US-China relations: Biden’s first 100 Days

Written by Beverley Loke

On the whole, Biden has demonstrated consistency between discourse and deeds. His achievements in renewing America’s global role and rejuvenating a liberal rules-based order undergirded by Washington’s leadership have not been trivial.

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Canada: Time to reset its Indo-Pacific approach

Written by Joe Varner

Nevertheless, a golden opportunity exists for Canada in the aftermath of the recent Quad anti-submarine warfare exercise to put itself forward to join the Quad, but the question is — given its spotty performance to date — will Canada be welcome?

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In Conversation: Rory Medcalf on Indo-Pacific Empire

It is fair to generalise that most Indo-Pacific countries welcome the new style of European naval presence in the Indo-Pacific, which is about partnership and cooperation, helping us consolidate the reality that this is a sea of many flags that no one power is entitled to dominate.

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The slow demise of 'business as usual' in China-EU relations

Written by Filip Sebok

It seems that Beijing is willing to sacrifice strategic gains in some areas, including the successful ratification of the Comprehensive Agreement on Investments (CAI), in favour of the aggressive defence of its increasingly repressive domestic policies in Xinjiang and elsewhere.

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Testing the Quad’s support for Taiwan

Written by Huynh Tam Sang

A Quad-aligned security umbrella with Taiwan’s security as one of the top priorities would also assure Taiwan of the grouping’s commitment to supporting the island. Additionally, the security and defence alignment framework would be a firm signal to Beijing that the Quad is not merely a talking shop, but a mode of security multilateralism in the making.

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Eyeball to eyeball at Pangong Tso: Why Sino-Indian tensions will continue

Written by John Pollock

The continuing presence of the PLA throughout Ladakh, with the pressure being applied on the Depsang Plains and the refusal to withdraw from Gogra and Hot Springs, indicates Beijing is not yet finished eroding India’s tactical position in the Himalayas for its strategic gain.

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Sino-Russian relations: Inside the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

Written by Eva Seiwert

While their disagreements behind the scenes prevent the SCO from becoming a more effective security organisation, the international images of both governments benefit from their co-leadership of the world’s largest RO in terms both of geographical and population size.

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Abe Shinzo: A legacy in review

Written by Felix Kuhn

Pragmatism served Abe well, making it possible to steady Japan’s relationship with China while building up a coalition of partners in the region. Suga has so far shown no inclination to depart from Abe’s footsteps. But it is not yet clear whether Abe’s policy is sustainable over the long term.

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Why the Quad will endure

Written by William Choong

While there have been negotiations for a formal Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, ASEAN has found no solution to Chinese assertiveness. This is where the four Quad navies can bring power and presence to bear.

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Malaysia and North Korea: Friends to foes

Written by Uday Bakhshi

It has also heavily focused on its cyber capabilities, and there are allegations it is propping up state-sanctioned financial crime syndicates to conduct heists. North Korea is not as isolated as the mainstream news narrative leads one to believe, and it will focus on these relations amid broader diplomatic considerations.

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Charting Australia and New Zealand's responses to China

Written by Alan Tidwell

New Zealand signed a free trade agreement with the PRC in 2008 and finalised an upgrade in January 2021. Damien O’Connor, New Zealand’s trade minister, used the announcement of the upgrade to lecture the Australians on their need to be more mature and “show respect” to China.

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Myanmar’s crisis puts ASEAN on the edge of an abyss

Written by Ja Ian Chong

ASEAN’s woes were already becoming apparent before the Myanmar crisis, with debates over whether to expel certain members, but the silence as the situation deteriorates really underscores how much rethinking may be necessary.

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In Brief: Dr Manali Kumar, our new Editor-in-Chief

We are delighted to announce that former Associate Editor Dr Manali Kumar takes over as our new Editor-in-Chief. After an enormously successful first year in operation which has seen 9DL host hundreds of articles from dozens of established and upcoming writers, we are excited to move into the next phase of our development under Dr Kumar’s leadership.

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The US must change its rhetoric to effectively engage North Korea

Written by Gabriela Bernal

No matter how badly Washington wants complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearisation (CVID), the likelihood of Pyongyang agreeing to this while receiving no concessions in return is close to zero. Biden and his advisors must face reality and stop approaching the North Koreans with the same rhetoric and tactics that have failed time and again.

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Indo-Pakistan relations: A reset on the horizon?

Written by Claude Rakisits

Militarily, this is an agreement that India needed more than Pakistan, especially following last year’s military confrontation with the Chinese in Ladakh (which is part of the greater Kashmir area). Caught on the backfoot, Delhi could not afford, in military and budgetary terms, to have two active fronts to worry about on its northwest border, particularly given that Pakistan and China are strategic allies.

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Russia and China present a united front to the west – but there’s plenty of potential for friction

Written by Natasha Kuhrt

Nor has Russia been able to implement many of its ambitious plans for its ailing far eastern region, which was once central to the Asian pivot. By continuing with its Sinocentric approach, Moscow ensures the continuing overdependence on China, and so the impossibility of modernisation and diversification of the economy.

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