In Forum: 2024 — US Strategy and the Indo-Pacific

To what extent can the US compete with China if it does not offer more economic opportunities to Indo-Pacific countries, especially due to mounting doubts about its reliability as a security guarantor in the region?

We invite several experts to assess this state of affairs.

In Forum: 2024 — Taiwan's presidential election

Taiwan's 2024 presidential election was a crucial event, reflecting the island nation's desire for strong self-determination, economic prosperity, and social progress. With China's looming presence, the election focused on maintaining Taiwan's autonomy, addressing economic challenges, and expanding social welfare.

In Forum: 2024 — Minilaterals in the Indo-Pacific

Minilaterals have become the partnerships of choice for addressing joint problems in the Indo-Pacific and deepening cooperation beyond traditional formats.

In this In Forum, 9DASHLINE invites several experts to assess whether minilaterals can make global governance more effective and whether the institutional landscape of the Indo-Pacific will become overcrowded in 2024.

In Forum: 2024 — China’s policy towards the West

China and Australia appear to have patched things up, and more conciliatory tones are even heard about relations with the United States following Xi’s visit in November. In this In Forum, 9DASHLINE asks a number of experts to weigh in on whether we can expect improving ties to continue through 2024.

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Best of 2023: Responding to China

In 2023, policymakers worldwide invested an unprecedented amount of time and resources in developing strategies for their relations with China. This heightened focus was prompted by the significant influence of Beijing's domestic, foreign, and security policies on the economies and politics of other countries.

We present some of our most-read analyses on different countries’ evolving strategies towards China featured in the past year.

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Best of 2023: South Korea

South Korea's (ROK) role in global politics has evolved significantly in recent years, with the country emerging as a pivotal player in the Indo-Pacific region. Under President Yoon Suk-yeol, it has strengthened its security alliance with the US and pursued a more assertive stance towards North Korea.

We review some of our most-read analyses about South Korea from the last year.

Editor's Picks9DLJanuary 4, 2024Best of 2023: South Korea, South Korea, Seoul’s Indo-Pacific strategy will not make big waves in Southeast Asia, Alessandro Vesprini, Matteo Piasentini, Should South Korea develop nuclear weapons?, yulgok kim, Evaluating South Korea's democratic backsliding, Dr Mi-son Kim, Conservative zealots: evangelical politics in South Korea, Dr Yong Jae Kim, No Country for Asylum-seekers: the Complexity of Refugee Protection in South Korea, Dr Angela Y. McClean, 9dashline

Best of 2023: China as a global actor

It was a busy year: the tenth anniversary of Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative, the ongoing war in Ukraine and questions about China’s role therein, as well as the increasingly urgent Taiwan issue, are just a few examples of topics that have made it to the top of analysts’ and policymakers’ agendas in 2023.

We summarise some of our most-read pieces about China as a global actor, which also generated a lot of discussion and debate among our readers.

Best of 2023: Indonesia

As the 2022 G20 Chair and last year’s chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Jakarta has been at the forefront of several important discussions around current world affairs. On 14 February 2024, the country will hold its general elections.

We present some of our most insightful pieces looking at various aspects of Indonesia’s internal dynamics and its engagement with the external world.

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Best of 2023: China – Delving into the domestic landscape

2023 was a year marked by both progress and challenges for China. Its economy exhibited a strong recovery thanks to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, and urbanisation has continued as millions move from rural to urban areas in search of better opportunities.

We review some of our most insightful analyses of key issues across China’s domestic political and policy landscape.

Editor's Picks9DLJanuary 1, 2024Best of 2023: China – Delving into the domestic landscape, 9DASHLINE, Anand P. Krishnan, Inconvenient truth — Young and unemployed in China, Dr Franziska Plümmer, Running from China: China’s youth dream of leaving, China's real estate crisis is still a political danger, Aravind Yelery, Ten-year review of China’s defence budget: steadily toward modernisation, Fei Su, Xiao Liang, China

BRICS Plus: India’s perspective on the group’s expansion

Written by Rishma Banerjee

Given the broader context of India’s rivalry with China, and its tightrope act of balancing ties between Russia and the West, New Delhi’s support for the six new BRICS members reflects its broader strategic and geopolitical interests.

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In Conversation with Vincent Brussee

9DASHLINE recently had the pleasure of speaking with Vincent Brussee about his new book Social Credit: The Warring States of China’s Emerging Data Empire.

This book offers one of the first comprehensive assessments of the People’s Republic of China’s infamous ‘Social Credit System’.

Building a safe shared future for the People’s Republic of China

Written by Dr Sari Arho Havrén

China has already made considerable progress in planting the seeds of an international order that would make the future safe for its one-party rule at home by insulating it from outside threats.

Under the guise of environmental protection, China tightens its grip on Tibet

Written by Victoria Jones

Tibet is extremely important in terms of its natural resources, so much so that former leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile Lobsang Sangay has called Tibet the blueprint for the Belt and Road Initiative.

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Challenges remain in the Philippines despite Maria Ressa’s court victory

Written by Chris Fitzgerald

Maria Ressa’s acquittal is not only a rare victory for press freedom, but it offers the Philippines a chance to distance itself from the brutal regime of the former President, Rodrigo Duterte.

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Quantum sensors and submarine invulnerability

Written by Samanvya Hooda

As long as research into quantum sensing technologies is guided by realistic expectations and sober policy discussions, quantum sensors will not make SSBNs vulnerable to the point of threatening nuclear deterrence.

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A balancing act: COP28 and China’s critical role in the international climate crisis

Written by Taylah Bland

Despite China’s continued strengthening of its domestic climate agenda, it needs to take the same approach to its leadership in the international arena.

How does the Philippines make sense of future warfare?

Written by Joshua Bernard Espeña

Philippine political leaders must carefully understand what multidomain warfare implies for national security; military leaders must do what they can to show the risks of not understanding it.

Zhuozhou flooding: Systemic shifts needed to counter the sacrificing of populations

Written by Dr Julia Teebken and Jiachang Tu

The sacrificing of certain parts of a population is not limited to China and is happening across the world already, which makes addressing underlying structural issues a global concern.

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