Latest Articles about China and the Asia-Pacific
‘From Chancay to Shanghai’: Peru’s Strategic Role in PRC Maritime Strategy
Executive Summary: Majority ownership by state-owned Cosco Shipping, and involvement of companies like ZPMC which is closely linked to China's Military-Civil Fusion strategy, raises concerns about the dual-use nature of infrastructure projects and potential military implications. The PRC has become Peru's main trading partner and... MORE
National Defense Mobilization: Toward A Clear Division of Labor between the PLA and Civilian Bureaucracies
Executive Summary: As the result of the ongoing military reform, the military’s guiding and leadership role over civilian bureaucracies seems to be strengthened. Meanwhile, the responsibilities of the State Council and local governments on NDM have been substantiated, and the administrative work which the PLA... MORE
New Quality Combat Forces: More Than Meets The Eye
Executive Summary: Conceptual framings from the military may be influencing how the CCP approaches its management of the economy. The phrase “New Quality Combat Forces” predates the phrase “New Quality Productive Forces” by several years. Now they are being linked as mutually self-reinforcing constructs. Both... MORE
Georgia Looks to Build Strategic Partnerships With European Union and China
Executive Summary: New Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze is playing a delicate balancing act of attempting to gain EU membership while reproaching the United States in public statements. Kobakhidze’s strategy toward the West resembles the Kremlin’s approach: divide the West into two camps, Europe and... MORE
Brief: Hamas’s Release of Thailand’s Hostages Accomplished Through Thai Professor in Iran
Executive Summary Thailand has managed to secure the release of its 18 hostages from Hamas with the help of a Thai professor at al-Mustafa International University in Qom, who acted as a mediator. Thailand has avoided taking an explicitly critical position on Hamas, despite the... MORE
Implications of Article 23 Legislation on the Future of Hong Kong
Executive Summary: Hong Kong’s Article 23 legislation will integrate the PRC's national security framework into Hong Kong's legal system, impacting the city's rule of law and foreign business interests. Broad and vague definitions of national security will create challenges for Hong Kong's common law system.... MORE
BeiDou And Strategic Advancements in PRC Space Navigation
Executive Summary: BeiDou enhances both the PRC’s strategic autonomy and its influence across the world. It has signed agreements with numerous countries to expand its use, including for military applications. An interoperability agreement with the US government diminishes the strategic value of GPS by eliminating... MORE
Jing-Jin-Ji At Ten: Urban Planning Under Xi
Executive Summary: The Jing-Jin-Ji region's integrated development embodies Xi Jinping's vision for the PRC and is one of his strategic priorities. Planning documents from the past decade detail ambitions to leverage the potential of this region’s 110 million people by designing a global center for... MORE
Brief: Maritime Threat Posed by Abu Sayyaf Curtailed by Philippine Counter-Piracy Efforts
Executive Summary In the last decade, Philippine naval forces have successfully neutralized Abu Sayyaf's once significant piracy operations in the maritime area between Mindanao, Philippines and Sabah, Malaysia. This is due in no small part to regional cooperation and joint anti-piracy efforts by the Philippines,... MORE
New Zealander Pilot’s Fate Unclear as Insurgents Launch Offensive in West Papua
Executive Summary Egianus Kogoya, a West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) commander, is holding a New Zealand pilot hostage and threatening to execute him unless West Papua wins its independence, though the movement’s leadership has disagreed with this hardline stance. Over the course of two... MORE