unparalleled opportunity to elevate the status of this small but mighty nation to a regional leader — in line with its own goals for engagement with the Indo-Pacific region.
Read MoreWritten by John Pollock
After conducting the largest ever Varuna exercise off Goa in May 2019, the Chief of France’s navy Admiral Christophe Prazcuk announced that the French and Indian navies would undertake joint maritime security patrols in the Indian Ocean. The first such patrol took place in March 2020 utilising P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine aircraft.
Read MoreWritten by Alexey D Muraviev
It came as no surprise that a month later, the honour guards of the People’s Liberation Army marched in Red Square as part of grand celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of Soviet victory over Germany. The event was heavy on symbolism — yet another way for the two rivals to signal their growing closeness.
Read MoreWritten by Amelia Hadfield
What began as a single protest in 2003 has now turned into a consolidated, permanent anti-government structure, including a wide range of citizens and stakeholders from across and beyond Hong Kong, all of whom are largely united in their demands to preserve democracy and autonomy for Hong Kong.
Read MoreWritten by Frank O’Donnell
The growing pressure upon the Modi government to be seen to be robustly responding to China’s Ladakh incursions threatens to accelerate increasingly aggressive developments in Indian nuclear doctrine and posturing.
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 Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy and Ma Junjie
Germany’s economic might has been decisive in shaping bilateral ties, but also EU-China relations. Trade cooperation has ensured Berlin a position of strength within the EU vis-à-vis China. But cooperation has turned into rivalry, jeopardising Germany’s leading role in high-tech manufacturing.
Read MoreWritten by Abhishek Mishra
The African continent increasingly occupies a central place in India’s strategic calculus. While India and Africa’s trade, investment, and capacity building initiatives are growing, it is the maritime-security partnership where ties are set to evolve.
Read MoreWritten by Shah Suraj Bharat
After Myanmar announced its COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan, analysts warned that Beijing would take advantage of these measures and push through infrastructure projects under the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), which falls under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Read MoreWritten by Ian Hall
There can be little doubt that what just happened in the Galwan River Valley constitutes the biggest test yet faced by Narendra Modi’s government. Modi’s options are, however, constrained.
Read MoreWritten by Rishap Vats
Touted as a “game-changer”, CPEC is one of the earliest manifestations of the BRI, and despite the hurdles, we shouldn’t be neglecting the underlying strategic aspects of this grand project. For Pakistan, it is about transforming its economy and making sure CPEC becomes a harbinger of prosperity.
Read MoreWritten by Zachary Haver
Beijing’s relentless pattern of assertiveness in the South China Sea is reinforcing existing perceptions of China as an irresponsible power. Beijing could have seized on COVID-19 as a chance to earn goodwill in Southeast Asia. Instead, China adopted the opposite approach.
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