Reports

Sociocultural factors can explain South Korea’s model reaction to the coronavirus pandemic. The country’s difficult postwar years led to a strong sense of civic duty, which led citizens to adhere meticulously to government guidelines. However, this success on the health front does not preclude economic difficulties amid the global recession.

China and India are beefing up their military capabilities again. The two Asian giants are confronting each other in the traditional hotspots along their disputed border in the Himalayas and, more recently, in the Indian Ocean. War is still not in the cards, but the growing tension adds to the ...

The pandemic-induced economic contraction and ongoing fragmentation of the global order put Africa in a particularly vulnerable position. The youthful sub-Saharan societies have been spared the worst of the public health crisis. However, unless there is a quick and robust recovery, especially in China, they face devastating economic blows, insolvency ...

As the economy begins to sag, China’s ruling party is tightening control over the country and fanning nationalist sentiments in response to justified criticism from abroad. International tension is rising. The world could split up into competing political and economic blocks once again. This would be particularly harmful for Europe, ...

If the 2008-2009 financial crisis launched China to superpower status, then the 2020-2021 post-coronavirus period may solidify its position. As the West continues to struggle with the fallout of COVID-19, China is recovering and finding ways to strengthen its clout. The question now will be which countries line up behind ...

Japan and South Korea must both balance the United States and China in their geopolitical stance: one guarantees their security, the other holds huge sway over their economies. The two Northeast Asian countries are taking very different approaches to this situation, however. As the great-power competition between the U.S. and ...

The principle of “the Thucydides trap” posits that when one global power is set to supersede another, war is inevitable. While China is gradually catching up with the United States on the world stage, an all-out war is unlikely. It is more probable that the two countries will use every ...

China is cunningly enhancing its geopolitical standing in the wake of a pandemic that has spread from its territory. At the same time, the Western countries’ responses to the global crisis and to China’s rise have been woefully inadequate.

The COVID-19 crisis has reduced China’s clout and the economic damage it has done could force Beijing to pull back from many of its overseas commitments. Many states will look to diversify their economies away from dependence on the aspiring regional hegemon. It could provide an opportunity for Japan, which ...

More than 100 times faster than 3G and 4G, the next generation of cellular technology could reshape economies and societies. European countries may face political and industrial espionage if they cooperate with Huawei in their 5G rollout, however completely excluding the Chinese telecommunications giant could prove costly and impractical. But ...

Over the past year, tensions have flared in the South China Sea, especially between China and the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. The three latter countries, however, have very different relationships with Beijing, and will approach these conflicts in a variety of ways. The result will be a jumble of responses ...

Japan is looking for ways to reduce its public debt, currently worth more than 200 percent of its GDP. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has managed to raise the consumption tax, but the government’s budget for this year still relies on social programs to alleviate demographic limitations and convince consumers to ...

After several years of heated debate, Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga has finally ratified changes to the country’s constitution. The amendments will affect several areas of governance, giving more power to the prime minister. The parliament’s influence is to be curbed in some areas, namely the budget and the composition of ...

The head of the World Health Organization praised China’s response to the emergence of coronavirus in Wuhan last December as swift and characterized by model transparency, but there are reasons to challenge this view. In reality, both local and central authorities in Beijing suppressed early reports of the disease’s danger ...

The third iteration of China’s satellite navigation system, Beidou, is now nearing the capacity of the United States’ GPS system. This technological advance will shield the Chinese military from further American attempts to disrupt navigation. Furthermore, Beidou will increase Beijing’s attractiveness as a partner in a wide range of sectors.

While Japan has known prosperity and stability under the leadership of longtime Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, it faces demographic challenges that will require difficult decisions. Social cohesion is of the highest importance for the Japanese and many see immigration as a threat, but the rapidly dwindling population will need to ...

Over the last decades, China experienced a transformational period of spectacular growth, becoming one of the top global players from both an economic and geopolitical standpoint. These recent accomplishments have convinced its citizens of the legitimacy of the current system. However, younger generations will expect the government to earn their ...

Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister since the end of World War II, has made a huge imprint on his country’s politics, especially through “Abenomics” and his drive to beef up defense capabilities. His eventual successor will have a host of domestic challenges to overcome, including a growing demographic imbalance ...

Because of rising tensions in “water diplomacy” around the Mekong River, the region could become another geopolitical hotspot along the South China Sea. China’s clutch of hydropower dams control the water flow to downstream countries, leaving them vulnerable to drought and political blackmail. The lack of external major-power involvement from ...

The Trump administration had demonstrated a willingness to return to the negotiating table with North Korea. Pyongyang, however, continues to test the American commitment to a deal that would require complete denuclearization. In October, a technical negotiation between the two sides ended without progress. The North Korean strategy may be ...

For seven decades after World War II, Japan was comfortably ensconced in a geopolitical framework that seemed both stable and predictable. With the rise of China and, more recently, new responses from the United States to economic and geopolitical challenges, this framework is evolving. More than ever in the postwar ...

China is facing rising labor costs, relatively low productivity growth and competition from other developing countries. While the trade dispute with the U.S. provides Beijing with a scapegoat, the true causes of the dilemma lie in the past policy. If Chinese consumers lose confidence in their economy, a crisis could ...

By imposing economic sanctions on South Korea, Japan establishes a dangerous precedent. At times when countries neighboring North Korea should be strengthening their ties and establishing transnational security cooperation, the conflict between Tokyo and Seoul could ultimately weaken the region and provoke North Korean adventurism.

The turmoil in Hong Kong does not pose a direct threat to the power and survival of the party-state in China. Beijing must be frustrated by the Hong Kong government’s inability to pacify the protesters and has issued some dire warnings to them. Using the Hong Kong garrison of the People’s ...