Asia-Pacific Archive

As U.S. President Donald Trump and other Western leaders gathered in Normandy this week to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, Chinese President Xi Jinping was in Russia to deepen ties with his “best friend,” President Vladimir Putin. The resulting split-screen seemed to present a study in contrasts: a navel-gazing West that has passed the apex of its global influence versus an ambitious and forward-looking China—building bridges, paving roads and enhancing its stature on the world stage. But is either image really accurate? In this week’s editors’ discussion episode of the Trend Lines podcast, WPR’s editor-in-chief, Judah Grunstein; […]

SEOUL—Most of the time, the existential issue of North Korea dominates dialogue between South Korea and its major allies and neighbors. But as I found out on a recent trip to Seoul, this fast-changing and dynamic society is beginning to see climate and environmental hazards as real priorities, too. As South Korea establishes its place as a G-20 developed economy and looks for ways to take on more responsibility in global governance, the tough tradeoffs between its economic growth and its adaptation to climate realities are becoming clearer. South Korean leaders are beginning to recognize that they need to do […]

Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, WPR Newsletter and Engagement Editor Benjamin Wilhelm curates the week’s top news and expert analysis on China. China’s notorious security apparatus and strict internet censors did their best to ensure a quiet day on Tuesday, which marked the 30th anniversary of the massacre at Tiananmen Square. “Technical upgrades” prevented social media users from performing simple functions, such as changing their profile picture on WeChat, China’s most popular messaging app. Overseas, Chinese nationals found themselves blocked from posting on Weibo, the popular Chinese social networking website. Financial information provider Refinitiv censored Reuters news stories about Tiananmen after […]

After my first book came out in 2004, I received a surprise phone call from an assistant to former United States Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, asking if I would meet with him to talk about Africa. Sitting together in his executive’s office at Citibank’s headquarters in Manhattan, he averred that if Al Gore were to win that year’s presidential election, he could return to a leading position in government, and he wanted to know if there was one initiative Washington could take to engage with Africa, what would I suggest? This was a tall order, not least because I had […]

France is stepping up its naval activities in the Asia-Pacific. Last month, the French navy conducted joint exercises with the United States, Australian and Indian navies, just weeks after a separate naval drill with India that involved two aircraft carriers. In April, the French frigate Vendemiaire made a rare passage through the strategically important Taiwan Strait. Some observers fear that these maneuvers could heighten tensions with Beijing, but so far, both France and China have worked to prevent that from happening, says Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a professor of government and international studies at Hong Kong Baptist University. In an email interview […]