Country Report: South Korea (August 2022)
In July and August, the strategic dilemma of South Korea in navigating the contest between the US and China was put into sharp relief by the ratcheted-up military […]
Country Reports
South Korea
Country Report: South Korea (June 2022)
Country Report: South Korea (May & June 2022) Munkyoung Shin and Jung Seyoon President Yoon Suk-yeol’s first two months in office gave a glimpse of South Korea’s shift […]
China
Japan
Country Report: Japan (July 2022)
The year 2022 has unfolded strikingly differently from Japanese expectations. Although already in retirement, Abe Shinzo had set the agenda that was expected to prevail. This included not […]
Russia
Country Report: Russia (July 2022)
The shadow of the Ukraine war loomed large over Russian writings on East Asia, whether China, the Korean Peninsula, Japan, or the BRICS. China’s success versus the US […]
ASAN PLENUM 2019
OPEN FORUM
Synopsis of Indian Thinking about China, 2018-2022
On May 23-24, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tokyo for the Quad summit amid intense scrutiny of India’s positions on the Ukraine War (then starting its fourth […]
Constantino Xavier
20 Ways China Is Losing the Ukraine War
In the spring of 2022 after the contours of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine had become clear, the impact on China also became apparent. Altogether, this […]
Gilbert Rozman
Stepping Up to the Challenge and Embracing Pragmatism: Two Visions of Foreign Policy in the South Korean Presidential Election of 2022
The South Korean presidential election is only days away and, unlike past elections, the outcome is difficult to predict. There is, however, one thing that we can be […]
J. James Kim
Washington Insights (January-February 2022)
The beginning of 2022 saw Russia threaten war in Ukraine, China loom as an undiminished threat to Taiwan, and North Korea launch missile after missile as its threat […]
Editorial Staff
China’s Rhetoric toward South Korea: Smile Diplomacy Baring “Wolf Warrior” Teeth
Awaiting a new president in Seoul, Chinese publications continue to treat President Moon Jae-in with tolerance mixed with low expectations and guarded warnings. They often draw a sharp […]
Danielle F. S. Cohen (assisted by Dong Jiaxin)
National Commentaries
“How Transformative were Biden's Summits in Seoul and Tokyo?”
United States
National Commentary: The United States The prevailing attitude in the DC think tank community is that rarely has such a consequential presidential visit to Asia occurred. Three takeaways […]
Editorial Staff
South Korea
On the one hand, the Biden visit to Seoul drew praise for Yoon Suk-yeol in his inaugural summit on the world stage. He boosted the image of Seoul […]
Editorial Staff
Japan
US-Japan relations had been on the upswing under Abe, but various uncertainties lingered. Obama was considered too weak on China. Abe’s wooing of Putin and early antagonizing of […]
Editorial Staff