<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

A Thai soldier stands guard at a damaged border crossing point between Surin province's Chong Chom and O'Smach town on the Thai-Cambodian border, on March 12, 2026.

Military & Security

Politics

The Thai-Cambodian ceasefire will likely hold throughout 2026, but competing territorial claims, domestic politics and stalled diplomacy will prevent broader normalization.

Thailand and Cambodia Maintain an Uneasy Ceasefire

Assessments

Ethiopia

South Africa

Brazil

United States

Egypt

Iran

Saudi Arabia

Russia

India

(From left to right) Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attend a plenary session at the BRICS summit in Kazan on Oct. 24, 2024.

Economics

The bloc's push to develop an independent payment system for trade will not immediately undermine the U.S. dollar's global dominance, though it could reduce the effectiveness of U.S. sanctions.

The Implications of an Independent BRICS Payment System

Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro (center) and other leaders leave after a group photo session on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila on July 24, 2026.

Energy

The meetings in Manila produced talks but no immediate collective action on critical regional issues like the Iran war's energy shock, intensifying South China Sea tensions and the Myanmar civil war.

ASEAN Meetings Make Little Headway on Pressing Energy and Security Issues

Columns

On Security

This photo illustration shows the ChatGPT logo at an office in Washington, D.C., on March 15, 2023.

Environment, Science & Technology

The autonomous targeting of Hugging Face by OpenAI's models highlights the urgent need for organizations to prepare for advanced cyberattacks orchestrated entirely by AI agents.

Beyond the Hype of Autonomous AI Breaches

A decorative plate featuring an image of Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen behind a statue of late communist leader Mao Zedong at a souvenir store next to Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, on Feb. 27, 2018. 

China will remain a geopolitical enigma to the West as Beijing turns inward to insulate the CCP from the influence of external powers, an exercise that history suggests will threaten national prosperity and regime stability.

The Modern Geopolitics of China

U.S.-China Relations

A large container ship is seen docked at a port. 

Though interim measures or narrower agreements are plausible, Vietnam's dependence on Chinese inputs will likely prevent a comprehensive agreement, potentially exposing it to stricter U.S. scrutiny and new tariffs.

Vietnam's Reliance on Chinese Imports Complicates U.S. Trade Talks

United Kingdom

People pass a large banner depicting U.S. President Donald Trump with a target on his head during funeral ceremonies for Supreme Leade, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 5 in Tehran, Iran.

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

The Weekly Rundown: U.S.-Iran Conflict Escalates, ASEAN and Major Power Foreign Ministers Meet

U.S.-Iran Relations

Israel

Lebanon

Europe

France

Ukraine

ASEAN leaders hold hands for a group photo during the opening ceremony of the 48th ASEAN summit in Cebu, central Philippines on May 8, 2026. 

The Weekly Rundown: U.S.-Iran Tensions Remain High, ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meet With Myanmar

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (left) and Fiji Minister for Public Works, Transport and Meteorological Services, Ro Filipe Tuisawau (right) shake hands during the opening of the Vuvale Skills hub in Suva on July 6, 2026.

Australia's new pacts with Fiji and Vanuatu will strengthen barriers to Chinese military access, but persistent regional development needs and China's ability to project power without local basing will still provide space for Beijing to build influence.

Australia's Pacific Pacts Strengthen, but Don't Secure, Its Strategic Position Against China

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

South Asia

A thermometer reading a high temperature is shown over an image of Earth.

The compounding effects of the weather event and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz are set to drive global inflation and strain agricultural output well into next year.


How the 2026 El Nino Climate Event Will Affect the Global Economy and Security

Bangladesh

Bangladesh and South Korea signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, granting preferential tariff treatment to 97% of Bangladeshi products exported to South Korea and 87% of South Korean products exported to Bangladesh, The Daily Star reported on Aug. 4.

Bangladesh, South Korea: Governments Sign Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement

Japan's Ministry of Defense published its annual defense white paper on Aug. 4, listing Chinese military activities as an "unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge" to Japan.

Japan: White Paper Focused on China Threat, Defense Production and Economic Security

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is drafting a ban on the import of Chinese optical transceivers and hopes to publish and apply it later in 2026, Reuters reported on Aug. 4.

U.S., China: FCC Drafting Ban on Chinese Data Center Technology

Japan's finance ministry confirmed on Aug. 3 that the U.S. and Japanese governments had coordinated on July 31 for Washington to buy Japanese yen to bolster the currency, the first such intervention since 1998.

Japan, U.S.: Governments Coordinate To Buy Yen for First Time Since 1998

The center-right Barisan Nasional, or BN, coalition -- which governs alongside Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's center-left Pakatan Harapan, or PH, coalition as a junior partner at the federal level -- joined forces with the opposition Islamist-led Perikatan Nasional, or PN, coalition to win 25 of Negeri Sembilan's 36 seats in the Aug. 1 state election, Channel News Asia reported the same day.

Malaysia: Another State Loss for Prime Minister's Coalition Makes Snap Election Less Likely

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer held a video call with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, China's trade envoy to the United States, late on July 30, in which Bessent said he emphasized expectations that China uphold its "commitments on rare earths and U.S. agricultural products," according to Axios.

U.S., China: Trade Call Shows Limited Aims for September Xi-Trump Summit

Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing formally dismissed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' 2021 Five-Point Consensus peace plan that intended to end the country's civil war, accused the bloc of discrimination and threatened responses to unspecified "non-constructive actions," Reuters reported on July 31.

Myanmar: Government Formally Rejects ASEAN Peace Plan

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said preliminary evidence indicated that Russia used a North Korean ballistic missile to strike a home in Radushne, near Kryvyi Rih, killing two parents and three of their children, Reuters reported on July 30.

Russia, Ukraine: Russia's Use of North Korean Missiles Deepens Ukraine's Air Defense Crisis

Asia-Pacific

SITUATION REPORTS

Bangladesh, South Korea: Governments Sign Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement

Japan: White Paper Focused on China Threat, Defense Production and Economic Security

U.S., China: FCC Drafting Ban on Chinese Data Center Technology

Japan, U.S.: Governments Coordinate To Buy Yen for First Time Since 1998

Malaysia: Another State Loss for Prime Minister's Coalition Makes Snap Election Less Likely

U.S., China: Trade Call Shows Limited Aims for September Xi-Trump Summit

Myanmar: Government Formally Rejects ASEAN Peace Plan

Russia, Ukraine: Russia's Use of North Korean Missiles Deepens Ukraine's Air Defense Crisis

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