<p>The Asia-Pacific is home to more people than any other region. Centered on the western rim of the Pacific Ocean, this region includes the easternmost countries of continental Asia as well as the archipelagos that punctuate the coast. Several of these countries, most notably China, experienced rapid economic growth in the second half of the 20th century, giving the region a new sense of global economic relevance that continues today. That relevance, however, depends largely on China, a power in transition whose rise is testing the network of U.S. alliances that have long dominated the region. How effectively Beijing manages its transition will shape the regional balance of power in the decades to come.</p>

Centered on the western rim of the Pacific Ocean, the Asia-Pacific region includes the easternmost countries of continental Asia as well as the archipelagos that punctuate the coast. 

Asia-Pacific

Australia

Samoa

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

China

Timor-Leste

Federated States of Micronesia

Fiji

Indonesia

Japan

Kiribati

Laos

Malaysia

Marshall Islands

Mongolia

Myanmar

Nauru

New Zealand

North Korea

Palau

Papua New Guinea

Philippines

Singapore

Solomon Islands

South Korea

Taiwan

Thailand

Tonga

Tuvalu

Vanuatu

Vietnam

Beyond Quantitative Easing

The New Silk Road

Modernizing China’s Military

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Globalization

Social Issues

Coping With a Nuclear North Korea

Moscow Looks to the East

China in Transition

A Japanese Awakening

Asia-Pacific: Among Great Powers

Southeast Asia: Burdened by Consensus

Snapshots

Flag of China on a red-painted printed circuit board.

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Politics

Advancements in China's semiconductor sector are reducing Chinese companies' reliance on foreign technology, enabling them to push back more firmly against Western hegemony.

China's Chip Advances Increase Beijing's Leverage in Talks With the U.S.

U.S.-China Relations

Assessments

Kazakhstan

Russia

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev waits to greet foreign leaders during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states leaders' summit in Astana on July 4, 2024.

Despite President Tokayev's reform proposals, Kazakhstan's succession process will remain vulnerable to destabilizing forces, including elite rivalries and foreign influence.

How Kazakhstan's Proposed Reforms Will Impact the Question of Succession

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a press conference at the Prime Minister's Office on Sept. 6, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan.

Economics

Military & Security

Japan's leadership contest will threaten to split the ruling party as conservative and reformer factions compete to place their leaders in the country's highest office.

In Japan, Ishiba's Resignation Sparks a Volatile Party Leadership Contest

Global Elections

Ethiopia

Brazil

Israel

France

United Kingdom

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou leaves after the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on Aug. 27, 2025.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: France's Bayrou Faces a Confidence Vote, Ethiopia Inaugurates Its Mega-Dam

India

Participants of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 pose for photos in Tianjin, China, on Sept. 1, 2025.

Energy

Global Trade

U.S. trade uncertainty will help China deepen trade ties with its Central Asian neighbors and infrastructure ties with Russia, but its relations with India will remain inhibited by border disputes and differing defense priorities.

China Positions Itself as Growth Catalyst for Central Asia at SCO Summit

A protest in front of police headquarters Aug. 31 in in Surabaya, Indonesia. Mass protests are poised to continue absent unlikely and large government concessions, but President Prabowo Subianto's position will remain secure.

While mass protests are poised to continue absent unlikely and large government concessions, President Prabowo Subianto's position will remain secure. 

Unrest in Indonesia Will Continue, but Not Dislodge the Government

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Middle East and North Africa

Europe

Eurasia

South Asia

The Geopolitics of Trade

Geopolitical, security and environmental risks threaten to disrupt trade through crucial waterways, including the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the Suez Canal, the Danish and Turkish straits, and the Panama Canal.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Threats to Maritime Chokepoints Endanger Global Trade, Part 2

Ecuador

Mexico

United States

Ukraine

Helicopters fly in the sky during a rehearsal for a military parade Aug. 24 in Beijing.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: An SCO Summit, Rubio Closes Security Deals With Mexico and Ecuador

Diverse security risks threaten maritime chokepoints around the world, presenting unique challenges to international trade.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Threats to Maritime Chokepoints Endanger Global Trade, Part 1

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a meeting on May 14, 2015, in Xian, China. 

While Trump-era tariff pressures offer a new economic incentive for cooperation, Beijing and New Delhi are unlikely to fully normalize ties due to enduring strategic and security concerns.

Despite Modest Improvement, India-China Relations Face Enduring Challenges

China's youth (aged 16-24) unemployment rate in August hit 18.9%, the highest since July 2023, when it hit 21.3%, The South China Morning Post reported on Sept. 18. 

China: Youth Unemployment Hits 18.9%, Highlighting Growth, Unrest Concerns 

Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security circulated a draft decree requiring expanded security vetting of investment projects across sectors including energy, telecommunications, industrial parks and even golf courses, Reuters reported on Sept. 18.

Vietnam: Draft Decree Expands Police Power Over Investment Projects

Hong Kong SAR, China

In Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee's fourth annual policy address, he established an investigative body to oversee civil servant accountability, and he focused heavily on integrating Hong Kong's economy with China's, The South China Morning Post reported on Sept. 17.

Hong Kong: Lee Highlights Mainland Integration, Policy Implementation Issues

Indonesia and the European Union announced they will sign a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement on Sept. 23 after nearly a decade of negotiations, the Financial Times reported on Sept. 17. 

EU, Indonesia: Trade Agreement To Be Finalized After More Than Nine Years

AI models created by DeepSeek, China’s most well-known AI platform, frequently refuse to help or provide security-flawed code to programmers affiliated with entities and subjects deemed sensitive by the Chinese government, The Washington Post reported Sept. 16, citing an experiment shared by cybersecurity company CrowdStrike.

China: DeepSeek's Chatbot Writes Code With More Security Flaws for Politically Sensitive Groups

China's Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. is testing an immersion deep-ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machine -- similar to the immersion DUVs produced by the Netherlands' ASML -- produced by Shanghai startup Yuliangsheng, the Financial Times reported on Sept. 16.

China: DUV Lithography Machine Trials Begin as Companies Halt Purchases of Nvidia Chip

The U.S. and Chinese trade teams claimed to have reached a "framework consensus" at the end of their second day of talks in Madrid on how to address the United States' impending Sept. 17 deadline for TikTok's Chinese owners to divest, Reuters reported on Sept. 15.

U.S., China: Madrid Talks Likely To Produce TikTok Delay, Little Else

South Korea's presidential office released a statement on Sept. 16 noting it was in no rush to conclude a U.S. trade deal "just because of time pressure" if it meant sacrificing Korean companies' interests.

South Korea, U.S.: Lack of Deal Strains Ties as Japan's Lower Tariffs Kick In

Asia-Pacific

SITUATION REPORTS

China: Youth Unemployment Hits 18.9%, Highlighting Growth, Unrest Concerns

Vietnam: Draft Decree Expands Police Power Over Investment Projects

Hong Kong: Lee Highlights Mainland Integration, Policy Implementation Issues

EU, Indonesia: Trade Agreement To Be Finalized After More Than Nine Years

China: DeepSeek's Chatbot Writes Code With More Security Flaws for Politically Sensitive Groups

China: DUV Lithography Machine Trials Begin as Companies Halt Purchases of Nvidia Chip

U.S., China: Madrid Talks Likely To Produce TikTok Delay, Little Else

South Korea, U.S.: Lack of Deal Strains Ties as Japan's Lower Tariffs Kick In

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