Mar 02,2020 Open Forum

Washington Insights, Vol. 8, No. 1

The coronavirus originating in Wuhan cast a dark shadow on efforts to look ahead in East Asia. It kept China at the center of attention, while only reinforcing the tendency to analyze events through the prism of Sino-US relations. While some kept their sights on Russia and India in this context—embracing a forward-looking great power […]

Editorial Staff
"Belt and Road" Initiative , Coronavirus , free and open Indo-Pacific , GSOMIA , THAAD , Tokyo Olympics
Feb 06,2020 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (February 2020)

Ahead of Xi Jinping’s anticipated visit in spring, one might have expected Japan to be in an upbeat mood toward China, as was the case in advance of Vladimir Putin’s visit in 2016. As in the spate of articles on Russia at that time, the heavy coverage of North Korea early this year, and of […]

Editorial Staff
"Belt and Road" Initiative , "Hate Korea” , China-Japan-ROK summit , free and open Indo-Pacific , GSOMIA , RCEP , Tsai Ing-wen
Feb 06,2020 Country Reports

Country Report: China (February 2020)

As 2019 ended, Xi Jinping’s relations with neighboring leaders drew scrutiny. Whereas over the past year his ties to Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin often captured the spotlight, the world was awaiting his state visit with Abe Shinzo in April, response to moves by Kim Jong-un, possible visit to Seoul to meet Moon Jae-in in […]

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Dong Jiaxin*)
"Belt and Road" Initiative , “New India” , China-Japan-ROK summit , free and open Indo-Pacific , Moon-Xi summit , SCO , US-China trade war
Jan 20,2020 Special Forum

The Case of Donald Trump

Donald Trump came to office vowing to make many changes in US foreign policy, whether in terms of labeling China a currency manipulator,1 and addressing the US–China bilateral trade deficit,2 or questioning the value of alliances. As we enter 2020, it is worth reviewing how US Indo-Pacific policy has changed under the Trump administration, highlighting […]

Scott W. Harold
Donald Trump , free and open Indo-Pacific , freedom of navigation operations , Huawei , maximum pressure , the Quad , TPP , Trump-Kim summit
Jan 07,2020 National Commentaries

A View from India

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) under a Pan-Asian framework has figured highly in South Korea’s foreign policy over the last decade. The New Asia Initiative (NAI) in 2009 witnessed South Korea factoring ASEAN in its regional diplomacy, moving away from its excessive focus on Northeast Asia. Unlike ASEAN, India was never accorded a […]

Jagannath Panda
Act East Policy , CEPA , free and open Indo-Pacific , New Southern Policy , RCEP , US-China rivalry
Dec 31,2019 Open Forum

Russian Commentary on South Korea in 2019

For the last three decades, since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the perception of South Korea in Russia has been generally positive. This has been true with respect to Russia’s general public and the political-expert community as well as the mass media. Such favorable attitudes have much to do with the fact that Russia […]

Artyom Lukin
Eastern Economic Forum , Finlandization , free and open Indo-Pacific , GSOMIA , Khasan-Rajin project , Korean wave , New Southern Policy , Nine Bridges Initiative
Dec 02,2019 Country Reports

Country Report: Russia (November 2019)

China was on Russian minds the most, relegating the Korean Peninsula to second among Asian interests. On the one hand, Putin’s announcement of Russia transferring its missile defense apparatus to China set the tone for optimistic pronouncements of an upgrading of strategic relations, even if the term “alliance” was not in the official lexicon. Some […]

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Olga Puzanova)
"Belt and Road" Initiative , Eastern Economic Forum , Force of Siberia , free and open Indo-Pacific , INF Treaty , Nuclear non-proliferation , turn to the East
Nov 27,2019 Open Forum

Washington Insights, Vol. 7, No. 6

Against the shadow of impeachment hearings, the DC think tank community waited on three big developments in the Indo-Pacific region. The Sino-US trade talks riveted the international community with an outcome originally expected in November before the APEC summit was cancelled but still looming. The South Korea-Japan breakdown faced a November 22 deadline when Seoul […]

Editorial Staff
"Belt and Road" Initiative , America First , China-South Korea-Japan summit , free and open Indo-Pacific , GSOMIA , RCEP , THAAD , Trans-Pacific Partnership , US-China trade war
Nov 19,2019 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (December 2019)

On August 24 after Abe surpassed Sato Eisaku as the longest-serving postwar prime minister, Mainichi compared the foreign policies of the two. Sato secured the return of Okinawa and was able to normalize relations with South Korea, while Abe spoke of resolving Japan’s unfinished diplomatic business; yet, on the Northern Territories and North Korea, he […]

Editorial Staff
"Belt and Road" Initiative , free and open Indo-Pacific , GSOMIA , RCEP , SCO , THAAD , Trans-Pacific Partnership , US-China trade war
Nov 04,2019 National Commentaries

An Indian Perspective

In September 2019, Narendra Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit Russia’s Far East. He travelled to Vladivostok to give the keynote at the Eastern Economic Forum and participate in the annual India-Russia leaders’ level summit—the 20th of its kind. The premier’s visit was designed to 1) revitalize India’s Russia relationship so that […]

Tanvi Madan
"Belt and Road" Initiative , BRICS , Eastern Economic Forum , Eurasian Economic Union , free and open Indo-Pacific , Shanghai Cooperation Organization