China and Russia will seize on US weapons crunch
Can the nearly US$1 trillion-a-year American military really be depleting key missile systems in Iran?
The Long Read
Taiwan’s infighting is playing into China’s hands
Political polarization threatens to stall Taipei’s resilience to Chinese military and economic coercion
President Xi is doubling down on state-led growth
His model remains heavily reliant on government intervention, risking inefficiencies and fiscal strain
‘Becoming Chinese’ craze highlights soft power twist
Social media mania of ‘Chinamaxxing’ skirts politically sensitive topics through systematic filtering
Japan’s quiet break with pacifism is growing louder
The balance between deterrence and risk will determine whether Tokyo stabilizes the region or deepens divides
Taiwan sifts through strategic lessons of Iran war
Key issue is not whether the US would act in a China conflict, but how it would manage multiple crises
ASEAN walks a tightrope amid complex US-China ties
Diversification and partnerships have become key features in a changing world of big power politics
Culture vultures and the rise of China’s soft power
‘Museum boom reflects a strategy that links heritage, urban development and creative industries’
Social debate divide fuels Japan-China friction
Prime Minister Takaichi’s stance reveals the ‘real shift unfolding in Japanese homes and streets’
Crude crisis could help China burnish green image
But Beijing will need to ‘rely less on coercion and more on soft power’ amid global oil turmoil