Modernizing China’s Military

Defending against Beijing's competing South China Sea claims will force Jakarta to accept the potential economic cost of Chinese retaliation.

Wellington's balance between securing its periphery and maintaining trade ties with China could shift toward the former as Beijing’s military activities in the Pacific accelerate.

More frequent confrontations with Manila could see Washington turn its pledges of support into action, raising the risk of a more direct U.S.-China standoff in the contested waterway.

Tehran will aim to balance increased cooperation with Beijing by pursuing sanctions relief from the U.S. and overall deeper ties with Western countries.

Targeting China’s third-largest oil company highlights the South China Sea’s importance to U.S. strategy, which is unlikely to change under Biden.

China’s reassertion of its 1959 border line with India has left little room for compromise, which will enable Beijing to reinforce its claims in the Himalayan region come spring.

Duterte’s South China Sea policy is becoming less conciliatory toward China amid growing political pressure to shore up Manila’s maritime claims, as well as its U.S. security alliance.

In this episode of the Essential Geopolitics podcast, Emily Donahue speaks to the author of a new report on Chinese infrastructure buildup at the Indian border. Sim Tack, Stratfor senior global analyst, discusses the regional rivalry and how Stratfor advanced understanding of strategic calculations by India and China.