<p>The Asia-Pacific is home to more people than any other region. Centered on the western rim of the Pacific Ocean, this region includes the easternmost countries of continental Asia as well as the archipelagos that punctuate the coast. Several of these countries, most notably China, experienced rapid economic growth in the second half of the 20th century, giving the region a new sense of global economic relevance that continues today. That relevance, however, depends largely on China, a power in transition whose rise is testing the network of U.S. alliances that have long dominated the region. How effectively Beijing manages its transition will shape the regional balance of power in the decades to come.</p>

Centered on the western rim of the Pacific Ocean, the Asia-Pacific region includes the easternmost countries of continental Asia as well as the archipelagos that punctuate the coast. 

Asia-Pacific

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Beyond Quantitative Easing

The New Silk Road

Modernizing China’s Military

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Globalization

Social Issues

Coping With a Nuclear North Korea

Moscow Looks to the East

China in Transition

A Japanese Awakening

Asia-Pacific: Among Great Powers

Southeast Asia: Burdened by Consensus

Assessments

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Plumes of smoke rise following reported explosions in Tehran on March 2, 2026, after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top military leaders, prompting a new wave of Iranian retaliatory missile attacks across the region. 

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: War in the Middle East, U.S.-China Trade Talks

U.S.-Iran Relations

The U.S. Supreme Court in October 2024 in Washington.

The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling against the Trump administration's tariffs imposed under the IEEPA still leaves Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam vulnerable to other trade escalation mechanisms.

Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam Assess Their U.S. Trade Deals After IEEPA Tariffs

Canada

India

The Tehran skyline on Dec. 30, 2025. On March 2, U.S. and Iranian negotiators will meet in Vienna, Austria, to begin technical talks on a nuclear deal.

The Weekly Rundown: The Conflict in the Middle East, Merz meets Trump 

A video interview of Taiwanese President William Lai plays onstage during The New York Times DealBook Summit 2025 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Dec. 3, 2025, in New York City.

President Lai's political disputes with the legislature are unlikely to ease anytime soon, which could disrupt U.S. trade and arms deals and/or jeopardize future opportunities for diplomatic engagement with China.

Taiwan's Political Dysfunction Goes Global

Snapshots

Europe

European Union and Australian flags together.

Global Trade

European and Australian negotiators aim to strengthen supply chain resilience and hedge against growing global trade volatility.


The Strategic Logic Behind Revived Australia-EU Free Trade Talks 

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press Feb. 2 in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump will deliver the annual State of the Union address to Congress on Feb. 24.

The Weekly Rundown: Trump Threatens Iran, Pledges To Reimpose Tariffs on Different Grounds

U.S.-China Relations

Mexico

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Feb. 20, 2026, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Trump's use of emergency powers to implement international trade tariffs.

The Trump administration will use other trade authorities to replace many of the IEEPA tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court, meaning U.S. trading partners will remain incentivized to engage on trade matters.

What the Supreme Court Tariff Ruling Means for Trump and U.S. Trading Partners

Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro speaks at a press conference during a Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Cebu City, the Philippines, on Jan. 29, 2026.

The coming year will test ASEAN's ability to maintain unity, manage crises and remain a credible regional forum amid rising internal security risks and a more fractured world order, particularly as the Philippines butts heads with China in the South China Sea.

Previewing the Philippines 2026 ASEAN Chairmanship

Palestinian Territories

Slovakia

Hungary

Ukraine

Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump (C) holds up his signature on the founding charter of the Board of Peace among other world leaders at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 22 in Davos, Switzerland.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: The Board of Peace Convenes, Russia-Ukraine-U.S. Talks in Geneva

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul arrives at the Government House in Bangkok on Feb. 9, 2026.

The incumbent conservative party's victory will improve short-term political stability, but governance will remain constrained by coalition dynamics, entrenched institutions and uncertain constitutional reform.

Thailand Approves Constitutional Reform, Re-Elects Conservative Party

Energy

South Korea's presidential office pledged on March 9 to move toward implementing a price cap on fuel that week and added that Seoul is investigating tax evasion and price collusion among refineries and gas stations.

Northeast Asia: Fuel Price Controls Inbound, Oil Reserve Releases Under Consideration

Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai visited Japan in a private capacity to attend a World Baseball Classic game in Tokyo between Taiwan's national team and that of the Czech Republic on March 7.

Taiwan, Japan: Premier Cho Privately Visits Tokyo, Risking Chinese Retaliation

Local media sources, including Thai PBS, claimed on March 8 that Thai Premier Anutin Charnvirakul had finalized a roughly 290-seat ruling coalition for the 500-seat House of Representatives, including his Bhumjaithai Party (with 191 seats), the center-left Pheu Thai (74) and 13 smaller parties.

Thailand: Premier Anutin Forms Pro-Business Coalition, Reports Claim

G7 finance ministers held an emergency meeting on March 9 to discuss the impact of the Iran war on global energy markets and possible stabilisation measures, including a release of strategic oil reserves, Reuters reported the same day.

Global: G7 Considers Coordinated Strategic Oil Reserve Release as Iran War Drives Crude Above $100

Cyber

U.S. investigators believe that Chinese state-sponsored threat actors are responsible for breaching computer networks linked to the FBI that hold information related to domestic surveillance orders, The Wall Street Journal reported on March 6. 

China, U.S.: Chinese Threat Actors Suspected of FBI Breach

China is negotiating with Iran to secure safe passage of oil and liquefied natural gas tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, transit that has been heavily disrupted amid the U.S. and Israel-Iran war, according to three diplomatic sources quoted by Reuters on March 5. 

China, Iran: Beijing in Talks With Tehran for Safe Passage of Tankers

Australia lodged a formal complaint with China after a People's Liberation Army-Navy helicopter conducted what Canberra described as an "unsafe and unprofessional" maneuver near an Australian Defence Force helicopter operating over international waters in the Yellow Sea on March 4, Reuters reported March 6.

Australia, China: Chinese Helicopter Intercepts Australian Helicopter Over Yellow Sea

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, announced that bilateral ties between their countries had been upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Carney's visit to Tokyo, alongside plans for an economic security dialogue focused on critical minerals, supply chains and advanced technologies, the CBC reported March 6.

Japan, Canada: Tokyo, Ottawa Elevate Ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

Asia-Pacific

SITUATION REPORTS

Northeast Asia: Fuel Price Controls Inbound, Oil Reserve Releases Under Consideration

Taiwan, Japan: Premier Cho Privately Visits Tokyo, Risking Chinese Retaliation

Thailand: Premier Anutin Forms Pro-Business Coalition, Reports Claim

Global: G7 Considers Coordinated Strategic Oil Reserve Release as Iran War Drives Crude Above $100

China, U.S.: Chinese Threat Actors Suspected of FBI Breach

China, Iran: Beijing in Talks With Tehran for Safe Passage of Tankers

Australia, China: Chinese Helicopter Intercepts Australian Helicopter Over Yellow Sea

Japan, Canada: Tokyo, Ottawa Elevate Ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

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