2020 Second-Quarter Forecast

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

<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>

2020 Annual Forecast

2019 Fourth-Quarter Forecast

2019 Third-Quarter Forecast

2019 Second-Quarter Forecast

Assessments

United States

Samoa

China

Federated States of Micronesia

Fiji

Kiribati

Marshall Islands

Nauru

New Zealand

Palau

Papua New Guinea

Solomon Islands

Tonga

Tuvalu

Vanuatu

As U.S. focus turns away from the Pacific islands, other powers are starting to pay attention.

Tracking U.S. Naval Power

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Asia-Pacific: Among Great Powers

Countries like the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau enjoy a close treaty relationship with the United States, but the strategically located states are now on China's radar too.

China Sets a Course for the U.S.'s Pacific Domain

2019 Annual Forecast

2018 Fourth-Quarter Forecast

2018 Second-Quarter Forecast

2018 Annual Forecast

2017 Fourth-Quarter Forecast

2017 Third-Quarter Forecast

Economics

Politics

Kiribati's government announced that it will rejoin the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the region's most important political and economic policy organization, in 2023, Benar News reported Jan. 30.

Kiribati: Island Nation Will Rejoin Pacific Islands Forum

Kiribati withdrew from the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) one day before the PIF was scheduled to discuss key regional issues and a proposed 10-nation security deal with China, Reuters reported July 11.

Kiribati: Country's Withdrawal From Pacific Islands Forum Fractures Unity

Military & Security

All bids have been denied and no contract awarded for a World Bank tender for the East Micronesia Cable system of undersea communications cables to Kiribati, Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) amid U.S. warnings of Chinese security threats, Reuters reported June 17. 

Pacific Islands: Undersea Cable Project Delayed Amid U.S. Concerns of Chinese Interference

Security

U.S.-China Relations

China and Kiribati have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation under the Belt and Road initiative during a visit by Kiribatian President Taneti Mamau to China, Xinhua reported Jan. 6.

China, Kiribati: Countries Sign Memorandum of Understanding on BRI Cooperation

Taiwan

China in Transition

The Pacific island nation of Kiribati has formally cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan and established relations with mainland China, the South China Morning Post reported Sept. 20.

Kiribati: Government Cuts Ties With Taiwan, Establishes Diplomatic Relations With Mainland China

Five Pacific island nations -- the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru and Palau -- have issued a joint communique calling for the equal diplomatic treatment of China and Taiwan, Taiwan News reported Feb. 26.

China, Taiwan: Pacific Island Nations Call for Equal Diplomatic Treatment for Beijing and Taipei

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Sudan

Angola

Benin

Botswana

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cameroon

Cabo Verde

Central African Republic

Chad

Comoros

Cote d'Ivoire

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Djibouti

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Gabon

Gambia

Ghana

Guinea

Guinea Bissau

Kenya

Lesotho

Liberia

Madagascar

Malawi

Mali

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mozambique

Namibia

Niger

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

Sao Tome and Principe

Senegal

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Somalia

South Africa

Sudan

Eswatini

Tanzania

Togo

Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Americas

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Barbados

Belize

Bolivia

Brazil

Canada

Chile

Colombia

Costa Rica

Cuba

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

El Salvador

Grenada

Guatemala

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

Mexico

Nicaragua

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Suriname

Bahamas

Trinidad and Tobago

Uruguay

Venezuela

Greenland

Jamaica

Australia

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Timor-Leste

Indonesia

Japan

Laos

Malaysia

Eurozone

Economics and Finance

Energy

After two weeks of negotiations, representatives of nearly 200 countries have approved the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit the extent of climate change in the coming decades, The Telegraph reported Dec. 12.

France: Delegates Approve Paris Climate Change Deal

Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan: Presidents Meet

Afghanistan

Algeria

Luxembourg

A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Armenia

Bahrain

Lithuania

Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources.

Egypt

Maldives

Malta

Ukraine

India

Iran

North Macedonia

Tajikistan

Bhutan

Germany

Iraq

The President palace in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

The administrative center of the Gakh region of Azerbaijan, located at the foot of the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus, on the river Kurhumchai.

Finland

Israel

Nepal

Georgia

Jordan

Pakistan

Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

Kuwait

Liechtenstein

Sri Lanka

Latvia

Lebanon

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Libya

Russia

Czech Republic

A horse grazes in front of Kara-Kul lake in the Chon-Ak-Suu valley, 300 kilometers southeast of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

SITUATION REPORTS

Kiribati: Island Nation Will Rejoin Pacific Islands Forum

Kiribati: Country's Withdrawal From Pacific Islands Forum Fractures Unity

Pacific Islands: Undersea Cable Project Delayed Amid U.S. Concerns of Chinese Interference

China, Kiribati: Countries Sign Memorandum of Understanding on BRI Cooperation

Kiribati: Government Cuts Ties With Taiwan, Establishes Diplomatic Relations With Mainland China

China, Taiwan: Pacific Island Nations Call for Equal Diplomatic Treatment for Beijing and Taipei

France: Delegates Approve Paris Climate Change Deal

Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan: Presidents Meet

Forecasts

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