Australia

Indonesia

New Zealand

India

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia, for the first stop on his tour of Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, The Times of India reported on July 6.

India: Modi Begins Tour of Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand

India and New Zealand signed a free trade agreement under which New Zealand will eliminate duties on all Indian goods, while India will reduce tariffs on 95% of imports from New Zealand, AP reported on April 27.

New Zealand, India: Governments Sign Free Trade Agreement

Canada

United States

China

Japan

Philippines

France

The Philippines and the United States began the largest iteration of annual Balikatan military drills yet, running through May 8 with more than 17,000 troops, including around 10,000 U.S. personnel, and expanded participation from allies including Japan -- which is participating in live-fire drills for the first time -- Australia, Canada, France and New Zealand, AP reported on April 20.

Asia-Pacific: Balikatan Military Drills Largest Ever as China Launches Parallel Exercises

India and New Zealand are reportedly set to sign a free trade agreement on April 24 to boost trade and investment, The Economic Times reported on April 7.

India, New Zealand: Governments Set To Sign FTA on April 24

New Zealand and the Cook Islands signed a defense and security declaration, reaffirming New Zealand as the Cook Islands' primary security partner, Bloomberg reported April 2.

New Zealand, Cook Islands: Countries Sign Defense and Security Declaration

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced that New Zealand will hold its next general election on Nov. 7, with Luxon seeking a second term for his center-right coalition government, AP reported on Jan. 21. 

New Zealand: Election Called for November

India and New Zealand on Dec. 22 announced that they had reached a free trade agreement aimed at deepening economic ties, Bloomberg reported.

India, New Zealand: Free Trade Agreement Announced

Fiji

Malaysia

Papua New Guinea

Singapore

South Korea

Thailand

Tonga

Vietnam

Germany

United Kingdom

Norway

Netherlands

Australia launched U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems as part of the 2025 Exercise Talisman Sabre, the largest iteration of the biennial multinational drills to date, AP reported on July 14.

Australia: HIMARS Fired Amid Largest-Ever Military Drills

Assessments

Vanuatu

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

Oman

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi walks alongside Oman's Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq al-Said upon his arrival in Muscat on Dec. 17, 2025.

Global Trade

New trade pacts offer gains in market access and investment but India's protectionist stance on agriculture and dairy remains an obstacle to deals with the United States and European Union. 


Oman and New Zealand Deals Indicate India's Push To Diversify Trade Partnerships

Snapshots

People are seen behind a New Zealand flag during a ceremony celebrating the anniversary of Anzac Day. 

Prime Minister Luxon's recent trip to China marked a high-stakes diplomatic mission aimed at both deepening economic ties with Beijing and signaling New Zealand's more assertive regional posture.

New Zealand's Pivot: Assertive Defense Meets Economic Dependence on China

Europe

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) walks with New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (R) before their meeting at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, on March 17, 2025. 

U.S. tariff threats are pushing India to revamp negotiations over free trade agreements, but protectionist trade policies and other obstacles will challenge the progression of talks.

India Dusts Off Old FTA Negotiations Ahead of U.S. Tariffs

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Samoa

Federated States of Micronesia

Kiribati

Marshall Islands

Nauru

Palau

Solomon Islands

Tuvalu

Ukraine

Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky holds a flag during a ceremony on Ukraine's Independence Day on Aug. 24, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine 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: Gaza Cease-Fire Talks Resume, Ukraine Observes Third Post-Invasion Independence Day

South Africa

Switzerland

President Cyril Ramaphosa is sworn in as member of parliament during the first sitting of the new South African parliament on June 14 in Cape Town, South Africa. Ramaphosa will be inaugurated to a second term in a ceremony scheduled to take place June 19 in Pretoria.

The Weekly Rundown: Ukraine's Peace Summit, South Africa's Inauguration

Columns

On Geopolitics

North Korea

A 3D rendering of Southeast Asia from space at night with city lights showing Southeast Asian cities in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Environment, Science & Technology

U.S.-China Relations

Science & Technology

In the Asia-Pacific, countries are increasingly pursuing complex networks of political, economic and defense ties as part of a burgeoning "multi-alignment" strategy that seeks to avoid U.S.-China strategic competition.

Examining 'Multi-Alignment' in the Asia-Pacific

Venezuela

Egypt

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on March 14, 2024, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

The Weekly Rundown: Dueling U.S. and Chinese Diplomacy, a European Council Summit

Ecuador

Poland

Israeli army Merkava battle tanks deploy Oct. 13, 2023, with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel. An invasion will greatly exacerbate the hardships caused by Israel's total siege of the strip, creating a humanitarian crisis that could cause Egypt to use force to ensure that Palestinian refugees do not enter Sinai.

The Weekly Rundown: A Gaza Ground Invasion, a Parliamentary Election in Poland

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marapeand, the Cook Islands' Prime Minister Mark Brown, U.S. President Joe Biden and Kiribati's President Taneti Maamau at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as part of the U.S.-PIF summit at the White House on Sept. 25, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

Despite Washington's desire to strengthen ties with Pacific island nations, political constraints may leave a regional void that China is happy to fill.

Strategic Goals and Political Hurdles in the U.S. Play Tug-of-War Over the Pacific Islands

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces her resignation at the War Memorial Centre on Jan. 19, 2023, in Napier, New Zealand. 

No matter who takes power next, Wellington will likely maintain its ''independent foreign policy” and balanced approach to U.S.-China competition.

Ardern's Surprise Exit Is Unlikely to Change New Zealand's Middle-Ground Politics

Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) and Fiji's prime minister Frank Bainimarama attend a joint press conference in Fiji's capital of Suva on May 30, 2022.

Security

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

China in Transition

Asia-Pacific: Among Great Powers

China, the U.S., and Australia will need to adapt their traditional engagement with the island nations to secure influence in the strategic maritime region.

The Pacific Islands Emerge as the Next Theater for Great Power Competition 

New Zealand is an island nation at the southwestern edge of the Pacific Ocean, lying around 1,600 kilometers (994 miles) across the Tasman Sea from the Australian island of Tasmania. Geologically, New Zealand is part of a distinct continent known as Zealandia that also includes the French territory New Caledonia. Geographically, however, it is grouped within the broader Oceanic subregion of Polynesia, which is an assortment of over 1,000 islands to the northeast of New Zealand that includes Tahiti, Samoa, Easter Island and Hawaii.     Travelling from Eastern Polynesia, New Zealand's original inhabitants, the Maori, arrived by boat around 800 years ago. In the 18th century, British colonists arrived as an after-effect of Australian settlement. Though it is comprised of over 600 islands, most of New Zealand's current inhabitants live on either the South Island or the North Island, with the North Island accounting three-quarters of the country's population.     New Zealand's exclusive economic zone, on the other hand, is 15 times the size of its landmasses. Agricultural products dominate New Zealand's exports, with the lion's share destined for Australia and broader Asia. Unlike neighboring Australia, New Zealand is unlikely to develop a significant mining or hydrocarbon sector to diversify its economy. In the maritime realm, New Zealand has an unrecognized claim to a wedge of Antarctica known as the Ross Dependency as well as a loose federation with the Cook Islands, Tokelau and Niue.     Like Australia, New Zealand's main geographic challenge is to overcome both its remote location and its tiny population. New Zealand's strongly pro-trade policies and collective security agreement with Australia and the United States seek to ensure that sea lanes remain open and that New Zealand is safely under the umbrella of the dominant global maritime power's protection. At the same time, it must balance these security ties with its interests in maintaining access to growing markets in the Asia-Pacific such as China.

SITUATION REPORTS

India: Modi Begins Tour of Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand

New Zealand, India: Governments Sign Free Trade Agreement

Asia-Pacific: Balikatan Military Drills Largest Ever as China Launches Parallel Exercises

India, New Zealand: Governments Set To Sign FTA on April 24

New Zealand, Cook Islands: Countries Sign Defense and Security Declaration

New Zealand: Election Called for November

India, New Zealand: Free Trade Agreement Announced

Australia: HIMARS Fired Amid Largest-Ever Military Drills

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