<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

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China

Timor-Leste

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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

United States

Russia

Diplomats attend the 32nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on July 11, 2025. 

Military & Security

Politics

Chinese, Russian and U.S. participation in the summit shows that the Southeast Asian bloc will remain a key venue for diplomatic hedging and potential great power friction in the years ahead.

ASEAN Meeting Provides an Arena for Multipolar Competition

U.S.-China Relations

Germany

United Kingdom

Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump on April 24 in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington. In an interview July 10, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he would "have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday," perhaps representing a shift in his administration's policy.

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: Trump Speaks on Ukraine, Sweeping EU Budget Reform

Leaders of eight political parties pose before a debate at the Japan National Press Club on July 2, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan. From left to right are Sanseito Secretary General Sohei Kamiya, Japanese Communist Party Chairperson Tomoko Tamura, Komeito Chief Representative Tetsuo Saito, Constitutional Democratic Party President Yoshihiko Noda, Japan's Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Shigeru Ishiba, Governor of Osaka and Japan Innovation Party Co-Representative Hirofumi Yoshimura, Democratic Party for the People Representative Yuichiro Tamaki and Reiwa Shinsengumi President Taro Yamamoto.

Economics

Japan's upper house elections will determine whether the ruling Liberal Democratic Party will stay in power and -- if so -- how easily it will be able to pursue its key policy goals.

Japan's Election: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

Bahrain

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Energy

Global Trade

Over the next decade, Gulf Arab states will increase oil and gas exports to emerging Asian markets, seeking alternatives to the U.S. amid tariff uncertainty. But the region's military and tech ties with the U.S. will remain strong.

Geopolitics of Trade: Gulf Arab States Balance Diversification With Enduring U.S. Ties

Vietnam's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang answers reporters' questions about the new Vietnam-U.S. trade deal during a press conference in Hanoi on July 3, 2025. 

The deal reduces planned U.S. tariffs on Vietnamese goods from 46% to 20%, but the lack of key details also introduces significant compliance uncertainty and investment risks that could ripple across Asian supply chains. 

The Vietnam-U.S. Trade Deal Reduces Tariffs, but the Devil Is in the Details

Snapshots

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra (center) speaks next to Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai (2nd from left) during a press conference in Bangkok following her suspension by the country's Constitutional Court on July 1, 2025. 

Paetongtarn's suspension from office over a leaked phone call with Cambodia's former leader risks collapsing her fragile government and inviting more economic disruption amid U.S. trade tensions.

A Fresh Political Crisis Erupts in Thailand Following Prime Minister's Suspension

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama looks on as offerings presented by Buddhist followers are laid on a table during a Long Life Prayer offering ceremony at the Main Tibetan Temple in McLeod Ganj, near the Indian city of Dharamshala, on June 30, 2025. 

New clarity over the 90-year-old spiritual leader's succession plans threatens to reignite Western criticism of China's treatment of Tibetans and revive reputational risks for Western businesses active in China.

Dalai Lama's Succession Plan Revives Tibet Issue for China and the West

Vietnamese lawmakers vote on a merger of provinces and cities at the National Assembly in Hanoi on June 12, 2025.

The reduction in provincial- and commune-level units will initially create bureaucratic headaches, but if implemented effectively, the changes set the stage for leaner administration, fiscal efficiency, reduced corruption and improved investment conditions.

Vietnam's Administrative Overhaul: A New Era of Governance and Investment Conditions

Sub-Saharan Africa

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Europe

Eurasia

South Asia

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The third quarter of 2025 will be defined by disruptive trade policies fueling supply chain volatility and the persistent risk of escalation in major conflicts.

2025 Third-Quarter Forecast: An Excerpt

Iran

Israel

India

A photo taken in Tehran, Iran, on June 26, 2025, shows an Iranian political banner hanging near the remains of a residential building struck by an Israeli attack. 

The Weekly Rundown: Fragile Iran-Israel Ceasefire Holds, U.S. Tariff Deadline Approaches

U.S.-Iran Relations

Environment, Science & Technology

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce on July 15 announced a new licensing requirement for the export of eight manufacturing technologies for the electric vehicle battery supply chain, effective immediately.

China: Country Adopts Licensing Requirements for Certain EV Battery, Lithium Extraction Technologies  

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has confirmed that he and U.S. President Donald Trump have reached a trade deal after Trump's July 15 unilateral announcement that will see Indonesian exports receive a 19% tariff (down from the previously proposed 32%), and the United States will receive full access to the Indonesian market, The Jakarta Globe reported July 16. 

Indonesia, U.S.: Jakarta Confirms Trade Deal with Washington

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States reached a preliminary trade deal with Indonesia centered on a 19% tariff rate for Indonesian goods, but Jakarta has yet to confirm its agreement, CNBC reported on July 15.

Indonesia, U.S.: Trump Announces Trade Deal With Indonesia

South Korea's defense minister nominee Ahn Gyu-back said President Lee Myung's administration aimed to complete the transfer of wartime operational control, or OPCON, from the United States to South Korea's military before the end of Lee's term in 2030, Nikkei Asia reported on July 15.

South Korea, U.S.: Seoul Broaches Transfer of Wartime Operational Control

Nvidia is preparing to resume sales of its H20 graphics processing unit to China after receiving assurances from the U.S. government that it will grant the company licenses to export the artificial intelligence accelerator, Nvidia said in a July 14 blog post.

U.S.: Washington To Approve Sales of Nvidia's H20 GPU to China

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and received a public pledge of "unconditional support" for Russia's actions in Ukraine, Yonhap reported on July 13.

North Korea, Russia: Lavrov Secures Pyongyang's Open-Ended Support for Ukraine War

Canada

France

Norway

Netherlands

Australia launched U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems as part of the 2025 Exercise Talisman Sabre, the largest iteration of the biennial multinational drills to date, AP reported on July 14.

Australia: HIMARS Fired Amid Largest-Ever Military Drills

China's exports rose 5.8% year on year in June, buoyed by a fragile trade truce with the United States -- where month-on-month exports rose 32.4% even as year-on-year exports to the United States fell by 16% -- and surging shipments to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union, Nikkei Asia reported on July 14.

China: Export Gains Made Amid Fragile Trade Truce, but Tariff Deadline Still Looms

Asia-Pacific

SITUATION REPORTS

China: Country Adopts Licensing Requirements for Certain EV Battery, Lithium Extraction Technologies

Indonesia, U.S.: Jakarta Confirms Trade Deal with Washington

Indonesia, U.S.: Trump Announces Trade Deal With Indonesia

South Korea, U.S.: Seoul Broaches Transfer of Wartime Operational Control

U.S.: Washington To Approve Sales of Nvidia's H20 GPU to China

North Korea, Russia: Lavrov Secures Pyongyang's Open-Ended Support for Ukraine War

Australia: HIMARS Fired Amid Largest-Ever Military Drills

China: Export Gains Made Amid Fragile Trade Truce, but Tariff Deadline Still Looms

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