Asia
Duterte’s mutually beneficial Japan trip
President Duterte returned last night from a three-day working visit to Japan, his second bilateral trip to Tokyo since taking office in June 2016. This visit took place only two…
Commentary
Xi Jinping's state capitalism is here to stay
Originally published in the Australian Financial Review.Roland Rajah
Analyses
Autopilot: East Asia policy under Trump
Donald Trump has put US policy in East Asia on autopilot. But that could leave the United States far off course — and in a crisis, Trump will be required to fly the plane.
Aaron…
Donald Trump’s message for Asia
What will Donald Trump's message to Asia be when he travels from Hawaii to Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines from 3 to 14 November? It is safe to say that even his…
North Korea’s space program aims higher
Earlier this week, North Korea reaffirmed that its space program is ongoing and getting more ambitious. There have been six North Korean satellite launch attempts since 1998. Only…
North Korea: How to start a nuclear war without even trying
If effective strategy requires realistic aims, then America is in trouble. US officials have shown themselves to be pathologically overconfident in their ability to achieve…
The move to one-man rule in China and beyond
The much anticipated 19th Party Congress has come to a close in China after a week of painstakingly constructed public displays of Chinese Communist Party successes, goals, and…
Myanmar: The limits of sanctions
Imposing sanctions always creates challenges. Sanctions provide targeted states with an excuse to shift blame onto outside forces. They tend to concentrate wealth into the hands…
Xi, Orwell and the language of Chinese politics
The 19th Party Congress closed earlier this week with the announcement that 'Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era' would be enshrined in the…
Mattis front and centre at ASEAN defence talks
Defence ministers from across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as counterparts from the US, Russia, China, South Korea, Japan, India, Australia and New…