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

Military & Security

Politics

The U.S. State Department is seeking $7.1 billion over the next 20 years to use as economic assistance for the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) as part of the Compacts of Free Association (COFA) agreements that Washington has with the three Pacific Island nations, Reuters reported March 23. 

U.S.: Biden Administration Seeking $7.1 Billion Over 20 Years in Financial Aid for Pacific Island Nations 

The United States and Palau signed a memorandum of understanding on Jan. 11 to renew their Compact of Free Association (COFA) after Washington doubled its aid offer to $800 million over 20 years, Benar News reported Jan. 12.

U.S., Palau: Countries Sign Radar Agreement, MoU to Renew Compact of Free Association

Australia

Guardian-class patrol boats worth $1.4 billion that Australia is gifting to several Pacific Island nations were found to have significant structural faults, The Straits Times reported July 1.

Australia: Naval Vessels Gifted to Pacific Islands Have Significant Faults

The United States appointed Joseph Yun to resume negotiations with three Pacific Island nations -- Palau, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia -- to renew their Compacts of Free Association, which allow the islands' citizens to live and work freely in the United States in return for extensive U.S. military access to their territories, Reuters reported March 22.

U.S., Pacific Islands, China: New Envoy to Shore Up U.S. Presence in Pacific

Security

Palau announced that it will leave the regional Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) group, citing dissatisfaction with the PIF's recent secretary-general appointment process, the Guardian reported Feb. 4. 

Palau: Island Nation Terminates Membership in Pacific Island Forum

The presidents of three Compact of Free Association countries -- the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau -- will travel to Washington next week to meet U.S. President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials, The Wall Street Journal reported May 15.

Asia-Pacific: Pacific Island Leaders to Meet Trump in Washington

Taiwan

China in Transition

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

Coping With a Nuclear North Korea

The United States announced plans to install radar systems in Palau to monitor North Korean missile threats in the western Pacific, Business Times reported Aug. 24.

Palau: U.S. Military Will Install Radar Towers

Afghanistan

Algeria

Antigua and Barbuda

Luxembourg

South Sudan

A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Angola

Argentina

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.

Barbados

Benin

Egypt

Maldives

Malta

Ukraine

Belize

Botswana

Brunei Darussalam

India

Iran

North Macedonia

Tajikistan

Bhutan

Bolivia

Burkina Faso

Cambodia

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.

Brazil

Burundi

Finland

Israel

Nepal

Cameroon

Canada

Georgia

Jordan

Pakistan

Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

Cabo Verde

Chile

Kuwait

Liechtenstein

Sri Lanka

Central African Republic

Colombia

Latvia

Lebanon

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Chad

Costa Rica

Indonesia

Libya

Russia

Comoros

Cuba

Czech Republic

Japan

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

Morocco

Cote d'Ivoire

Denmark

Dominica

Moldova

Oman

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Dominican Republic

Laos

Palestinian Territories

Djibouti

Ecuador

Holy See (Vatican City)

Malaysia

Qatar

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Greece

Saudi Arabia

Eritrea

France

Grenada

Mongolia

Columns

On the Road

Timor-Leste

The Geopolitics of the Cook Islands

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Globalization

In the remote Pacific islands, the world's crises are dulled by distance. But the plight of the Cook Islands -- a grouping of 15 islands at the heart of the South Pacific is a tiny segment of a sweeping arc that sprawls across the Pacific from the Marianas to Polynesia -- is dire. In spite of the fantasies of travelers over the centuries, these islands are not pristine utopias.

A Place Where Geopolitics Fades

Environmental Issues

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S.: Biden Administration Seeking $7.1 Billion Over 20 Years in Financial Aid for Pacific Island Nations

U.S., Palau: Countries Sign Radar Agreement, MoU to Renew Compact of Free Association

Australia: Naval Vessels Gifted to Pacific Islands Have Significant Faults

U.S., Pacific Islands, China: New Envoy to Shore Up U.S. Presence in Pacific

Palau: Island Nation Terminates Membership in Pacific Island Forum

Asia-Pacific: Pacific Island Leaders to Meet Trump in Washington

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

Palau: U.S. Military Will Install Radar Towers

Forecasts

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