Foreign Policy Blogs

Asia & Pacific

Beijing Signals Through North Korean Defectors

Beijing Signals Through North Korean Defectors

Groups of North Korean workers in China successfully fled to the South in April and May, signaling that Beijing is losing patience with the Kim’s regime.

read more

#TryBeatingMeLightly

#TryBeatingMeLightly

A couple of weeks ago, Pakistan’s Council of Islamic Ideology issued its proposed amendments to the Protection of Women Against Violence Bill of 2015. They recommend husbands to “lightly beat” their wives in certain circumstances.

read more

Chinese Implacable Defiance in the South China Sea

Chinese Implacable Defiance in the South China Sea

Tensions between China and the U.S. in the South China Sea dominated the issues at the now-concluded Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

read more

A Case of Improper Airmanship

A Case of Improper Airmanship

Coinciding with Kerry’s visit to Beijing for high-level security talks, a Chinese fighter jet carried out an “unsafe” intercept of a U.S. spy plane.

read more

Beijing-by-the-Bay: China’s Hidden Influence in San Francisco

Beijing-by-the-Bay: China’s Hidden Influence in San Francisco

The China Overseas Exchange Association poses as an NGO while acting in fact as an overseas propaganda agency of the Chinese government and the Party.

read more

Ambiguity Plagues the Shangri-La Dialogue

Ambiguity Plagues the Shangri-La Dialogue

The South China Sea played a prominent role at the Shangri-La Dialogue. However, ambiguity on several issues might prolong these very same tensions.

read more

Is Malaysia Reconsidering its Special Relationship with China?

Is Malaysia Reconsidering its Special Relationship with China?

Despite previous aggressive actions by Chinese vessels, Malaysia has ignored them, not wishing to disturb its trade and investment relationships with China.

read more

Japan Charts More Independent Course to Improve Russian Relations

Japan Charts More Independent Course to Improve Russian Relations

Japan realizes, irrespective of U.S. wishes, that it needs better relations with Russia in order to more effectively balance China within the region.

read more

Korean Choices – Great Decisions Spring Updates

Korean Choices – Great Decisions Spring Updates

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has been negotiating with China and Iran in order to gain an advantage in future talks with Kim Jong-un’s regime.

read more

U.S. Sends Mixed Messages about Human Rights in Vietnam

U.S. Sends Mixed Messages about Human Rights in Vietnam

While Obama spoke of the need for Vietnam to improve its human rights record, lifting of an arms embargo showed there are other considerations in play.

read more

Obama Lifts Arms Embargo on Vietnam

Obama Lifts Arms Embargo on Vietnam

Despite concerns human rights violations in Vietnam, Obama opted to fully lift the arms embargo on lethal military equipment during his recent visit.

read more

Florence Fang’s “100,000 Strong Foundation”: Education or Indoctrination?

Florence Fang’s “100,000 Strong Foundation”: Education or Indoctrination?

For the Communist Party, there is no such thing as education or cultural exchange for its own sake: everything is political, everything is ideological.

read more

U.S. Must Still Compete with Russia for Vietnam’s Affections

U.S. Must Still Compete with Russia for Vietnam’s Affections

The U.S. decision to lift its arms embargo against Vietnam must factor in Russian rivalry and regional economic considerations.

read more

Causeway Bay Incident: Swedish Diplomacy under Challenge

Causeway Bay Incident: Swedish Diplomacy under Challenge

The Causeway Bay Bookstore incident and Beijing’s response has posed a serious challenge to Sweden’s “human rights diplomacy.”

read more

UN Calls on Vietnam to Respect Freedom of Assembly

UN Calls on Vietnam to Respect Freedom of Assembly

The UNCHR stated that it is “concerned about the increasing levels of violence perpetrated against Vietnamese protesters expressing their anger over the mysterious mass deaths of fish along the country’s central coast.”

read more