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Asia-Studies Full-Text Online is the premier database for the study of modern Asia Pacific. As the exclusive licensee for many of the region's most prestigious research institutions, Asia-Studies.com brings together thousands of full-text reports covering 55 countries* on a multitude of business, government, economic, and social issues.

  
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We index full-text journals with open access platforms in our NEW Asia-Studies Full-Text Plus section. Here is the list of journals available.

  
 

 

  
 

 

  
 

 

  
 

January, 2019 Current Topics

  

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Hong Kong: High Frequency Macroeconomic Forecasts Current Quarter Model: 2019Q1, January 2019. According to its High Frequency Macroeconomic Forecast, real GDP is estimated to grow by 2.7% in 18Q4, when compared with the same period in 2017, slightly slower than the 2.9% growth in 18Q3. In 19Q1, real GDP growth is expected to moderate to 2.3% when compared with the same period last year. We forecast that Hong Kong GDP will grow by 3.4% in 2018 as a whole, same as our previous forecast. Clouded by the expected economic slowdown in China and US in 2019 brought by the unfolding impact of the US-China trade tension and interest rate hikes, Hong Kong’s GDP growth is expected to show further slowdown to 2.8% in 2019 as a whole...

  

HKU

MAS Survey of Professional Forecasters, December 2018. The December 2018 Survey was sent out on 22 November 2018 to a total of 28 economists and analysts who closely monitor the Singapore economy. This report reflects the views received from 23 respondents (a response rate of 82.1%) and does not represent MAS’ views or forecasts. GDP growth in Q3 2018 was in line with expectations. The Singapore economy expanded by 2.2% in Q3 2018 compared with the same period last year, marginally higher than the median forecast of 2.1% reported in the September survey. In the current survey, year-on-year growth in Q4 2018 is expected to come in at 2.4%...

  

MAS

MAS Financial Stability Review, November 2018. Tightening global financial conditions have caused capital outflows from the region, and could create further pressures on regional currencies and the debt servicing abilities of sovereigns, corporates and households. Vulnerabilities in emerging market (EM) economies have been exacerbated by global trade tensions. A protracted trade conflict could have wider ramifications on global economic growth through dampened business confidence, investment and productivity. Singapore’s banking system remains resilient despite increased uncertainty. Loan growth was healthy over the past year, while overall asset quality has improved. MAS assesses that domestic credit growth remains in line with economic conditions and does not observe any broad-based domestic credit overheating at this juncture. Hence, MAS will maintain the Countercyclical Capital Buffer (CCyB) at 0%...

  

MAS

A Guide to Digital Token Offerings, November 2018. On 1 August 2017, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (“MAS”) clarified that if a digital token constitutes a product regulated under the securities laws administered by MAS, the offer or issue of digital tokens must comply with the applicable securities laws. This paper provides general guidance on the application of the securities laws administered by MAS in relation to offers or issues of digital tokens in Singapore. For purposes of this guide, the securities laws refer to the Securities and Futures Act (Cap. 289) (“SFA”) and the Financial Advisers Act (Cap. 110) (“FAA”)...

  

MAS

Principles to Promote Fairness, Ethics, Accountability and Transparency (FEAT) in the Use of Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics in Singapore’s Financial Sector, November 2018. This document contains a set of generally accepted Principles for the use of artificial intelligence and data analytics (“AIDA”) in decision-making in the provision of financial products and services. Compared to human decision-making, the nature and the increasing use of AIDA may heighten the risks of systematic misuse. This may result in impacts which are more widespread, perpetuated at greater speed. When used responsibly and effectively, AIDA has significant potential to improve business processes, mitigate risks and facilitate stronger decision-making...

  

MAS

Economic Conflict Between America and China: A Truce Declared, the Talks Begin, December 2018. China and the United States are in talks over their so-called trade war, the biggest threat to economic globalisation in decades. While the focus of the dispute has centred on tariffs, the underlying economic issues involved in the talks are both simpler and more complex, less dangerous and more dangerous to the rest of the world, than widely thought. The Trump administration portrays the trade deficit between China and the US as unfair, yet US exports to China since it joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 have grown very much faster than China’s exports to the United States. US manufacturing output, said to be devasted by imports from China, has increased strongly over the past decade...

  

Lowy

Implications of the Assistance and Access Bill 2018, Decmeber 2018. The Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018 and the resulting legislation have been of significant interest to a range of Australian and international stakeholders. In public submissions through the consultation phase, various industry stakeholders and voices raised several concerns about the potential economic implications of the Bill. To better understand the nature of those concerns and how they might be addressed, AustCyber (the Australian Cyber Security Growth Network) asked ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre to develop and conduct an online survey of Australian industry using AustCyber’s database of contacts.

  

ASPI

Remaining Plugged into European Defence and Security After Brexit: Australia and Germany, Decmeber 2018. The UK will leave the EU in March 2019. This will have long-lasting implications not only for both the UK and the EU’s remaining member states but also for third countries that have close ties to the continent, such as Australia. To remain plugged into European security and defence after Brexit, Canberra will need to develop stronger ties with other European partners to replicate the strong bonds it has with London. Particularly as a proponent of the international rules-based order, Australia should engage more with like-minded European partners such as Germany to address challenges to that order...

  

ASPI

Two Kinds of Conservatives in Japanese Politics and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Tactics to Cope with Them, December 2018. Shinzo Abe won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership election in September 2018, securing his third term both as leader of the party and as prime minister. How has Abe — an avowedly nationalistic and right-wing politician in terms of his political ideology — been able to maintain his grip on power for 6 years? To understand his exceptionally long administration (only three other Japanese prime ministers have reached the five-year mark), we must distinguish between two contrasting types of conservatives in the LDP and examine how Abe has maneuvered to integrate those two conservative trends...

  

EWC

The United States Reasserts Trade Rule-Making through USMCA and Challenges CPTPP, December 2018. The announcement on October 1, 2018, that an agreement had been reached on a new United States–Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) came as a shock to all members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) except Mexico and Canada. It was particularly shocking for Japan which had led efforts to bring the CPTPP to fruition. New provisions included in the USMCA trilateral accord, such as those related to currency manipulation, imply that the USMCA has dethroned the CPTPP as the most modern trade agreement. The conclusion of the USMCA signifies that the United States is reasserting itself as a trade rule-maker, although the process to achieve that agreement has been publically contentious...

  

EWC

The United States Military’s Perspective on the Okinawan Gubernatorial Elections, November 2018. On September 30, 2018, Denny Tamaki, the son of an Okinawan woman and estranged US Marine, won the Okinawa gubernatorial race. Tamaki ran on the same anti-base expansion platform as his predecessor, the deceased Governor Takeshi Onaga. This election made global headlines because it was center stage to the tumultuous triad relationship between the United States, the central government of Japan, and the prefectural administration of Okinawa...

  

EWC

Trends in Southeast Asia 2018 #22: The Perak Sultanate: Transitioning into the 21st Century. Although Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s earlier government (1981–2003) limited the powers and privileges of Malaysia’s nine hereditary rulers, the political influence that they could exercise was still evident in the “Perak Crisis” of 2009, which also generated public debate about royal rights. In recent years, public wariness in Malaysia about politicians has helped the rulers present themselves as alternative sources of authority. “Monarchical activism” has been especially evident in the state of Perak, dating from 1984 when Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah, who was until then Malaysia’s Lord President, was installed as the thirty-fourth ruler. In 2014, he was succeeded by his eldest son, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah...

  

ISEAS
Hmong Studies Journal, Vol. 19, Issues 1 and 2, 2018  

HSJ
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Trends in Southeast Asia 2018 #21: Islam Nusantara as a Promising Response to Religious Intolerance and Radicalism. The Indonesian government has tried to defeat terrorist groups and uproot radicalism, both through military and cultural-ideological approaches. The recent attack at Mako Brimob Depok, West Java, and the bombing in Surabaya, East Java, however, have shown that radical Islam and terrorist groups are not defeated yet. Killing terrorist does not always mean killing terrorism. It could even have the opposite impact, i.e., strengthening and fertilizing the radical ideology. The government, being aware of this, has been supporting Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in promoting Islam Nusantara, widely believed to be the ideological antidote for radicalism and terrorism...

  

ISEAS

Trends in Southeast Asia 2018 #20: Electoral Politics and the Malaysian Chinese Association in Johor. Like the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) was known for having its bastion in Johor, with the state containing the highest number of parliamentary seats contested and won by the party. Two features of the MCA stand out: (1) its relative resilience in that its near elimination in other states since 2008 did not occur in Johor until the recent 14th General Elections, and (2) that most MCA presidents had some connections to Johor, either as having been born in Johor, contested in a Johor constituency, been chairman of the Johor state liaison committee, or a combination of three. Although historical institutional linkages such as the New Villages and the Chinese guilds and associations (CGAs) gave the MCA a strong footing in Johor initially, changing political and socioeconomic circumstances gradually eroded the party’s support among the Johorean Chinese...

  

ISEAS

Partners: Australian Private Sector Engagement in the Pacific, November 2018. The South Pacific is becoming a more strategically crowded and contested space. But, despite the strong aid and defence relations Australia maintains with the island states, there’s been little attention given to date to the role of Australia’s private sector in the Pacific islands region. That’s in many ways surprising. Elements of Australian business have had longstanding connections in the Pacific, and the spread of business across borders is now a powerful international and regional political and economic force. Such business networks knit communities together. Given the crowded and complex South Pacific, there’s now a critical need for the Australian Government and business to get their collective act together in stepping up engagement in the region.

  

ASPI

New Caledonia Votes to Retain French Links & France Retains its Indo-Pacific Geo-Strategic Position, November 2018. In the south-west Pacific the French territory of New Caledonia, with a population of about 263,000, held an independence referendum on November 4, 2018. With a high turnout of 80% of eligible voters, 43.6% voted in favor of independence and 56.4% voted in favor of keeping the French link. The 2014 population census breakdown recorded 40.3% Kanaks, 29.2% Europeans, 18.7% other Pacific islanders, 8.6% mixed race and 2.3% other Asians. The challenge for the indigenous largely pro-independence Kanak community had been to push its own 40% block up with pro-independence votes from other non-European communities. Disappointingly for them, they were unable to do this to the extent needed. This result leaves the independence cause in New Caledonia weakened...

  

EWC

The United States and Pakistan Need Each Other for Stability and Peace in Afghanistan, October 2018. A fundamental point underlies the US-Pakistan relationship: Washington seeks Islamabad’s support in the honorable exit from Afghanistan. After 17-years of war, the interests of the United States and Pakistan seem to have aligned in pursuing a negotiated settlement of the Afghan conundrum. This reality presents to the new government in Islamabad with what Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center characterized as a golden opportunity to convince the Taliban to commit to the peace talks and become part of the political process in Afghanistan. Toward that end, the Pakistani government believes it will play a constructive role, including using its influence over the Taliban. Indeed, Islamabad considers peace and stability in Afghanistan as “vital for its own long-term stability and progress,” as emphasized by Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi...

  

EWC

Asia Bond Monitor, November 2018. This publication reviews developments in East Asian local currency bond markets during the third quarter of 2018 and provides outlook, risks, and policy options. Data suggest that local currency bond yields rose in most economies in emerging East Asia between 31 August and 15 October on the back of continued interest rate hikes by the United States Federal Reserve. Highlights of this publication include a special focus on the impact of the Asian Bond Markets Initiative on the region’s bond market development and a detailed presentation of results from the AsianBondsOnline annual bond market liquidity survey.

  

ADB

Risk Mitigation and Sovereign Guarantees for Public–Private Partnerships in Developing Economies, November 2018. Private investors are concerned about the creditworthiness of public–private partnership (PPP) projects in Asia because a large percentage of developing countries are considered risky counter parties. This paper examines the application of credit enhancement, such as letters of credit and partial risk guarantees, and attempts to quantify the benefits of these instruments. It presents the main risks of infrastructure investors in Asia, the severity of which vary by specific project conditions, and the complementary roles of governments and multilateral development banks in mitigating these risks.

  

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Why Dowry Deaths Have Risen in India? Published 2018. Dowry deaths rose from about 19 per day in 2001 to 21 per day in 2016. While these statistics are worrying, there is a great deal of variation in the incidence of “dowry deaths” across regions and over time. It is indeed alarming that the rise in dowry deaths is unabated despite greater stringency of anti-dowry laws. In 1961, the Dowry Prohibition Act made giving and taking of dowry, its abetment or the demand for it an offence punishable with imprisonment and fine or without the latter. This was an abysmal failure as dowries became a nationwide phenomenon, replacing bride price. More stringent laws followed but with little effect...

  

ASARC

Modinomics: Design, Implementation, Outcomes and Prospects, Published 2018. The present paper presents an analysis of the key elements of Modinomics, defined as “everyone’s participation, everyone’s progress.” It investigates the reasons why Modinomics was necessary, the key elements of Modinomics, and how this policy was implemented, as well as two deep structural reforms under Modi. The paper examines the record of economic growth under Modi as well as new welfare and employment programs to make economic growth more inclusive. Finally, the paper examines medium and long –term growth prospects for India...

  

ASARC

Structural Transformation in South Asia, Published 2018. This paper models the evolution and determinants of the shares of agriculture, manufacturing and services to GDP for 4 South Asian countries (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan) for 55 years: 1960-2014. Determinants of these shares were classified into three broad categories “country fundamentals”, “policy” and decadal dummies. We find that with increase in GDP the share of services rises strongly whereas the share of manufacturing has a more tepid rise with GDP whereas the share of agriculture falls in most cases...

  

ASARC

Asian Economic Integration Report 2018 (Full Report, Highlights). This publication documents Asia’s progress in regional cooperation and integration. It covers the 48 regional members of the Asian Development Bank and analyzes regional as well as global economic linkages. The 2018 report’s special chapter “Toward Optimal Provision of Regional Public Goods in Asia and the Pacific” examines how collective action among countries can help find solutions to growing transnational development challenges. The special chapter also discusses how to best provide regional public goods that transcend the so-called “collective action problem” which occurs when individual interests are too weak on their own to drive cooperation on common issues.

  

ADB
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Philippine Defense Cooperation with Russia: A Wake-up Call for the United States? October 2018. Since the election of President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016, the Philippines has pursued an independent foreign policy aimed at gaining distance from the United States. President Duterte has called upon China and Russia for assistance in the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), much to the dislike of Washington. It must not be forgotten that the Philippines and the United States have a long-standing military alliance, established in various agreements: the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), Military Assistance Agreement, Visiting Forces Agreement, Cooperative Threat Reduction Agreement, and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, to name a few...

  

EWC

Promises of the “Book of Hope”: Influences on the New Malaysian Government, October 2018. As Malaysia’s new Pakatan Harapan (translating as “Book of Hope”) Government completes its first five months in office, its challenge has shifted from winning elections to governing the nation. Prior to May 9th, few would have expected that Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto – Buku Harapan or Book of Hope – would guide a new chapter in Malaysian politics. It is likely that its own crafters perceived electoral victory as more a distant hope rather than an assured reality. Yet with the defeat of the long-ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, Buku Harapan has become central to Malaysia’s new direction and priorities, continues to influence Malaysia’s governance, and can possibly alter power sharing arrangements in Malaysian politics...

  

EWC

The Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy and Uncertainties for India & Japan, October 2018. The Trump administration has signaled its intention to engage closely with the Indo-Pacific by committing to new strategic investment initiatives and economic cooperation with Japan, India, Australia, and Mongolia. The concept of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy (FOIP) is not new and was originally coined and reflected in Japan's forein policy strategy under the Abe administration. However, India and Japan continue to face some uncertainties over the nature of their engagement with the United States' vision of the FOIP. These uncertainties arise from lack of clarity over whether the FOIP would focus more on economic development or aim to develop into a security-oriented strategy for countering China...

  

EWC

High Frequency Macroeconomic Forecasts Current Quarter Model: 2018Q4, October 2018. Real GDP is estimated to grow by 3.0% in 18Q3, when compared with the same period in 2017, moderate from the 3.5% growth in 18Q2. In 18Q4, real GDP growth is expected to moderate to 2.7% when compared with the same period last year. Comparing to the 3.8% growth in 2017, we expect Hong Kong GDP will moderate to 3.4% in 2018 as a whole, downward revised by 0.6 percentage point comparing to our previous forecast reflecting the impact of rising interest rate and the uncertainty of the US-China trade war...

  

HKU
Monetary Authority of Singapore: Macroeconomic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 2, October 2018 (Full Report, Presentation Slides for Briefing):  

MAS

Singapore Corporate Debt Market Review 2018. Issuance volumes in Singapore’s corporate bond market increased significantly in 2017, on the back of the continued expansion in the global economy and the introduction of MAS’ Asian Bond Grant Scheme. Total debt issued rose 39% year-on-year to SGD 259 billion in 2017, from SGD 186 billion in 2016. Growth was driven by increased issuances of both SGD and non-SGD denominated debt securities. SGD debt securities issued reached a 5-year high of SGD 27 billion, catalysed by strong investor sentiment and issuers seeking to secure longer term funding ahead of the expected rate increases...

  

MAS

2017 Singapore Asset Management Industry Survey, October 2018. At the end of 2017, total assets managed by Singapore-based asset managers grew strongly by 19% year-on-year to reach S$3.3 trillion, up from S$2.7 trillion in 2016. This has outpaced the past five years’ average growth rate of 15%. Singapore has maintained a high level of discretionary3 AUM at 53% in 2017, in line with the past five years’ average. Asset managers continue to view Singapore as a conducive place to conduct portfolio management activity. In 2017, there was a net increase of 55 registered and licensed fund managers. This brings the total number of registered and licensed fund managers to 715...

  

MAS

MAS Survey of Professional Forecasters, September 2018. The Singapore economy expanded by 3.9% in Q2 2018 compared with the same period last year, similar to the median forecast reported in the June survey. In the current survey, year-on-year growth in Q3 2018 is expected to come in at 2.1%...

  

MAS

Thematic Review of Credit Review Standards and Practices of Corporate Lending Business, October 2018. Banks are expected to actively manage their credit risks to ensure their credit portfolios remain resilient to vulnerabilities in the external environment. This would entail putting in place adequate credit risk management policies, as well as effective credit review and monitoring processes to identify and manage problem loans at an early stage. With this expectation in mind and against a backdrop of continuing uncertainties in the global macroeconomic environment, MAS conducted a thematic review of selected banks’ credit review standards and processes for their corporate loan portfolios between October 2016 and June 2017. The thematic review focused on assessing the banks’:..

  

MAS

Enforcement, September 2018. This Monograph outlines the approach that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (“MAS”) takes towards enforcement, the role that enforcement plays in the wider objective of financial industry oversight and the key areas of MAS’ enforcement practice and powers across the financial industry. As Singapore’s financial industry grows in size and complexity, it is not possible to prevent all regulatory breaches. MAS recognises the need to have the capability to take swift action to investigate and punish serious misconduct, thereby deterring unethical and illegal behaviour. On 1 August 2016, MAS established a dedicated Enforcement Department to centralise MAS’ enforcement functions and capabilities in order to enhance consistency and expertise in the enforcement functions across the banking, insurance, capital markets and other sectors regulated by MAS...

  

MAS

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Reinforcing Indonesia–Australia Defence Relations: The Case for Maritime Recalibration, October 2018. Indonesia and Australia are increasingly important strategic anchors in the Indo-Pacific region, as recognised by the recently announced Indonesia–Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Yet historically, bilateral defence ties between the two countries have been volatile. This Analysis makes the case for a maritime recalibration of Australia’s defence engagement activities with Indonesia to stabilise defence relations. The process of recalibrating defence relations, however, cannot proceed in a historical vacuum. The evolution of Australia’s Defence Cooperation Program (DCP) with Indonesia since the 1960s is examined in order to understand how the relationship could be recalibrated...

  

Lowy

Batam: Life after the FTZ? October 2018. Once an island of high-tech production and turbo-charged growth, Batam’s economic fortunes have waned of late. The traditional pillars of the manufacturing sector have contracted, investment levels have fallen, the island’s growth rate is below the national average, and unemployment has increased sharply. In response, policy-makers are promoting the development of new sectors to diversify the island’s economic base. There are debates on whether Batam’s status should be changed from a Free Trade Zone (FTZ) to a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to draw in more investment. This paper aims to contribute to the debates on how to revitalize the island’s economy...

  

ISEAS

Education in Malaysia Towards a Developed Nation, September 2018 . Education plays a key role in realising Malaysia’s aspirations to be a developed nation. This paper provides a critical assessment of the state of education in Malaysia. The issues that will be discussed in this paper includes the country’s current ethos and philosophy of education, technical and vocational education (TVET), technology and flexible learning, and governance and financing of higher education. The paper also highlights critical omissions in the current Eleventh Malaysia Plan.

  

ISEAS

Asian Development Outlook 2018 Update and Highlights. Developing Asia's gross domestic product is forecast to expand by 6.0% in 2018 and 5.8% in 2019. Consumer prices for 2018 and 2019 are projected to rise by 2.8%. Growth in developing Asia has so far held up against external headwinds. The forecast for rising inflation is tempered despite higher global fuel and food prices. Downside risks to the outlook are intensifying. Any escalation of the trade conflict could disrupt cross-border production links. While the region is expected to meet the Asian Development Outlook 2018 forecast of 6.0% growth in 2018, the projection for 2019 has been trimmed by 0.1 percentage points to 5.8%. Excluding Asia’s high-income newly industrialized economies, the region is expected to expand by 6.5% this year and 6.3% in 2019...

  

ADB
Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2018 (Full Report):
  • Part I: Sustainable Development Goals
  • Part II: Regional Trends and Tables
  • Part III: Global Value Chains

Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2017 covers 48 economies: Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji Islands, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Taipei, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, and Viet Nam.

  

ADB

Asia Bond Monitor, September 2018. Local currency bond markets in emerging East Asia grew 3.2% from the first quarter of 2018, with government bonds expanded 4.0% and corporate bonds rose 1.8%. Local currency (LCY) bond yields in emerging East Asia diverged due to disparate monetary policy stances across the region and global economic uncertainties. In the People’s Republic of China (PRC), yields fell as the central bank reduced the reserve requirement ratios for some banks, while yields rose in Indonesia in response to its central bank’s monetary tightening and in the Philippines where the central bank raised policy rates in May and June...

  

ADB
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Asian Development Review, Vol. 35, No. 2, 2018 (Full Report):
This edition of the Asian Development Review brings together scholars who highlight the need for concrete and rapid actions to adapt to climate change. The latest Asian Development Review has a special issue on the climate change challenge to Asia’s development. Climate change may reverse the region’s economic development achievements since the second half of the 20th century and improvements in living standards. Eight articles in this issue highlight the need for concrete and rapid actions to adapt to climate change.

   ADB

Going Legit? the Foreign Policy of Vladimir Putin, September 2018. Vladimir Putin’s re-election for a fourth presidential term in May 2018 has enshrined his position as the dominant personality of the post-Soviet era. Over the next six years, there will be few major changes to Russian foreign policy. There is broad consensus in Moscow that this has been outstandingly successful, and that Russia has emerged as a formidable power. But alongside an overall sense of confidence, there is also caution and even anxiety. Putin recognises the importance of tactical flexibility in an international environment that is increasingly fluid and unpredictable. He is also aware that Russia’s foreign policy gains are fragile and potentially reversible, and that the country faces considerable obstacles in its quest to become a rule-maker in a new, post-American world order...

  

Lowy

India's Continental Connect on Indo-Pacific and Quad 2.0, September 2018. No aspect of India’s contemporary foreign policy is debated as much as New Delhi’s approach towards the Quadrilateral consultative forum (popularly known as the “Quad”) vis-à-vis China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech at the Shangri-La dialogue on June 1, 2018 indicated that he was not deeming the Indo-Pacific as a “strategy” but viewing China and Russia as partners within the purview of India’s strategic autonomy. This has stimulated a debate about whether India’s approach towards Quad 2.0 is China bound or not. Modi’s attempt to rebuild New Delhi’s relationship with China post-Doklam has reinvigorated this debate...

  

EWC

US-China Development Cooperation: New Bilateral Dynamics? September 2018. In recent years, the US-China relationship has been marked by competition. The two powers have been wrestling in the South China Sea and more recently in a trade war, attracting global attention. The development sector is a less well known aspect in bilateral relations. China’s rise as the largest emerging donor is challenging the traditional aid regime led by the United States and other developed nations. Chinese aid-spending has increased dramatically since 2000. Not being a member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee, China is not bound by the requirements of the institution, and insists on ‘common but differentiated responsibility.’ ...

  

EWC

US-China Technology Competition is about “Self Transcendence”, September 2018. Eric Schmidt, then executive chairman of Alphabet, Google's parent firm, commented on China's AI ambition on November 1, 2017, in Washington DC: "By 2020 the Chinese will have caught up (to the United States). By 2025 they will be better than us. And by 2030 they will dominate the industries of AI." Not to miss the boat, about one and a half months later, Google announced its first major China move after its search engine left the mainland in 2010 — that it was opening a Google AI China Center in Beijing, its first in Asia, led by the Chinese-American scientist Feifei Li...

  

EWC

Hard News and Free Media as the Sharp Edge of Australian Soft Power, September 2018. In this report, three Asia-Pacific media specialists have produced three perspectives on the history, dynamics and politics of funding of the ABC’s international efforts over the past two decades. They show that, while Australian politicians and ABC leaders themselves have been distracted by domestic and institutional issues, other state-owned media organisations—such as China’s—have expanded their footprint across Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. Australian Government decisions over the past decade haven’t just meant that Australia has trod water while this happened—in fact, we have stepped back and silenced broadcasts and local content while others have stepped up...

  

ASPI

Too Big to Ignore. Assessing the strategic implications of China's Belt and Road Initiative, August 2018. This report identifies the management of one conundrum above all else as the key to the BRI’s fortunes from a Chinese perspective: the ability to retain sufficient support from the world’s governments and institutions as a means of both underpinning its business case and heading off the possibility of geo-economic and geostrategic competition...

  

ASPI

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