9DASHLINE — Articles

Impasse: Why losing the US still won’t bring Europe closer to China

Written by Nicholas Bequelin

The paradox of Sino-European relations is that, while they are fundamentally in poor shape and unlikely to find a way out of their current impasse, they are also remarkably stable.

The rough road ahead for US-South Korea relations

Written by Hunter Slingbaum

In the coming months, South Korea should remain focused on its own presidential election and repairing its domestic fabric, but interim leadership can also explore ways to weather Trump’s demands, including by reframing existing efforts, as Canada did with their border plan.

East Asia9DLJuly 4, 20259DASHLINE, Hunter Slingbaum, The rough road ahead for US-South Korea relations, ROK, ROK-US alliance, ROK-US, South Korea (ROK), Donald Trump, trade deficits, tariffs, security guarantees, extended deterrence, world economy, free trade, Yoon Suk Yeol, martial law declaration, martial law, South Korean politics, US-ROK relations, nuclear proliferation, interpersonal, strong leaders, Shinzo Abe, Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), Han Duck Soo, Choi Sang Mok, polarisation, protests, divided country, Trump administration, Japan-US-ROK trilateral partnership, US treaty ally, China, ethanol exports, direct investments, nuclear weapons, indigenous nuclear deterrent, political elite, nuclearisation, US retrenchment, US troop presence, Trump’s approach to Ukraine, Ukraine, national security, mutual trust, Seoul, North Korea, deterrent gap, the Koreas, DPRK missile testing, DPRK, joint US-ROK military exercises, threat perception, diplomacy, 9dashline

Southeast Asia deepens hedging amid Trump 2.0 turbulence

Written by Hunter Marston

Southeast Asian anxieties with the Trump administration’s turn toward protectionist trade policies were evident in the May 2025 ASEAN Summit, when the regional bloc expressed ‘deep concern’ with US tariffs.

Southeast Asia9DLJuly 1, 2025Southeast Asia deepens hedging amid Trump 2.0 turbulence, 9DASHLINE, Hunter Marston, South East Asia, United States, Cambodia, Singapore, Philippines, New Zealand, Canada, France, Southeast Asia, Trump, Shangri-La Dialogue

Discover the June issue of The Navigator – out now

This month our briefs examine shifting US engagement: new Pacific travel restrictions threaten Washington’s influence, while South Korea’s pragmatic diplomacy may clash with a potential Trump foreign policy reset. Across the region, leaders face a volatile mix of economic strain, diplomatic frictions, and intensifying rivalries — from South Asia’s post-crisis diplomacy to renewed tensions in Southeast Asia and growing unease in East Asia.

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News9DLJune 27, 2025Trump, ASEAN, Taiwan, The Navigator, 9DASHLINE, US, United States, Indo-Pacific, China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Samoa, South China Sea, India-Pakistan, India, Pakistan, France, New Caledonia, Macron, Cambodia, Pacific Islands, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Tonga

Economic spillover: tariffs overshadow annual Asian defence dialogue

Written by Juliet Lee

It is incorrect to assume that the imposition of tariffs on allies will not impact defence partnerships, and the US risks being left behind by the world’s fastest-growing and most dynamic region, where countries see the convergence of security and economic development differently.

Editor's Picks9DLJune 25, 20259DASHLINE, Juliet Lee, US tariffs, Defence, Economic spillover: tariffs overshadow annual Asian defence dialogue, Trade, Shangri-La Dialogue, asean, United States, China, US, Security, Europe

Understanding Nepal’s pro-monarchy momentum

Written by Amit Ranjan

Many Nepalese are frustrated and disenchanted with the current political situation and poor government performance. But returning to a constitutional monarchy would be a regressive, authoritarian step, not a path toward democracy.

Between Trump and turmoil: South Korea’s balancing act

Written by Dr Wongi Choe

A more fundamental security challenge may emerge from the Trump administration’s evolving defence posture, which could reorient US global military priorities, including troop deployments in South Korea, to better deter China.

East Asia, Power Politics, Most Popular9DLJune 19, 20259DASHLINE, Dr. Wongi Choe, Between Trump and turmoil: South Korea’s balancing act, South Korea, Trump, Yoon Suk Yeol, ICBM, North Korea, Korean Peninsula, DPRK, Russia, Putin, Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang, Seoul

A superpower diminished: Trump’s chaotic foreign policy is undermining US credibility in Asia

Written by Dr Hunter Marston

Despite the opportunity presented by American retrenchment, China lacks the soft power to step in as a natural leader and its economic and political influence continue to be met with suspicion by regional elites.

India’s critical role in safeguarding undersea cables

Written by Arun Teja Polcumpally

To safeguard its internet infrastructure, India must invest in indigenous undersea cable maintenance capabilities, including commissioning Indian-flagged vessels for rapid response within its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.

Discover the May issue of The Navigator – out now

This month we cover the India-Pakistan flare-up that reignited nuclear concerns, followed by a burst of regional diplomacy. Our briefs examine how China and India are turning foreign policy into a tool of domestic control — through maritime coercion in Beijing’s case, and treaty-based pressure from New Delhi.

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News9DLMay 30, 2025Trump, ASEAN, Taiwan, The Navigator, 9DASHLINE, US, United States, Indo-Pacific, China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Samoa, Russia, tariffs, Indus Water Treaty, South China Sea, India-Pakistan, India, Pakistan, Kashmir, Nuclear, France, New Caledonia, Macron, Mu Sochua, Cambodia

Navigating the middle: Japan-Cambodia relations and the challenge of geopolitical competition

Written by Dr Sophal Ear

Cambodia offers a litmus test: if Japan can sustain influence there, it may do so across mainland Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asia9DLMay 29, 20259DASHLINE, Sophal Ear, Navigating the middle: Japan–Cambodia relations and the challenge of geopolitical competition, Khmer Rouge, Cambodia, Japan, United States, China, diplomacy, development, peacebuilding, foreign policy, agency, Great power rivalry, Tokyo, liberal values, Southeast Asia, defense diplomacy, Cambodia’s Ream base, 1991 Paris Peace Agreements, United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), Official Development Assistance (ODA), aid, bilateral donor, Sihanoukville, soft infrastructure, authoritarianism, Phnom Penh, Strategic Partnership, international norms, rule of law, maritime security, ASEAN, South China Sea, Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) framework, Yōko Kamikawa, human resource development, digital connectivity, climate change, US tariffs, transhipment, public debt, United Nations Human Rights Council, debt trap, European Union, “Everything But Arms” scheme, sanctions, democratic backsliding, Hun Manet, “multi-vector” diplomacy, Beijing, alignment, national interest, liberal internationalism, Belt and Road Initiative, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), civil society, Cultural diplomacy, Japan-Cambodia Kizuna Festival, Japanese pop culture, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, State of Southeast Asia surveys, Ream Naval Base, Vietnamese People’s Navy, South China Sea (SCS), multilateralisation, Cold War, Soviet, balancing, non-alignment, middle power, FDI, The Asia Foundation, Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Center (CJCC), Navigating the middle: Japan-Cambodia relations and the challenge of geopolitical competition

New episode - Xi Jinping in Southeast Asia: Implications for Europe and the Indo-Pacific + Eurovision!

This month, Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy and Richard Heydarian are joined by Stephen Nagy to unpack the significance of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Southeast Asia. Together, they explore what this heightened diplomatic outreach reveals about Beijing’s evolving regional strategy—and what it means for the Indo-Pacific at large, including Europe’s strategic positioning.

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News9DLMay 23, 2025EPinASEAN, 9DASHLINE, Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, Richard Heydarian, Indo-Pacific, ASEAN, European Parliament, The Bridge, New episode - Xi Jinping in Southeast Asia: Implications for Europe and the Indo-Pacific + Eurovision!, Stephen Nagy, Eurovision, Southeast Asia, Xi Jinping, China

Investment and technology are driving China’s maritime infrastructure dominance

Written by Hannah Hains

It is not yet clear whether Trump will institute a similar targeted tariff for shipping and port infrastructure, as recommended by a new report by the Office of the United States Trade Representative on ‘China's Targeting of the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors for Dominance’.

New partners for the Indo-Pacific: Turkey-ASEAN relations amid increasing geopolitical uncertainties

Written by Dr Selçuk Çolakoğlu

As the economic centre of gravity shifts from the North Atlantic to the Pacific, Turkey's increasing emphasis on its Asian identity is a strategic move to benefit from the economic rise of East Asian countries and organisations.

9DLMay 16, 2025New partners for the Indo-Pacific: Turkey-ASEAN relations amid increasing geopolitical uncertainties, Dr Selçuk Çolakoğlu, Turkey, ASEAN, Indo-Pacific

Waves of waste: Addressing Vietnam’s marine plastic pollution challenge

Written by Thu Nguyen Hoang Anh

Based on estimates from the Vietnam National Plastics Action Partnership, if the country’s current systems are not improved, the volume of plastics in its waterways could double by 2030.

Emerging Issues, Southeast Asia9DLMay 13, 20259DASHLINE, Waves of waste: Addressing Vietnam’s marine plastic pollution challenge, THU NGUYEN HOANG ANH, Vietnam, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, G7, marine plastic pollution reduction, plastic, plastic pollution, pollution, environmental pollution, marine pollution, waste, global marine plastic pollution, waste management, consumption, international cooperation, coastal, island, marine resources, marine ecosystems, fisheries, plastic debris, climate change, urbanisation, marine litter, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, soft law, National Action Plan for Management of Marine Plastic Litter by 2030, 2020 Law on Environmental Protection, People’s Committees, recycling, reuse, single-use plastic, transnational, ASEAN, Australasian Recycling Label (ARL), Japan’s Plastics Smart campaign, Thu Nguyen Hoang Anh

US-China trade tariffs: The clash of national grievances

Written by Dr Anisa Heritage

The Trump administration's instigation of its trade liberation policy has generated fear about how it might also rashly unshackle itself from longstanding security arrangements.

Faultlines9DLApril 30, 20259DASHLINE, China, united states, ANISA HERITAGE, US-China trade tariffs: The clash of national grievances, Trump, tariffs, United States, Taiwan

Discover the April issue of The Navigator – out now

This month we explore rising economic tensions in Northeast Asia, as Japan and South Korea respond to a new wave of US tariffs. We also turn to Myanmar, where a devastating earthquake has worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis. Despite urgent calls for aid, the junta is blocking relief efforts while pushing ahead with its plans for elections amid ongoing conflict.

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News9DLApril 25, 2025Trump, ASEAN, Taiwan, The Navigator, 9DASHLINE, US, United States, Indo-Pacific, China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Samoa, USAID, Myanmar, Russia, Myanmar earthquake, tariffs

China is hedging in Myanmar by leveraging its influence

Written by Chetan Rana

Even though Myanmar’s international isolation appears to push it further closer to China, the Sit Tat and the EAOs are simultaneously engaging and contesting with China in different sectors. Beijing will be key in the execution and acceptance of elections planned by the junta.