Asia | Council on Foreign Relations

Japan

The LDP Leadership Race: Six More Join, a Field of Nine

September has brought six more candidates to the race, creating the largest field of candidates in the party’s history.

Blog Post by Sheila A. Smith September 12, 2024 Asia Unbound
China

What Is China’s Role in Combating the Illegal Fentanyl Trade?

Those seeking to profit from fentanyl and governments seeking to control its supply are locked in a never-ending competition, with each new countermeasure spurring further innovation to circumvent it.

Expert Brief by Zongyuan Zoe Liu September 12, 2024
Defense and Security

Congress’s Funding Battle, Iran Sends Missiles to Russia, Orbán Defies the EU, and More

The U.S. Congress returns from its summer recess to try to pass a budget for federal discretionary programs before the fiscal year ends and avoid a government shutdown; the United States and other Western allies accuse Iran of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia, raising concerns over intensified strikes on Ukraine; Hungary faces a second deadline to pay a $221 million fine for breaking European Union asylum law, which President Viktor Orbán remains unwilling to follow; and China gifts Cambodia two newly built Type 056 corvette warships, raising questions about Beijing’s naval ambitions.

Podcast with Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins September 12, 2024 The World Next Week

Experts in this Region

Alyssa Ayres

Adjunct Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia

Jerome A. Cohen

Adjunct Senior Fellow for Asia Studies

Rush Doshi

C.V. Starr Senior Fellow for Asia Studies and Director of the China Strategy Initiative

Matthew P. Goodman

Distinguished Fellow, Director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies, and Director of the CFR RealEcon Initiative

Yanzhong Huang

Senior Fellow for Global Health

Kenneth I. Juster

Distinguished Fellow

Joshua Kurlantzick

Senior Fellow for Southeast Asia and South Asia

Zongyuan Zoe Liu

Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow for China Studies

Shuxian Luo

Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow

Manjari Chatterjee Miller

Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia

Carl Minzner

Senior Fellow For China Studies

David Sacks

Fellow for Asia Studies

Adam Segal

Ira A. Lipman Chair in Emerging Technologies and National Security and Director of the Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program

Sheila A. Smith

John E. Merow Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Studies

Election 2024

The Trump-Harris Debate Ignored Asia/China, and That’s Bad News

The U.S. presidential election neglected to discuss Asia, one of the most pivotal regions to U.S. foreign policy.

Blog Post by Joshua Kurlantzick September 11, 2024 Asia Unbound
Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste: Twenty-Five Years After Independence

Timor-Leste has emerged as a democratic bright spot in a region struggling with democratic regression.

Blog Post by Joshua Kurlantzick September 11, 2024 Asia Unbound
Japan

Blocking the Nippon Steel Acquisition: Politics Versus Policy

A decision by President Biden to block Nippon Steel’s purchase of U.S. Steel would not be good policy or good politics.

Article by Matthew P. Goodman September 11, 2024 RealEcon

Maternal and Child Health

Women This Week: Texas Sues for Ability to Seek Records of Women who Obtain Out-of-State Abortions

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post covers August 31 to September 6.

Blog Post by Ann Norris September 9, 2024 Women Around the World
China

A Closed Door for Orphans? Unpacking China’s International Adoption Policy

While China’s decision to halt international adoptions seems to address some legitimate concerns, it overlooks the unique benefits these adoptions provided, particularly for children with special needs.

Blog Post by Yanzhong Huang September 6, 2024 Asia Unbound
Indo-Pacific

Guam’s Strategic Importance in the Indo-Pacific

The island’s proximity to Asia makes it a critical outpost for the U.S. military and a potential hub in the event of regional conflict.

In Brief by Clara Fong and Diana Roy September 6, 2024
United States

Why Biden Wants to Block the Nippon-U.S. Steel Deal

U.S. President Joe Biden is reportedly planning to block the Japanese takeover of U.S. Steel, raising questions about the administration’s economic and foreign policy priorities.

In Brief by Noah Berman September 6, 2024
Sub-Saharan Africa

The Truth About Africa's "Debt Crisis"

Africa has a governance crisis, not a debt crisis.

Blog Post by Ebenezer Obadare September 5, 2024 Africa in Transition
Taiwan

Can the Taiwan People’s Party Survive?

Mounting scandals surrounding the Taiwan People's Party raise questions about its long term viability.

Blog Post by David Sacks September 5, 2024 Asia Unbound
South China Sea

Rising Tensions in the South China Sea Lead the Philippines to Side With the United States

In contrast to other Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines has expressly aligned itself with the United States amid rising tensions in the South China Sea.

Blog Post by Joshua Kurlantzick September 5, 2024 Asia Unbound
Philippines

Why Tensions in the South China Sea Are Bolstering the U.S.-Philippines Alliance

Manila has fully allied with Washington amid increasingly dangerous standoffs with Beijing in the South China Sea, heightening the prospect of a wider war.

Expert Brief by Joshua Kurlantzick and Abigail McGowan September 5, 2024 Asia Program
United States

Getting Economic Security Right

National security policymakers are understandably worried about economic risks, but they shouldn’t lose sight of other national interests.

Article by Matthew P. Goodman September 4, 2024 RealEcon