<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

Australia

Samoa

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

China

Timor-Leste

Federated States of Micronesia

Fiji

Indonesia

Japan

Kiribati

Laos

Malaysia

Marshall Islands

Mongolia

Myanmar

Nauru

New Zealand

North Korea

Palau

Papua New Guinea

Philippines

Singapore

Solomon Islands

South Korea

Taiwan

Thailand

Tonga

Tuvalu

Vanuatu

Vietnam

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

United States

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (left) and U.S. President Donald Trump speak to reporters during a bilateral meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Oct. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

Military & Security

Politics

Trump and Albanese agreed to tighten defense and supply chain integration as a way to reduce their countries' reliance on China, but industrial bottlenecks mean implementation will be slow.

U.S.-Australia Leadership Summit Yields Critical Minerals Pact, AUKUS Reaffirmation

Snapshots

Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Oct. 21, 2025.

Economics

Sanae Takaichi's appointment as prime minister will reduce short-term political instability in Japan and strengthen U.S. ties, but her conservative government will struggle to recover domestic support and could alienate neighboring countries.

New Premier Takaichi a Quick Fix for Japan's Long-Term Political Problems

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Ukraine

Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Delegations from the United States and Russia, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov, respectively, will meet this week to resume conversations about their countries' bilateral relationship and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. and Russian Delegations Meet, a Still-Fragile Hamas-Israel Ceasefire 

Media

Podcasts

On Oct. 4, conservative candidate and former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi won the leadership election of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, clearing the way for her to become Japan's next prime minister after a Diet vote tentatively scheduled for mid-October.

Essential Geopolitics: Who Will Be Japan's Next Prime Minister?

Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, and other senior government members and deputies attend the second plenary session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People on March 8, 2025, in Beijing, China.

Environment, Science & Technology

Global Trade

The key political meeting will fill vacant Party seats and update economic and security goals, offering insights into China's policy priorities and the trajectory of Xi's political purges for the next five years. 

What To Watch for During China's Fourth Plenum

Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un participate in a ceremony at the Pyongyang Sports Palace on Oct. 9, 2025, during Lam's three-day official visit to North Korea.

To Lam's visit injects fresh diplomatic energy into the long-stalled relationship with North Korea and fits into Pyongyang's gradual reemergence as an active player in regional diplomacy.

Vietnam's Lam Extends Diplomatic Balancing Act With Rare North Korea Visit

Cameroon

France

Palestinians on Oct. 10 on Al-Rashid road headed toward Gaza City. U.S. President Donald Trump said he might visit the Middle East just as 20 hostages are meant to be released by Hamas after surviving two years in captivity as the White House pushes for the solidification of a frail ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The Weekly Rundown: Trump Tries To Solidify the Gaza Ceasefire, a Presidential Vote in Cameroon

Tetsuo Saito, the leader of Japan's Komeito party, attends a meeting at the Diet in Tokyo on Oct. 10, 2025.

The collapse of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's longstanding coalition with Komeito increases the likelihood of a fragile opposition government taking power, which could strain U.S.-Japan trade ties while improving Tokyo's regional diplomatic prospects.

End of an Era: Japan's 26-Year Coalition Government Falls Apart

Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected LDP leader, on Oct. 4 in Tokyo.

Takaichi will lean into populism, spurring near-term growth but exacerbating long-term economic challenges, while her nationalism will bolster Japan's military and boost U.S. ties even as it strains those with Japan's neighbors.

Japan's Conservative Takaichi Set To Become Next Prime Minister

Syria

Turkey

Tajikistan

Azerbaijan

Georgia

The assembly hall of the Syrian parliament Oct. 1 in Damascus. An Oct. 5 indirect election for parliament will mark the first time Syrians have had an electoral say in their government since the 1960s.

The Weekly Rundown: Japan's Election, Syria's Political Transition

At China's fourth plenum from Oct. 20-23, Beijing appointed Central Military Commission (CMC) member Zhang Shengmin as the new CMC vice chair, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 23.

China: Party Frames Purged Military Generals as Challengers of Top Leaders

A communique summarizing the proceedings of China's Oct. 20-23 fourth plenum pledged to "seek progress while maintaining stability," expand domestic demand, stabilize employment and uphold manufacturing as the foundational "real economy."

China: Plenum Charts Steady Economic Plan, Trade Deterrence, Internal Security

The Indonesian military has seized roughly 3.7 million hectares of private palm oil plantations and around 30% of national acreage, transferring nearly half to the new state-run agency Agrinas Palma Nusantara, Reuters reported on Oct. 23.

Indonesia: Militarization Deepens With Palm Oil Plantation Seizures

Thailand and Cambodia will sign a joint declaration to de-escalate their border dispute on Oct. 25 at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' leaders' summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump, the Thai Enquirer reported on Oct. 23.

Thailand, Cambodia: Bangkok, Phnom Penh To Sign 'Peace Declaration' at ASEAN Summit

South Korea detected at 8:10 a.m. that North Korea launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles from Junghwa south of Pyongyang, Yonhap News Agency reported on Oct. 22. 

North Korea: Missiles Launched Ahead of APEC, Regional Leadership Talks

New Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is compiling a list of purchase pledges, including of U.S. pickup trucks, natural gas and soybeans, to deliver to U.S. President Donald Trump when he visits Japan on Oct. 27-28, according to Reuters sources on Oct. 22. 

Japan: Takaichi Aims To Finalize Investment Terms of U.S. Trade Deal

Kazakhstan

The U.S. Trump administration is supporting Cove Kaz Capital Group's bid to develop two of Kazakhstan's largest tungsten deposits, facilitating negotiations with the sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna and exploring financing through the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and Export-Import Bank, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 21. 

Kazakhstan, U.S.: Trump Team's Tungsten Push Invites U.S. Investment, Risks Chinese Ire

Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh vetoed an Oct. 17 no-confidence vote by the parliament, which would have ousted Prime Minister Gombojav Zandanshatar, with the president's office claiming the legislature failed to heed a legislative committee's decision not to oust Zandanshatar, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 20.

Mongolia: President Vetoes Premier Dismissal in Sign of Ruling Party Schism

Asia-Pacific

SITUATION REPORTS

China: Party Frames Purged Military Generals as Challengers of Top Leaders

China: Plenum Charts Steady Economic Plan, Trade Deterrence, Internal Security

Indonesia: Militarization Deepens With Palm Oil Plantation Seizures

Thailand, Cambodia: Bangkok, Phnom Penh To Sign 'Peace Declaration' at ASEAN Summit

North Korea: Missiles Launched Ahead of APEC, Regional Leadership Talks

Japan: Takaichi Aims To Finalize Investment Terms of U.S. Trade Deal

Kazakhstan, U.S.: Trump Team's Tungsten Push Invites U.S. Investment, Risks Chinese Ire

Mongolia: President Vetoes Premier Dismissal in Sign of Ruling Party Schism

Forecasts

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