Asia-Pacific Archive

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s visit to India last week highlighted the two countries’ increasingly complementary geoeconomic objectives. The visit saw the conclusion of a much-delayed bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement that paves the way for uranium exports from Australia’s high-quality mines to fuel India’s ambitious nuclear energy plans. While in value terms future Australian uranium exports may not seem like much, they will actually enable India to undertake its next wave of industrialization in a more carbon-competitive manner, and that in turn will fuel massive demand for other Australian mineral exports. The strategic nature of the India-Australia alignment is […]

On Aug. 14, the eve of its 68th Independence Day, Pakistan’s fragile democracy plunged into another period of turbulence as two sets of anti-government marches began in Lahore and made their way to Islamabad. One was led by Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf (PTI), which claimed that last year’s general elections were marred by widespread electoral fraud and demanded Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation, an investigation of electoral rigging and fresh elections. The other was led by Tahir-ul Qadri and his Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT), and called for the dissolution of the national parliament and provincial assemblies. Qadri, who […]

In late July, State Grid Corporation of China—the world’s largest state-owned electric utility company—bought a 35 percent stake in Italy’s CDP Reti for $2.8 billion. CDP Reti, itself a state-owned energy holding company, has its own 30-percent controlling stake in the Italian natural gas giant Snam and power grid company Terna, giving the Chinese company major interests in Italy’s energy market. State Grid’s Italian purchase added to a portfolio that includes a 25 percent stake in Portugal’s REN, which controls the two main Portuguese power grids. The purchases were the latest sign that Europe has become a battlefield for China, […]

To the astonishment of many political observers last month, Benigno Aquino III, the embattled president of the Phillipines, openly entertained the possibility of seeking a second term in office in 2016. That would require amending the constitution and contradicting the core principles of his mother, democracy icon and former President Corazon Aquino, who insisted on a single-term presidency to prevent the return of Ferdinand Marcos-style dictatorship. Aquino’s plans represent a sharp turnaround since his 2010 election, which precipitated an unusual period of political stability and economic dynamism in the Philippines. After a decade of political uncertainty and sputtering growth under […]

Last month, amid the latest round of Asian regional summits in Myanmar, the United States called for a freeze in provocative acts in disputed areas in the South China Sea. While the move signaled Washington’s willingness to counter China’s growing maritime assertiveness, U.S. policy faces several structural challenges that could undermine the effectiveness of easing tensions in the South China Sea. As U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry put it at the ASEAN Regional Forum in Naypyitaw on Aug. 9, the freeze’s main objective is to manage competing territorial claims in the South China Sea by encouraging the six claimant […]

A pillar of Indonesian President-elect Joko Widodo’s campaign was an emphasis on strengthening the country’s identity as a “maritime nation” and becoming what he called a “global maritime nexus.” By giving his acceptance speech the night the official election results were announced onboard a traditional schooner in Jakarta’s main port, Jokowi, as he is universally known, demonstrated the importance he attaches to this vision, which was also prominent in his campaign’s 41-page “Vision Mission” statement. In comments since the election in July, Jokowi has called for the establishment of a maritime ministry and even waded into international waters by saying […]

Despite the recent prominence given to the issue of NATO’s membership enlargement, the alliance seems destined for at least the next few years to focus on broadening and deepening its partnerships with nonmember countries and other international institutions. NATO has developed an extensive partnership program since the Cold War and now has some two dozen official national partners, while developing ties with more countries as well as international institutions. Partners contribute capabilities, money and legitimacy to NATO activities. They have provided thousands of ground troops to NATO operations in Afghanistan and the Balkans, air capabilities in Libya and support to […]