In The News

Missing the Big Picture, US Policy on North Korea Could Bring Disaster

Paul Bracken March 8, 2016
So far in 2016, North Korea has tested an atomic weapon and long-range missile. The United Nations Security Council responded with sanctions amid hope that China might contain a belligerent ally. The world expects the United States to monitor international developments, and those not posing immediate danger or causing global media alarm are often put to the side with a cursory response. “Yet...

What the US Campaign Can Teach China about How It Is Viewed

March 7, 2016
A good test for US presidential candidate is how they respond about a rising China. While both countries can display nationalistic tendencies, the Chinese anticipate the next US president, regardless of campaign rhetoric as well as Republican or Democrat, to strive for middle ground and dialogue while embracing a more pro-active foreign policy. “As China rises in prominence in the global economy...

North Korea Sanctions Largely Depend on China’s Implementation

Lee Je-hun March 3, 2016
A day after the UN Security Council imposed 52 new sanctions against North Korea, the isolated regime fired six short-range projectiles about 100 kilometers off the Korean Peninsula. The sanctions “places a legal responsibility on UN member states, who will be found in violation of the resolution if they do not implement these sanctions,” reports Lee Je-hun, staff reporter for the Hankyoreh in...

Sunnylands or Rancho Mirage? ASEAN and the South China Sea

Donald K. Emmerson February 23, 2016
China and its neighbors have competing claims to sections of the South China Sea. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has long trusted that regional diplomacy might resolve the overlapping claims and, in the meantime, the United States would keep China in check. But China has been more assertive in recent years, building up small islands and adding military installations. The hope for...

To Tame a Dragon

Nayan Chanda February 15, 2016
US President Barack Obama, hosting the first US-ASEAN summit, is calling for a negotiated settlement over South China Sea disputes. “For the past several years, the US has sought unsuccessfully to nudge Asean members to take a unified stance against China’s aggressive moves in the South China Sea,” writes Nayan Chanda, founding editor of YaleGlobal Online, for the Times of India. “Although member...

False Sense of Security

Nayan Chanda February 9, 2016
Few countries will be insulated from the slowdown of the Chinese economy, even those not intricately tied to the Chinese supply chain. “China did indeed stimulate its way out of the 2008 crisis but now it has to deal with overcapacity and debt,” writes Nayan Chanda, founding editor of YaleGlobal Online, in his column for Businessworld. “For India to be congratulating itself for not being part of...

Asia Should Not Delay on South China Sea Disputes

Humphrey Hawksley February 9, 2016
The US military is challenging China’s claims to 90 percent of the South China Sea that includes some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. “The unpredictability of the American presidential election now heightens the risk because inevitably it will come with ramped-up anti-China campaign rhetoric,” reports BBC journalist Humphrey Hawksley. The United States and countries in Asia are divided...