It is understandable for the United States and the Philippines to develop military relations, as they are traditional security allies. Nonetheless, the Philippines should be aware of China’s bottom line.... View More

The strategic significance of Indonesia in China’s neighbor diplomacy has sharply increased.... View More

After Joe Biden took office, US’s “Indo-Pacific Strategy” (IPS)-which was officially proposed by former President Trump in November 2017-showed an new trend. This recent trajectory includes expanding overseas military bases to deter China's rise at sea, competing against its BRI infrastructure construction and decoupling China’s supply chain in the Indo-Pacific region.... View More

Countries like the Philippines face difficulties in implementing a balancing act between great power rivals.... View More

The ongoing China-US rivalry on pandemic raises the alarm for China. The country still has a long way to compete for international discourse on the pandemic.... View More

There are some difficulties for China to make the vision of a cross-border railway in Central and South Asia a reality. It’s worth bearing in mind that difficulties do not necessarily derail such projects. Despite unstable domestic politics and the great technical difficulties of building railways in the Himalayas, in December China initiated a feasibility study for the China-Nepal cross-border railway. Therefore, a long railway across China, Central Asia, and South Asia may still be feasible in the future, and it could substantially change both geopolitics and geoeconomics in the region.... View More

There will be opportunities for closer China-ASEAN relations now that China reopened its borders. In order to achieve that goal, all parties should prepare to accurately respond to various needs in the post-pandemic era, ensure the smooth implementation of the mega-projects within the BRI, and properly manage differences and disputes in the South China Sea.... View More

Vietnam expects to learn from China’s experiences on economic development and social stability and absorb more Chinese investment and technology to sustain its economic growth and social cohesion. For its part, China will try to promote friendly Sino-Vietnamese relations and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, so as to the achieve the goals of modernization and national rejuvenation, the main task of Xi’s third term.... View More

China’s pace of “Looking West” will be significantly accelerated through deepening physical connectivity and supporting CICA in the region. In the near future, China will seek to play a bigger role in Central Asia.... View More

Dwindling Political Trust and Democratic Decline in Malaysia... View More