Asia Insight: Recent Episodes
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In this episode of Asia Insight, NBR Assistant Director for Technology and Geoeconomic Affairs Jonathon Marek sits down with two NBR Nonresident Fellows, Jaemin Baek and Kristin Vekasi, to examine the growing importance of critical minerals as pillars of economic security, industrial policy, and geopolitical competition and to explore how the United States, Japan, and South Korea are working to diversify supply chains and reduce dependence on China.
Jaemin Baek is a Director with DGA Group, and he is also a Nonresident Fellow at NBR.
Jonathon Marek is an Assistant Director for Technology and Geoeconomic Affairs at NBR.
Kristin Vekasi is the Mansfield Chair of Japanese and Indo-Pacific Affairs at the University of Montana, and she is also a Nonresident Fellow at NBR.
From the National Bureau of Asian Research, an Asia Insight miniseries examining the future of foreign policy through the lens of emerging leadership in South and Southeast Asia.
This fifth episode features Dr. Ann Marie Murphy of Seton Hall University sitting down with Dr. Gregory Raymond and Mr. Thapiporn Suporn to discuss Thailand’s emerging generation of political leaders and the factors influencing their foreign policy outlooks from Bangkok.
To view the project webpage, visit https://www.nbr.org/program/next-generation-of-leaders-in-south-and-southeast-asia/.
Dr. Gregory Raymond is an Associate Professor in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre in the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University. His written commentary can be viewed at https://www.nbr.org/publication/who-will-lead-in-thailands-entrenched-authoritarian-political-order/.
Mr. Thapiporn Suporn is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at Khon Kaen University International College. His written commentary can be viewed at https://www.nbr.org/publication/navigating-perfect-storms-thailands-foreign-policy-outlook-under-a-new-generation-of-leadership/.
From July 16–29, 2026, China will host the APEC Digital Weeks in Chengdu, bringing together policymakers and technology leaders to discuss the future of the digital economy and artificial intelligence across the Asia-Pacific.
With that as the backdrop, today’s Asia Insight features NBR Senior Director of Research and Programs Doug Strub sitting down with NBR Nonresident Fellows Nigel Cory and Emily de La Bruyère to revisit NBR’s China’s Digital Ambitions project and the March 2022 special report, China’s Digital Ambitions: A Global Strategy to Supplant the Liberal Order. Together, they look at how China’s digital strategy has evolved, what it means for technology governance in the region, and why these questions remain so important today.
Nigel Cory is a Nonresident Fellow at NBR and is a Director with Crowell Global Advisors.
Emily de La Bruyère is a Nonresident Fellow at NBR and is co-founder of Horizon Advisory.
Doug Strub is Senior Director of Research and Programs at NBR.
From the National Bureau of Asian Research, an Asia Insight miniseries examining the future of foreign policy through the lens of emerging leadership in South and Southeast Asia.
This fourth episode features Dr. Ann Marie Murphy of Seton Hall University sitting down with Dr. Nur Shahadah Jamil and Ms. Ariel Tan to discuss Malaysia’s emerging generation of political leaders and the factors influencing their foreign policy outlooks from Kuala Lumpur.
To view the project webpage, visit https://www.nbr.org/program/next-generation-of-leaders-in-south-and-southeast-asia/.
Dr. Nur Shahadah Jamil is a Senior Lecturer at the Institute of China Studies at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Her written commentary can be viewed at https://www.nbr.org/publication/the-future-of-malaysian-foreign-policy-in-an-era-of-u-s-china-competition/.
Ms. Ariel Tan is a Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the Malaysia Programme at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Her written commentary can be viewed at https://www.nbr.org/publication/malaysias-foreign-policy-structural-stability-amid-geopolitical-shifts/.
From the National Bureau of Asian Research, an Asia Insight miniseries exploring the geostrategic significance of China’s borderlands, led by Nadège Rolland, Distinguished Fellow for China Studies at NBR.
Episode Nine: On Edge: Security at China’s Borderlands
This ninth episode unpacks how the concept of “comprehensive national security” has been shaping China’s new security posture in its borderland regions. Understanding traditional and non-traditional security as deeply interwoven leads to greater latitude for security projection abroad. The conversation focuses on the evolution of China’s attempts to address security concerns in its proximate periphery and zooms in on its approach to addressing transnational organized crime.
With Carla P. Freeman (Johns Hopkins SAIS), Shibani Mathani (freelance investigative journalist, former Washington Post bureau chief), and Martin Thorley (Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime).
Materials cited or referenced in the recording
- Xi Jinping, 坚持总体国家安全观走中国特色国家安全道路 [Uphold the Holistic Approach to National Security and Follow the Path of National Security with Chinese Characteristics] (Remarks at the first meeting of the Central National Security Commission) April 16, 2014, https://cpc.people.com.cn/n/2014/0416/c64094-24900492.html.
- Xi Jinping, “New Asian Security Concept for New Progress in Security Cooperation” (Remarks at the Fourth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia) May 21, 2014, https://www.mfa.gov.cn/eng/xw/zyjh/202405/t20240530_11340721.html.
- U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, “China’s Exploitation of Scam Centers in Southeast Asia,” July 18, 2025, https://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/2025-07/Chinas_Exploitation_of_Scam_Centers_in_Southeast_Asia.pdf.
- Martin Thorley, “Evolution of the State-Crime Nexus: Presenting Geocriminality,” Journal of Illicit Economies and Development 8 No.1, 2026.
- Martin Thorley, “A Changing Landscape: China’s New Model of Global Governance and its Impact on the Fight against Organized Crime,” GI-TOC, May 2024.
- Shibani Mahtani, Christian Shepherd, Pei-Lin Wu, “China Cultivated High-Rolling Crime Families Before Turning on Them,” The Washington Post, June 21, 2024.
- “How The Post Investigated Brutal Scam Compounds in Myanmar,” The Washington Post, June 18, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/world/how-the-post-investigated-brutal-scam-compounds-in-myanmar/2024/06/18/ddfc9500-fd68-4aee-ac17-e8871a334ed4_video.html.
- "Beyond Boundaries: The Chinese Party-State and Geocriminality in Southeast Asia," GI-TOC, June 2026 https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Beyond-boundaries-The-Chinese-party-state-and-geocriminality-in-South-East-Asia-GI-TOC-June-2026.pdf.
Additional Recommended Readings
- Carla Freeman, Bates Gill, and Alison McFarland, “China’s Global Security Initiative Takes Shape in Southeast and Central Asia,” USIP Special Report No.534, November 2024.
- Selina Ho, Xue Gong, Carla P. Freeman, “China’s Interventions in ‘Gray Special Economic Zones’ in Southeast Asia’s Borderlands,” Journal of Contemporary China 35, No.159, 2025.
- Shibani Mahtani, Christian Shepherd and Pei-Lin Wu, “China Cultivated High-Rolling Crime Families Before Turning on Them," The Washington Post, June 21, 2024.
- Simon Menet, “Policing Beyond Borders: China’s Law-Enforcement Expansion in the Mekong Region,” Borderlands, September 17, 2025.
- Wang Junsheng [王俊生] “Strategic Innovation in China’s Diplomacy Toward its Periphery in the New Era : Historical Lessons and Practical Direction,” [新时期中国周边外交战略创新： 历史镜鉴与务实方向] Journal of Renmin University No.1, 2026.
- Hoang Thi Ha, “China’s Statecraft through the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation: Building a Sino-Centric Regional Order,” Borderlands, November 13, 2025.
- Nadège Rolland (Ed.) “Securing the Belt and Road Initiative: China’s Evolving Military Engagement Along the Silk Roads,” NBR Special Report No.80, September 3, 2019.
2026 marks 20 years of Asia Policy, NBR’s peer-reviewed scholarly journal presenting policy-relevant academic research on the Asia-Pacific that draws clear and concise conclusions useful to today’s policymakers.
This Asia Insight episode features NBR President Michael Wills in conversation with two members of the Asia Policy Editorial Board, Dr. Mike Green and Dr. Jessica Chen Weiss, on what bridging the gap between the academic and policy worlds looks like in practice and what it takes for research to truly inform policymaking on Asia today.
Mike Green is Professor and Chief Executive Officer at the United States Studies Centre in Sydney, Australia. He is a member of the Asia Policy Editorial Board at NBR.
Jessica Chen Weiss is the David M. Lampton Professor of China Studies and the inaugural Faculty Director of the Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. She is a member of the Asia Policy Editorial Board at NBR.
Michael Wills is President of NBR.
From the National Bureau of Asian Research, an Asia Insight miniseries examining the future of foreign policy through the lens of emerging leadership in South and Southeast Asia.
This third episode features Dr. Christopher Clary of the University at Albany sitting down with Dr. Rajni Gamage and Dr. Bhagya Senaratne to discuss Sri Lanka’s emerging generation of political leaders and the factors influencing their foreign policy outlooks from Colombo.
To view the project webpage, visit https://www.nbr.org/program/next-generation-of-leaders-in-south-and-southeast-asia/.
Dr. Rajni Gamage is a Research Fellow in the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore. Her written commentary can be viewed at https://www.nbr.org/publication/tracking-the-next-generation-of-leaders-in-sri-lanka/.
Dr. Bhagya Senaratne is the inaugural Director of Education at the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies in Sri Lanka. Her written commentary can be viewed at https://www.nbr.org/publication/sri-lankas-next-generation-of-leaders-shaping-the-future-of-foreign-policy/.
From the National Bureau of Asian Research, an Asia Insight miniseries exploring the geostrategic significance of China’s borderlands, led by Nadège Rolland, Distinguished Fellow for China Studies at NBR.
Episode Eight: Arteries of Power
This eighth episode of the Borderlands podcast miniseries explores one of the most visible manifestations of China’s growing engagement with its neighbors—infrastructure development—and considers whether transportation, telecommunication, and energy infrastructure function not just as conduits to transfer people and goods but also as channels of state influence and generators of strategic advantages.
With Jessica C. Liao (U.S. Army War College), Timothy S. Oakes (University of Colorado Boulder), and Shinji Yamaguchi (Japan National Institute for Defense Studies).
Materials cited or referenced in the recording
- Richard Louis Edmonds, “The Legacy of Sun Yat-sen’s Railway Plans,” China Quarterly, no. 111 (1987).
- Thomas Bird, “Tracing the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway,” Los Angeles Review of Books, April 10, 2020.
- Jean-François Rousseau, “An Imperial Railway Failure: The Indochina-Yunnan Railway, Journal of Transport History 35, no.1 (2014).
- "习近平在“加强互联互通伙伴关系”东道主伙伴对话会上的讲话" [Xi Jinping Speech at the Dialogue on Strengthening Connectivity Partnership] November 8, 2014, https://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2014-11/08/c_127192119.htm.
- Shinji Yamaguchi, “Creating ‘Facts on the Mountains’: China’s Gray Zone Playbook in the Himalayas,” Institute for Security and Development Policy, Issue Brief, August 29, 2025.
- Galen Murton, “Strategic Spaces of the Sino-Nepali Borderlands: Making and Breaking Trans-Himalayan Trade Relations,” NBR, Borderlands Project, April 15, 2026, https://strategicspace.nbr.org/strategic-spaces-of-the-sino-nepali-borderlands-making-and-breaking-trans-himalayan-trade-relations.
- “President Xi Jinping: Why I Proposed the Belt and Road,” CGTN, May 12, 2017, https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d596a4d31677a4d/index.html.
Additional Recommended Readings
- Jessica C. Liao and Zenel Garcia, “How China Reinvented the BRI,” Foreign Policy, April 3, 2026.
- Jessica C. Liao and Zenel Garcia, “China Is Squeezing Southeast Asia,” Foreign Affairs, March 24, 2026.
- Timothy S. Oakes, “The National New Area as an Infrastructure Space: Urbanization and the New Regime of Circulation in China,” China Quarterly, no. 255 (2023).
- Timothy S. Oakes, “Global China and Infrastructure Power: The Technopolitics of the ‘China Model’ of Development’,” Georgetown Journal of Asian Affairs 10, no. 85 (2024).
- Cai Penghong, 蔡鹏鸿, “互联互通战略与中国国家安全——基于地缘政治视角的互联互通” [The Connectivity Strategy and China’s National Security—Connectivity from a Geopolitical Perspective], Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, August 26, 2015.
- Mao Weizhun 毛维准 and Ma Yunfei马赟菲 ,“互联互通的地缘政治： 大国基础设施竞争的行为逻辑” [The Geopolitics of Connectivity: The Behavioral Logic of Great Power Infrastructure Competition,” Foreign Affairs Review 5 (2024).
From the National Bureau of Asian Research, an Asia Insight miniseries examining the future of foreign policy through the lens of emerging leadership in South and Southeast Asia.
This second episode features Dr. Ann Marie Murphy of Seton Hall University sitting down with Dr. Leonard Sebastian and Mr. Muhammad Waffaa Kharisma to discuss Indonesia's emerging generation of political leaders and the factors influencing their foreign policy outlooks from Jakarta.
To view the project webpage, visit https://www.nbr.org/program/next-generation-of-leaders-in-south-and-southeast-asia/.
Dr. Leonard Sebastian is a Senior Fellow at the Indonesia Programme, Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. His written commentary can be viewed at https://www.nbr.org/publication/how-indonesias-next-generation-will-navigate-u-s-china-competition/.
Mr. Muhammad Waffaa Kharisma is a Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta, Indonesia. His written commentary can be viewed at https://www.nbr.org/publication/indonesias-next-generation-foreign-policy-outlook-in-a-fragmenting-global-order/.
2026 marks 20 years of Asia Policy, NBR’s peer-reviewed scholarly journal presenting policy-relevant academic research on the Asia-Pacific that draws clear and concise conclusions useful to today’s policymakers.
This Asia Insight episode features NBR Senior Director of Research and Programs Doug Strub in conversation with Dr. Evan Medeiros and Mr. Gerard DiPippo as they discuss Dr. Mederios’ latest essay for Asia Policy titled “A New Era of U.S.-China Interaction: From Competing to Racing.”
Dr. Mederios’ essay was originally published on April 17, 2026, and can be read at https://www.nbr.org/publication/a-new-era-of-u-s-china-interaction-from-competing-to-racing/.
Gerard DiPippo is Director for Global Macro at the Eurasia Group.
Evan Medeiros is Director of Asian Studies and the Penner Family Chair at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
Doug Strub is Senior Director of Research and Programs at NBR.
From the National Bureau of Asian Research, an Asia Insight miniseries examining the future of foreign policy through the lens of emerging leadership in South and Southeast Asia.
This first episode features Dr. Christopher Clary of the University at Albany sitting down with Dr. Rohan Mukherjee and Mr. Bashir Ali Abbas to discuss India’s emerging generation of political leaders and the factors influencing their foreign policy outlooks from New Delhi.
To view the project webpage, visit https://www.nbr.org/program/next-generation-of-leaders-in-south-and-southeast-asia/.
Mr. Bashir Ali Abbas is a Senior Research Associate with the Council for Strategic and Defense Research based in New Delhi, India. His written commentary can be viewed at https://www.nbr.org/publication/continuity-amid-change-how-indias-emerging-political-leaders-will-steer-its-future-foreign-policy/.
Dr. Rohan Mukherjee is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Nonresident Fellow at NBR. His written commentary can be viewed at https://www.nbr.org/publication/after-modi-political-leadership-and-the-future-of-indian-foreign-policy/.
In this new Asia Insight miniseries, Next in Line: Rising Leaders and Foreign Policy in South and Southeast Asia examines how a new generation of political leaders is shaping foreign policy across a strategically vital region amid intensifying U.S.-China competition.
Across six episodes, leading experts analyze how domestic pressures and international dynamics are converging to influence the foreign policy outlooks of emerging leaders in Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
Moderated by Dr. Christopher Clary of the University at Albany and Dr. Ann Marie Murphy of Seton Hall University, the miniseries launches on March 30, 2026, with new episodes released monthly through August 30, 2026.
From the National Bureau of Asian Research, an Asia Insight miniseries exploring the geostrategic significance of China’s borderlands, led by Nadège Rolland, Distinguished Fellow for China Studies at NBR.
Episode Seven: Liquid Borders
This seventh episode describes China’s position as a “hydro-hegemon,” considers how transboundary rivers can be used either as sources of transborder cooperation or geopolitical leverage, and explores the consequences of China’s river damming.
With Selina Ho Li Ching (Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore) and Brian Eyler (Stimson Center).
Materials cited or referenced in the recording
- “Water Wars? A Talk with Ismail Serageldin,” World Policy Journal 26, No.4 (Winter 2009-2010).
- Li Zhifei 李志斐 “An Analysis of Transboundary River Issues Between China and the Countries of Its Periphery” [中国与周边国家跨国河流问题之分析] Pacific Journal 19, No.3 (March 2011).
- Mark Zeitoun, Jeroen Warner, “Hydro-Hegemony: A Framework for Analysis of Trans-Boundary Water Conflicts,” Water Policy 8, No.5 (2006).
- Anthony Spaeth, “China’s Toxic Shock,” Time, November 27, 2005.
- Brahma Chellaney, “Water, Power, and Competition in Asia,” Asian Survey 54, No.4 (2014).
Recommended additional readings
- Selina Ho, “China’s Transboundary River Policies Towards Kazakhstan: Issue-Linkages and Incentives for Cooperation,” Water International 42, No.2 (2017).
- Selina Ho, “River Politics: China’s Policies in the Mekong and the Brahmaputra in Comparative Perspective,” Journal of Contemporary China 23, No.85 (2014).
- Hoang Thi Ha, "China’s Statecraft through the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation: Building a Sino-Centric Regional Order," November 13, 2025 https://strategicspace.nbr.org/chinas-statecraft-through-the-lancang-mekong-cooperation-building-a-sino-centric-regional-order/.
As part of The Evolution of AI Governance and Regulation in the Indo-Pacific project at NBR, this Asia Insight episode features NBR Senior Director of Research and Programs Doug Strub sitting down with Mr. Renan Araujo and Ms. Husan Chahal as they discuss AI risks and the role of multilateral organizations in AI governance.
Renan Araujo is the Director of Programs at the Institute for AI Policy and Strategy.
Husan Chahal is an AI policy researcher currently working as a Senior AI Risk Analyst for the AI Risk Explorer Project at the Observatorio de Riesgos Catastroficos Globales. She is also a Nonresident Fellow at NBR.
Doug Strub is Senior Director of Research and Programs at NBR.
As part of The Evolution of AI Governance and Regulation in the Indo-Pacific project at NBR, this Asia Insight episode features NBR Senior Director of Research and Programs Doug Strub sitting down with Mr. Nigel Cory and Dr. Karryl Kim Sagun Trajano as they discuss AI governance in Southeast Asia, and opportunities and challenges for ASEAN countries to collaborate with the United States in shaping a future AI agenda.
Nigel Cory is a Nonresident Fellow at NBR and is a Director with Crowell Global Advisors. His November 2025 paper on "Codeveloping the Model: U.S. and ASEAN Cooperation in Shaping and Deploying AI" can be viewed at https://www.nbr.org/publication/codeveloping-the-model-u-s-and-asean-cooperation-in-shaping-and-deploying-ai/.
Doug Strub is Senior Director of Research and Programs at NBR.
Karryl Kim Sagun Trajano is a Research Fellow for Future Issues and Technology in the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Her September 2025 paper on "Charting ASEAN’s Path to AI Governance: Uneven Yet Gaining Ground" can be viewed at https://www.nbr.org/publication/charting-aseans-path-to-ai-governance-uneven-yet-gaining-ground/.
From the National Bureau of Asian Research, an Asia Insight miniseries exploring the geostrategic significance of China’s borderlands, led by Nadège Rolland, Distinguished Fellow for China Studies at NBR.
Episode Six: In Russia's Shadow
This sixth episode unpacks how China has managed to significantly increase its presence in Central Asia across four key domains (political, economic, people-to-people, and security), in what Russia considers a “region of privileged interests,” part of its so-called “near abroad.”
With Bradley Jardine (Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs), Nargis Kassenova (Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University), Edward Lemon (Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs), and Temur Umarov (Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center).
Materials cited or referenced in the recording
- Xi Jinping, “Championing the China-Central Asia Spirit for High Quality Cooperation in the Region,” Speech at the Second China-Central Asia Summit, June 17, 2025.
- “Wang Yi on Neighborhood Diplomacy: Harmony is Key to a Prosperous Family in All Endeavors,” Press Conference, March 7, 2025.
- Hu Hao [胡昊] China’s Achievements and Challenges in Promoting the Construction of a Community of Shared Future for Mankind in Central Asia [中国在中亚地区推进人类民运共同体建设的成就和挑战] Contemporary China and the World no.4, 2024.
- Bradley Jardine, Edward Lemon, Backlash: China’s Struggle for Influence in Central Asia (Oxford University Press, December 2025).
- Bradley Jardine, Edward Lemon, “China Is Using Vocational Training Centers to Rebuild Its Image in Central Asia,” Carnegie Politika, October 6, 2025.
Recommended additional readings
- Nicola Di Cosmo, Ancient China and Its Enemies: The Rise of Nomadic Power in East Asian History (Cambridge University Press, 2002).
- Craig Benjamin, Empires of Ancient Eurasia: The First Silk Roads Era, 100 BCE-250 CE (Cambridge University Press, 2018).
- Dan Markey, China’s Western Horizon: Beijing and the New Geopolitics of Eurasia (Oxford University Press, 2020).
- Adina Masalbekova, Nigora Tangatarova, "What Happens to Central Asian Youth After Following China’s ‘Educational Silk Road?’" The Diplomat, December 29, 2023. https://thediplomat.com/2023/12/what-happens-to-central-asian-youth-after-following-chinas-educational-silk-road/
This first Asia Insight episode of 2026 features NBR President Michael Wills in discussion with NBR colleagues Jeremy Rausch, Nadège Rolland, and Doug Strub on their outlooks for U.S.-Asia policy and the Indo-Pacific more broadly in the year ahead.
Jeremy Rausch is Director of Political and Security Affairs at NBR.
Nadège Rolland is Distinguished Fellow for China Studies at NBR.
Doug Strub is Senior Director of Research and Programs at NBR.
Michael Wills is President of NBR.
From the National Bureau of Asian Research, an Asia Insight miniseries exploring the geostrategic significance of China’s borderlands, led by Nadège Rolland, Distinguished Fellow for China Studies at NBR.
In this special episode, NBR Project Manager Alayna Bone sits down with NBR Distinguished Fellow for China Studies Nadège Rolland to look back at NBR’s Mapping China’s Strategic Space: Borderlands project, what we have learned so far, and to share some highlights of what is in store for 2026.
From the National Bureau of Asian Research, an Asia Insight miniseries exploring the geostrategic significance of China’s borderlands, led by Nadège Rolland, Distinguished Fellow for China Studies at NBR.
Episode Five: The Himalayan Rim
China’s growing economic and political power is redrawing the map of South Asia as a cluster of countries centered around its Himalayan borderlands, connecting its land neighbors through infrastructure building and economic corridors, while redefining the region’s governance norms according to the so-called "Chinese model."
This fifth episode, recorded in New Delhi with Professor Jabin T. Jacob (Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence, India), Shruti Jargad (Australian Strategic Policy Institute), and Dr. Constantino Xavier (Center for Social and Economic Progress, India) takes a look at the many facets of China’s increased presence in the Himalayan region.
Materials cited or referenced in the recording
- Constantino Xavier and Jabin T. Jacob (Eds.) “How China Engages in South Asia: In the Open and Behind the Scenes,” CSEP Report, July 2025.
- Constantino Xavier and Jabin T. Jacob (Eds.) “How China Engages in South Asia: Themes, Partners and Tools,” CSEP Report, May 2023.
- Shruti Jargad and Constantino Xavier, “Semantics as Strategy: Interpreting China’s Official Discourse on South Asia,” CSEP Working Paper 103, September 2025.
- National Land Borders Law of the People’s Republic of China (adopted on October 23, 2021 and officially in effect as of January 1, 2022) https://www.mfa.gov.cn/web/wjb_673085/zzjg_673183/bjhysws_674671/bhflfg/ldfxzhxfl/202303/P020230313533924391693.pdf.
Recommended additional readings
- The PRC’s Land Borders Law, USINDOPACOM J06/SJA TACAID Series, October 23, 2023 https://www.pacom.mil/Portals/55/Documents/Legal/J06%20TACAID%20-%20PRC%20LAND%20BORDERS%20LAW%20-%20FINAL.pdf.
From the National Bureau of Asian Research, an Asia Insight miniseries exploring the geostrategic significance of China’s borderlands, led by Nadège Rolland, Distinguished Fellow for China Studies at NBR.
Episode Four: The Great Wall of Villages
Since 2016, China has been building or refurbishing several hundreds of so-called “xiaokang (well-off) villages” along its Borderlands, complete with new infrastructure and an increased security presence. Some of these villages have been built on Bhutan’s sovereign territory.
This fourth episode trails the strategic motives and the unfolding development of China’s border villages revitalization campaign. With contributions from Japneet Kaur (Center of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar University, India), Professor James Leibold (La Trobe University, Australia) and Professor Robert Barnett (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and Lau China Institute, King’s College, United Kingdom).
Materials cited or referenced in the recording
- “South China Sea: What’s China’s Plan for Its ‘Great Wall of Sand’?” BBC, July 14, 2020 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53344449.
- Muyi Xiao, Agnes Chang, “China’s Great Wall of Villages,” New York Times, August 8, 2024 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/08/10/world/asia/china-border-villages.html.
- Robert Barnett, “Forceful Diplomacy: China’s Cross-Border Villages in Bhutan,” Turquoise Roof Bulletin, October 15, 2024 https://turquoiseroof.org/forceful-diplomacy-china-cross-border-villages-in-bhutan/.
- Japneet Kaur, Devendra Kumar, Jabin T. Jacob, “Beyond the Military Prism: China’s Development Objectives in Xiaokang Villages in Tibet Autonomous Region,” Shiv Nadar University Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies Occasional Paper no.4 (February 2025) https://snu.edu.in/centres/centre-of-excellence-for-himalayan-studies/research/beyond-the-military-prism-chinas-development-objectives-in-xiaokang-villages-in-tibet-autonomous-region/.
- Sun Chunri [孙春日] “Population Loss in the Border Areas between China and North Korea, and Countermeasures：A Case Study of Yanbian Korean Ethnic Minority Autonomous Prefecture” [中朝边境地区人口流失及对策 – 以延边朝鲜族自治州为列] Journal of Northern Minzu University no.93 (2010).
- Yang Minghong [样明洪] and Wang Zhoubo [王周博] “Types, Causes and Governance of the ‘Hollowing Out’ of China’s Land Border Regions” [我国陆地边境地区 ‘空心化’ 的类型、成因与治理] Journal of Sichuan Normal University 47 no.6 (2020).
- “Xi Jinping Delivers an Important Speech at the Second Xinjiang Work Forum” [习近平在第二次中央新疆工作谈会上发表重要讲话] People’s Daily, May 30, 2014.
- Owen Lattimore, The Inner Asian Frontiers of China, 1940.
Glossary of Chinese terms used in the recording
- 边境小康村 bianjing xiaokang cun: border areas moderately-prosperous (or well-off) villages
- 成都山地所 Chengdu shandi suo: Chengdu Mountain Institute (a research institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences)
- 三农问题 sannong wenti: “Three rural problems”(nongmin 农民rural people, nongcun 农村rural areas, nongye 农业rural production)
- 兴边副民行动 xingbian fumin xingdong: “Border Revitalization and Prosperous Residents Program” (a State campaign aimed at boosting economic development along China’s borderlands launched in 1998)
- 治国必治边、治边先稳藏 zhiguo bi zhibian, zhibian xian wen zang: “To govern the country, one must govern the borders; to govern the borders, one must first stabilize Tibet” (Xi Jinping addressing a delegation of officials from the Tibetan Autonomous Region in 2013 https://cpc.people.com.cn/n/2013/0902/c64102-22771651.html)
- 空心化 kongxinhua: hollowing out
- 神圣国土守护者 shensheng guotu shouhuzhe: “Guardians of the sacred lands”
- 中华民族 zhonghua minzu: Chinese nation
This episode of Asia Insight complements an ongoing NBR initiative examining Indo-Pacific approaches to digital regulations and competition policy, with this episode focusing on Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) enforcement activities targeting U.S. firms, featuring NBR Senior Director of Research and Programs Doug Strub in conversation with NBR Advisor Tami Overby and NBR Nonresident Fellow Nigel Cory.
Nigel Cory is a Nonresident Fellow at NBR and is a Director with Crowell Global Advisors.
Tami Overby is a member of the Board of Advisors at NBR and is a Partner at DGA Group Government Relations.
Doug Strub is Senior Director of Research and Programs at NBR.
From the National Bureau of Asian Research, an Asia Insight miniseries exploring the geostrategic significance of China’s borderlands, led by Nadège Rolland, Distinguished Fellow for China Studies at NBR.
Episode Three: The Opening-Up/Securitization Paradox
Since the early 1990s, China’s borderlands have played a crucial role in the central government’s "opening-up" program. However, starting in the mid-2010s, at the same time as the Belt and Road Initiative was supposed to accelerate China’s opening-up to the rest of the world, Beijing also began to harden the security of its borders – a trend intensified by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This third episode examines the tension between prioritizing openness and maintaining security. With contributions from Professor Victor Konrad (Carleton University, Canada), and Professor Alessandro Rippa (University of Oslo, Norway).
Materials cited or referenced in the recording
- Zhuang Rui [庄芮], Song Huike [宋荟柯], Zhang Xiaojing [张晓静], "Strategic Considerations on China’s Border Opening-Up: Historical Logic and Forward Direction" [我国沿边开放战略思考：历史逻辑与推进方向] Chinese Economy and Trade, no.7 (2021).
- "More Indulgence, My Dear Friend? Why China Is Grudgingly Mending Ties with North Korea," The Economist, September 27, 2025.
Glossary of Chinese terms used in the recording
- Xibu dakaifa 西部大开发 Great Development of the West / Great Western Development
Recommended additional readings
- Zhiding Hu and Victor Konrad, "Repositioning Security Spaces of Exclusion, Exception, and Integration in China-Southeast Asia Borderlands," Regions & Cohesion 11, no. 2 (Summer 2021).
- Thomas Ptak, Jussi P. Laine, Zhiding Hu, Yuli Liu, Victor Konrad, Martin van der Velde, "Understanding Borders Through Dynamic Processes: Capturing Relational Motion from South-West China’s Radiation Centre," Territory, Politics, Governance 10, no.2 (2022).
- Alessandro Rippa, Borderland Infrastructures: Trade, Development, and Control in Western China (Amsterdam University Press, 2020).
- Alessandro Rippa, "Mapping the Margins of China’s Global Ambitions: Economic Corridors, Silk Roads, and the End of Proximity in the Borderlands," Eurasian Geography and Economics 61, no.1 (2020).
- Zhang Zheren [张哲人] Li Wei [李慰] "Comprehensively Optimizing the Regional Opening-Up" [全面优化区域开放布局] Hongqi no.16 (2023).
- Guo Yinhong [郭垠宏] Song Tao [宋涛] Sun Man [孙曼] "The Functional Evolution and Temporal Division of China’s Border Regions in the Context of the Security-Development-Opening Up Nexus" [安全、发展与开放关联下的中国边境地区功能演化及时段划分] Geographical Research 42, no.10 (October 2023).
On this episode of Asia Insight, NBR Senior Director of Research and Programs Doug Strub sits down with NBR Advisor Meredith Miller and SAFE Senior Policy Analyst Zoe Oysul to discuss U.S. and Indonesian critical minerals strategies and opportunities and challenges for the two countries to work together within the larger geopolitical context.
Meredith Miller is a member of the Board of Advisors at NBR and is a Senior Advisor at DGA-Albright Stonebridge Group.
Zoe Oysul is a Senior Policy Analyst at SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy.
Doug Strub is Senior Director of Research and Programs at NBR.
From the National Bureau of Asian Research, an Asia Insight miniseries exploring the geostrategic significance of China’s borderlands, led by Nadège Rolland, Distinguished Fellow for China Studies at NBR.
Episode Two: A Hundred Years of CCP Borderlands Policies
The Chinese Communist Party’s borderlands policies fluctuated over time since its founding, alternating between periods of gradual integration and forced assimilation. Regardless of the methods used, the Party’s goal has remained the same: to meld all these regions and their people into a coherent national whole.
This second episode examines how the notions of Borderlands, of nation-building, and of ethnic policies have been intimately intertwined throughout the hundred years of CCP existence. With contributions from Professor Benno Weiner (Carnegie Mellon University), Professor Robert Barnett (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and Lau China Institute, King’s College), and Professor James Leibold (La Trobe University).
Materials cited or referenced in the recording
- Benno Weiner, The Chinese Revolution on the Tibetan Frontier (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2020)
- Andrew Martin Fisher, The Disempowered Development of Tibet in China: A Study in the Economics of Marginalization (Plymouth: Lexington Books, 2014)
- Fei Xiaotong [费孝通], The Chinese Nation’s Diversity to Unity Model [中华民族多元一体格局] (Beijing: Central University for Nationalities Press, 1989)
- Ernest Renan, “What is a Nation?” (speech delivered at the Sorbonne University, Paris, on March 11, 1882)
Glossary of Chinese terms used in the recording
- Minzu 民族 nation, nationality(ies), ethnic group(s)
- Shaoshu minzu 少数民族 ethnic minorities
- Minzu tuanjie 民族团结 ethnic/national unity
- Minzu gongzuo 民族工作 ethnic policy work / nation building work
- Duoyuanyiti 多元一体 diversity within unity / plurality and unity / multiple origins, one body / from diversity towards unity
- Zhonghua minzu 中华民族 Chinese nation
- Zhulao 铸牢 to forge
- Zhuhun 铸魂 to cast souls
- Zhonghua minzu gongtongti yishi 中华民族共同体意识 collective consciousness of the Chinese nation / a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation
Recommended additional readings
- Uradyn E. Bulag, “Good Han, Bad Han: The Moral Parameters of Ethnopolitics in China,” in Thomas Mullaney et.al. (Eds.) Critical Han Studies: The History, Representation, and Identity of China’s Majority (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2012)
- Vanessa Frangville, “‘Unity Within Diversity’: The Chinese Communist Party’s Construction of the Chinese Nation,” in Jérôme Doyon et.al. (Eds.) The Chinese Communist Party: A 100-Year Trajectory (Canberra: Australian National University Press, 2024)
- James Leibold, “Toward A Second Generation of Ethnic Policies?” Jamestown China Brief 12(13) July 7, 2012
- James Leibold, “Ethnic Policy in China: Is Reform Inevitable?” East-West Center Policy Studies 68, 2013
- Benno Weiner, “‘This Absolutely Is Not a Hui Rebellion!’: The Ethnopolitics of Great Nationality Chauvinism in Early Maoist China,” Twentieth-Century China 48(3) 2023
In this episode of Asia Insight, we explore a recent NBR research project that examined the cumulative impact of three trends—the evolution of the Indo-Pacific geopolitical landscape, recurring questions about U.S. alliance commitments, and domestic political debates on nuclear armament—on the sustainability of U.S. extended deterrence and nuclear restraint in Australia, Japan, and South Korea.
Zack Cooper is the project’s Principal Investigator, and he is also a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
Bee Yun Jo is a Research Fellow in the Center for Security Strategy at the Sejong Institute in South Korea.
Lavina Lee is Director of the Foreign Policy and Defence Program at the United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney in Australia.
From the National Bureau of Asian Research, an Asia Insight miniseries exploring the geostrategic significance of China’s borderlands, led by Nadège Rolland, Distinguished Fellow for China Studies at NBR.
Episode One: From Empire to Nation
When you look at the People’s Republic of China’s map today, you look roughly at the map of the Qing empire - with the notable exceptions of outer Mongolia, Taiwan, and portions of Siberia. Two hundred years ago, the Qing’s borderlands included the Manchu, Tibetan, Hmong, Mongol and Hui (Turkic-speaking Muslim populations of the western regions). Today, twenty neighbors share a land or a maritime border with China.
In this first episode, with the help of Professor Nicola Di Cosmo (Institute of Advanced Study) and Maria Adele Carrai (NYU Shanghai), we travel back in time to better understand how the imperial borderlands have been integrated within China’s national territory at the turn of the 20th century.
Materials cited in the recording
- Joseph W. Esherick, How the Qing Became China, in. Esherick et. al. (Eds) Empire to Nation: Historical Perspectives on the Making of the Modern World (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006)
- Maria Adele Carrai, Sovereignty in China: A Genealogy of a Concept since 1840 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019)
This episode of Asia Insight was recorded directly following NBR’s annual Energy Security Workshop in Washington, D.C., on July 22, 2025. NBR advisor and Energy Security Program research director Mikkal Herberg hosts a conversation with Philip Andrews-Speed, Kurt Glaubitz, and Ken Koyama.
The four discuss takeaways from the workshop’s presentations on Asia’s LNG (liquified natural gas) landscape and the implications for regional energy and economic security, while also delving deeper into areas they plan to explore further ahead of NBR’s annual Energy Security Program report release in late-2025.
Philip Andrews-Speed is a Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
Kurt Glaubitz is the Co-Founder of the Asia Natural Gas and Energy Association and Former Corporate Affairs General Manager for the Chevron Corporation, Asia Pacific Exploration and Production.
Mikkal Herberg is a member of NBR’s Board of Advisors and the Research Director of NBR’s Energy Security Program.
Ken Koyama is Senior Managing Director and Chief Economist in charge of the Research Strategy Unit at The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan.
The project Documenting China's Borderlands is led by Nadège Rolland, Distinguished Fellow for China Studies at NBR. The project investigates how China invests in, engages with, and deepens its presence within its land and maritime border neighbors in an attempt to reshape its immediate periphery.
In this introductory episode hosted by NBR President Michael Wills, Rolland discusses what sparked this research effort, how the project defines China's borderlands, which areas of Chinese statecraft will be examined, and what our listeners can ultimately expect from this forthcoming Asia Insight miniseries.
The virtual dashboard mentioned in the conversation will be publicly available starting July 28, 2025.
Documenting China's Borderlands, led by NBR Distinguished Fellow, China Studies Nadège Rolland, investigates how China invests in, engages with, and deepens its presence within its land and maritime border neighbors in an attempt to reshape its immediate periphery.
This research effort is the second phase of NBR's Mapping China’s Strategic Space project (https://strategicspace.nbr.org/) which defined strategic space as a realm vital to the pursuit of China’s national economic and security objectives and to the enduring survival of the Chinese state.
The audio documentaries presented in this forthcoming Asia Insight miniseries are a part of a larger set of products from this research effort, which will include written publications, regional conferences, and a virtual dashboard visualizing key data on China's engagement with its borderland neighbors. The dashboard will be publicly available starting July 28, 2025.
In this episode of Asia Insight, NBR President Michael Wills is joined by Rear Admiral Mike Studeman (U.S. Navy, ret.) and Cathy Johnston as they assess the People's Liberation Army ahead of the Chinese Communist Party's goal to build a world-class military by 2049.
Cathy Johnston spent 33 years in the Intel Community mostly focused on Asia. Her last assignment was as the Deputy Director of Intelligence at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
Mike Studeman is the former Commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence and a retired Rear Admiral. He is a member of NBR’s Board of Advisors.
Michael Wills is President of NBR.
In this episode of Asia Insight, NBR President Michael Wills sits down with Ms. Laura Rosenberger and Mr. Roy Kamphausen to discuss strategic outlooks for Taiwan. This discussion follows an NBR delegation trip to Taiwan led by retired U.S. Navy Admiral John Aquilino, the 26th Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, from April 28–May 2, 2025.
On this special episode of Asia Insight, NBR Distinguished Fellow for China Studies Nadège Rolland and NBR Senior Fellow for Asian Security Bates Gill discuss the May 12, 2025 white paper released by China’s State Council Information Office on China’s national security in the new era.
In this episode of Asia Insight, Doug Strub hosts a conversation with Michael Beeman and Daisuke Kawai on how the United States and Japan are bolstering their technological and economic security while navigating digital disruptions and supply chain vulnerabilities.
Michael Beeman served as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Japan, Korea and APEC at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative from 2017–2023.
Daisuke Kawai is Director of the Economic Security and Emerging Technology Program and Project Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology. He is also a Nonresident Fellow at NBR.
Doug Strub is Senior Director of Research and Programs at NBR.
In this episode of Asia Insight, NBR President Michael Wills moderates a conversation with Robert Holleyman and Tami Overby on some of the insights and themes that arose during NBR's 2025 Pacific Technology Policy Conference. The conference took place in Seattle on March 13, 2025.
Ambassador Robert Holleyman served as Deputy United States Trade Representative from 2014-2017, responsible for U.S. trade and investment relations in Asia, including APEC, China, and India. He is a member of the Board of Advisors at NBR.
Tami Overby is a Senior Advisor in the East Asia & Pacific practice of Dentons Global Advisors-Albright Stonebridge Group. She is also a member of the Board of Advisors at NBR.
Michael Wills is President of NBR.
In this episode of Asia Insight, NBR Senior Director of Research and Programs, Mr. Doug Strub engages in conversation with Dr. Jungmi Cha, Mr. Charlie Vest, Dr. Michelle Rozo, and Ms. Hodan Omaar as they examine strategies and policies of the United States and the Republic of Korea in the pivotal areas of battery technology, biotechnology, and quantum technology.
This Asia Insight episode complements the NBR special report "U.S.-ROK Tech Cooperation: Batteries, Biotech, and Quantum Technologies" (March 2025) and was produced by the National Bureau of Asian Research with support from the Korea Foundation.
In this episode of Asia Insight, NBR’s executive vice president Michael Wills hosts a discussion with NBR distinguished fellow for China studies Nadège Rolland and advisor William McCahill Jr. in the aftermath of China’s 2024 parallel annual meetings of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
In this podcast, we highlight the main findings of NBR’s research project "Into Africa: China’s Emerging Strategy,” explore the strategic drivers behind China’s increased engagement with African countries, examine the significance of its investments in African critical infrastructure, and detail the extent of its influence networks on the continent.
The podcast is hosted by Rachel Bernstein, a former assistant director for the Political and Security Affairs team at NBR.
Yunnan Chen is a London-based researcher in the Development and Public Finance program at ODI, where her work centers on the changing global development finance architecture and China’s global footprint.
Daria Impiombato is a research analyst specialized in Chinese technology and human rights at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s International Cyber Policy Center.
Mareike Ohlberg is a Berlin-based Senior Fellow in the Indo-Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund, specializing in China’s global influence networks and tactics.
Mandira Bagwandeen is a Senior Research Fellow at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town (UCT), where she focusses on Africa's regional integration and industrialization and China-Africa relations.
Roukaya Kasenally is a democracy scholar and Associate Professor at the University of Mauritius. She is the current chair of the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), a board member of West African Democracy Radio (WADR), and a member of the International Advisory Board of the Electoral Integrity Project (EIP).
Nadège Rolland is Distinguished Fellow, China Studies, at NBR.
With Japan assuming the G-7 presidency and the United States hosting APEC meetings this year, the two countries are well positioned to lead Indo-Pacific engagement on climate change and energy transition efforts that are in line with regional energy security needs. Clare Richardson-Barlow moderates this Asia Insight podcast with Ken Koyama (Institute of Energy Economics, Japan) and Jennifer Sklarew (George Mason University) on the energy security relationship between the United States and Japan. The participants consider how the two countries are tackling their respective energy transition challenges and how bilateral cooperation can help address both energy and economic security concerns.
Clare Richardson-Barlow is a lecturer at the University of Leeds and an interdisciplinary social scientist whose research and teaching explores just transitions, energy policy, political economy, and energy governance.
Ken Koyama is Chief Economist and Senior Managing Director at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan. Dr. Koyama also is a Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Tokyo and an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Innovative Research at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.
Jennifer Sklarew is an Assistant Professor for the Environmental Science and Policy Department at George Mason University and brings 30 years of energy and environmental policymaking and analysis to her research and teaching.
Offering a strategic overview of the relationship between China and Myanmar across history, Ambassador Kelley Currie highlights grey zones, disaggregated sovereignty, fluid frontiers and deeply rooted mutual suspicions as permanent features of China’s southern strategic space’s hinterland in this podcast moderated by Nadège Rolland. This podcast is part of the project Mapping China's Strategic Space at strategicspace.nbr.org.
In this episode of Asia Insight, NBR counselor Charles Boustany hosts a discussion on APEC 2023 with Ambassador Robert Holleyman and Shihoko Goto.
NBR is grateful to the Hinrich Foundation for their generous support of this podcast.
Charles W. Boustany Jr., MD, is a Counselor for the National Bureau of Asian Research. Congressman Boustany retired from the U.S. Congress after serving from 2005 to 2017. During his tenure, he served on the House Ways and Means Committee and chaired the Subcommittee on Oversight, the Subcommittee on Human Resources, and the Subcommittee on Tax Policy. He was also a senior member of the Subcommittee on Trade. Congressman Boustany was an acknowledged leader in the areas of trade policy, international tax policy, energy policy, and foreign policy in the U.S. House of Representatives. He co-chaired the U.S.-China Working Group, the U.S.-Japan Caucus, and the Friends of TPP Caucus.
Shihoko Goto is the Director for Geoeconomics and Indo-Pacific Enterprise and Deputy Director for the Asia Program at the Wilson Center. Her research focuses on the economics and politics of Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, as well as U.S. policy in Northeast Asia. A seasoned journalist and analyst, she has reported from Tokyo and Washington for Dow Jones and UPI on the global economy, international trade, and Asian markets. A columnist for the Diplomat magazine and contributing editor to the Globalist, she was previously a donor country relations officer for the World Bank and has been awarded fellowships from the East-West Center and the Knight Foundation, among others.
Robert Holleyman is a member of the Board of Advisors at the National Bureau of Asian Research and President and CEO of Crowell & Moring International, where he is part of the firm’s International Trade, Privacy & Cybersecurity, and National Security groups. Ambassador Holleyman served as Deputy United States Trade Representative (USTR) from 2014 to 2017. He was responsible for U.S. trade and investment relations in Asia, including the APEC forum, China, and India. He was also responsible for global trade policy in the areas of services, investment, intellectual property, and innovation. He led USTR’s focus on the digital economy and U.S. negotiating priorities around digital trade and also represented USTR on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.
With many nations aiming for midcentury net-zero emissions targets, massive amounts of critical minerals will be necessary to build the commodities and infrastructure for supporting a lower-carbon energy network. Each interlocking facet of energy production, trade, and consumption relies on the stability of existing partnerships and processes, many of which have been turned upside down in the wake of regional conflicts. In this episode of Asia Insight, NBR’s Tom Lutken discusses critical mineral competition with Niharika Tagotra and Kristin Vekasi.
In this episode of Asia Insight, NBR’s Doug Strub has conversations with two experts on Japan’s digital transformation (DX). First, Ulrike Schaede discusses digital transformation among Japanese industry. Following that conversation, Daisuke Kawai joins to talk about the Japanese government’s DX strategies and objectives.
Daisuke Kawai is a Research Fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS). His areas of expertise are Japan’s foreign and security policy, Indo-Pacific security, technology policy, and arms control, with an overarching research interest in emerging technologies. He is also the serving secretariat of the Council of Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) Japan.
Ulrike Schaede is Professor of Japanese Studies and Director of the Japan Forum for Innovation and Technology at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy. She is a member of the Board of Advisors at the National Bureau of Asian Research. Dr. Schaede is an expert on Japanese business and management strategies, author of The Business Reinvention of Japan: How to Make Sense of the New Japan and Why It Matters (2020), and co-author of The Digital Transformation and Japan’s Political Economy (2022).
Doug Strub is Director of NBR’s Center for Innovation, Trade, and Strategy. He manages NBR’s work on trade, technology, and digital issues.
TIMESTAMPS
Ulrike Schaede
[1:30] How do you define “digital transformation?”
[3:50] What are the key technologies driving this transformation, and in which technologies is Japan finding the most success?
[6:40] You’ve written a lot about Japan’s “competitive repositioning.” Can you explain this idea and how Japanese industry and manufacturing have been evolving in recent decades?
[11:25] What drove these changes?
[17:15] How is Japan’s success in digital manufacturing translating to broader digital transformation across society?
[19:42] How successful have strategies and initiatives such as Society 5.0 been at enabling a broader societal digital transformation?
[23:14] Why is there such a contrast between the successful advancements in digital transformation among industry compared to the slower progress made by the government?
[27:00] How is Japan’s aggregate niche strategy and its emergence as a key producer of critical technological inputs impacting the rest of the world?
Daisuke Kawai
[30:12] How does the Japanese government define digital transformation, and what are its DX goals?
[30:58] How successful has Japan been so far in its pursuit of digital transformation?
[31:27] What are the main impediments that have prevented Japan’s DX from being carried out more quickly?
[32:26] Can you explain what the Hanko is?
[33:03] What are the current administration’s main DX goals, and what strategies and policies is it implementing to pursue these?
[33:50] What are the Digital Agency’s main responsibilities, and what steps has it taken so far to further Japan’s digital transformation?
[34:30] Have people embraced the introduction of the My Number Card system, and how has this impacted society?
[35:32] What services does this card provide, and what incentives do people have to sign up for it?
[36:24] The government has also launched the Digital Garden City Initiative. Can you talk about what that is and what it’s trying to achieve?
[38:57] Related to this, the government has also launched the Digital Garden City Initiative Promotion Grant. Can you explain what this is and the impact it’s having?
[40:20] What are the main remaining barriers the government will need to address to more effectively and comprehensively realize its DX goals?
[41:18] How effective are the current polices in addressing the challenges you’ve mentioned?
[41:58] Are there any particular areas you think these policies could be doing a better job in addressing?
[42:57] Do you have any recommendations for how the government could more effectively achieve its DX goals?
In this episode of NBR’s Asia Insight, NBR executive vice president Michael Wills hosts a discussion with senior fellow Nadège Rolland and advisor William McCahill Jr. in the aftermath of China’s 20th National Party Congress.
In this episode of NBR's Asia Insight, NBR executive vice president Michael Wills hosts a discussion with Aaron Friedberg on his new book Getting China Wrong.
In this episode of Asia Insight, moderator Michael Wills is joined by Christopher Hughes and Yuka Koshino for a discussion of the political legacy of former Japanese prime minister Abe Shinzo as Japan prepares for the state funeral, which is set take place on September 27.
In this episode of Asia Insight, moderator Michael Wills is joined by Christopher Hughes and Yuka Koshino for a discussion of the political legacy of former Japanese prime minister Abe Shinzo as Japan prepares for the state funeral, which is set take place on September 27.
In this episode of Asia Insight, moderator Michael Wills is joined by experts discussing the four partner countries of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. Hayley Channer is a senior policy fellow at the Perth USAsia Centre, Sheila Smith is a senior fellow for Asia-Pacific studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, Alison Szalwinski is vice president of research at the National Bureau of Asian Research, and Akriti Vasudeva is a fellow with the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center.
In advance of the May 8, 2022, Hong Kong chief executive election, Yvonne Chiu (U.S. Naval War College) and NBR advisor William McCahill joined NBR executive vice president Michael Wills for an Asia Insight podcast to discuss Hong Kong's future under the only candidate, John Lee. As Hong Kong emerges from two years of political crackdowns and strict pandemic measures, Lee will face the task of reviving the global financial hub's faltering economy.
In this episode of NBR’s Asia Insight, NBR counselor Charles Boustany is joined by Wendy Cutler and Robert Holleyman to discuss the latest developments in Indo-Pacific trade, including the Biden administration’s proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, challenges around market access and digital trade, and how to overcome political obstacles in the United States to allow for more effective trade policy to be implemented.
This is the second of three episodes in the Asia Insight podcast miniseries China’s Strategic Approach to the Digital Revolution examining the findings of the NBR report “China’s Digital Ambitions: A Global Strategy to Supplant the Liberal Order.” NBR nonresident fellow Emily de La Bruyère, the project’s principal investigator, is joined by two of the report’s authors—Greg Levesque and Matt Turpin—to discuss the security implications of China’s digital rise and potential policy responses for liberal democracies to more effectively mitigate the associated risks and counter China’s ambitions.
This is the second of three episodes in the Asia Insight podcast miniseries China’s Strategic Approach to the Digital Revolution examining the findings of the NBR report “China’s Digital Ambitions: A Global Strategy to Supplant the Liberal Order.” NBR nonresident fellow Emily de La Bruyère, the project’s principal investigator, is joined by three of the report’s authors—Nigel Cory, Samantha Hoffman, and Karen Sutter. They discuss the implications of China’s construction of digital infrastructure abroad, the expansion of Chinese digital platforms overseas, and Beijing’s efforts to reshape global digital norms and regulations to better reflect its values and interests.
This is the first of three episodes in the Asia Insight podcast miniseries China’s Strategic Approach to the Digital Revolution examining the findings of the NBR report “China’s Digital Ambitions: A Global Strategy to Supplant the Liberal Order.” NBR’s Doug Strub speaks with nonresident fellow Emily de La Bruyère, the project’s principal investigator, about the nature of China’s digital ambitions and what’s driving China’s strategy to achieve these goals.
Leading up to the 26th United Nations’ Conference of the Parties (COP26), both Japan and the United States laid out ambitious goals to achieve net zero for their respective economies. Notably, Japan is taking substantial steps to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions over the next 30 years, with a plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The United States has been a longtime partner of Japan and is recently recommitted to the Paris Agreement, with President Biden striving for a carbon free power sector by 2035 and a net zero emissions economy by 2050.
In this Asia Insight discussion moderated by NBR nonresident fellow Clare Richardson-Barlow, we aim to analyze these goals by rethinking policy approaches to decarbonization across political administrations in the United States and Japan. As two of the largest emitters in the world, Japan and the United States have significant challenges to address over the next three decades to achieve their respective net zero goals. However, this also presents a range of opportunities for both countries to increase collaboration through research, investment, and knowledge sharing.
In this episode of NBR’s Asia Insight, NBR executive vice president Michael Wills speaks with Marcin Kaczmarski, author of the chapter “Russian Foreign Policy in a Time of Rising U.S.-China Competition” (Strategic Asia 2021–22), and Elizabeth Wishnick, author of “Russia and the Arctic in China’s Quest for Great-Power Status” (Strategic Asia 2019), about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This podcast was recorded on March 3, 2022.
In this episode of NBR’s Asia Insight, NBR president Roy Kamphausen speaks with Robert Sutter, co-editor with Richard Ellings of the book Axis of Authoritarians: Implications of China-Russia Cooperation, about the dynamic between China and Russia, Russia's aggressiveness toward Ukraine, and China's provocations against Taiwan.
In this episode of NBR’s Asia Insight, NBR vice president of research Alison Szalwinski discusses the new book Strategic Asia 2021–22: Navigating Tumultuous Times with co-editor Ashley J. Tellis and contributor Michael J. Green.
Ashley J. Tellis is a counselor at NBR. He holds the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He has served as research director of the Strategic Asia Program at NBR and co-editor of the program’s annual volume since 2004.
Michael J. Green director of Asian studies and chair in modern and contemporary Japanese politics and foreign policy at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and senior vice president for Asia and Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
In this episode of NBR’s Asia Insight, Alison Szalwinski, NBR vice president of research, hosts a discussion with Elizabeth Economy and guest interviewer Jessica Teets. The discussion focuses on Dr. Economy's new book The World According to China. Dr. Economy is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and was previously senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is currently on leave from her position at the Hoover Institution and is serving as a senior adviser to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The views expressed in the podcast and her book are her personal views and do not represent the views of the U.S. government or the Commerce Department. Dr. Teets is an associate professor in the Political Science Department at Middlebury College (United States) and associate editor of the Journal of Chinese Political Science.
In this Asia Insight podcast, Tom Lutken speaks about disaster management in South Asia with Pushp Bajaj of India's National Maritime Foundation and Mohammad Hasan of the Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh. As climate change and vulnerable populations create a perfect storm for natural disasters in South Asia, both experts highlight the challenges of today and the best path forward for the region to overcome the challenges of tomorrow.
In this Asia Insight podcast, Tom Lutken speaks with T.H. Schee of Open Knowledge Taiwan and Takako Izumi of Tohoku University about the disaster management lessons learned from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. With changes brought about by technology and global warming, alongside the ongoing impacts of a global pandemic, both experts weigh in on how our best practices for dealing with disasters can be informed by the past to better prepare for an uncertain future.
NBR research director Alison Szalwinski interviews Admiral Jonathan Greenert, who holds the John M. Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies at NBR. Admiral Greenert discusses the recent report "Murky Waters in the East China Sea: Chinese Gray-Zone Operations and U.S.-Japan Alliance Cooperation," which examines key obstacles for the U.S.-Japan alliance in responding to Chinese gray-zone operations.
In this episode of Asia Insight, Alison Szalwinski speaks with Stephanie Char about her essay in NBR’s Emerging Voices on the New Normal in Asia series, “North Korea’s Covid-19 Choice: Greater Diplomatic and Economic Isolation.”
In this episode of Asia Insight, Alison Szalwinski speaks with Shiming Yang about her essay in NBR’s Emerging Voices on the New Normal in Asia series, "Rising-Power Competition: The Covid-19 Vaccine Diplomacy of China and India.”
In this episode of Asia Insight, Karolos Karnikis speaks with Bhagya Senaratne about her essay in NBR’s Emerging Voices on the New Normal in Asia series, “The Covid-19 Pandemic and the Power Rivalry in South Asia.”
In this episode of Asia Insight, Karolos Karnikis speaks with Naima Green-Riley about her essay in NBR’s Emerging Voices on the New Normal in Asia series, “Pandemic Persuasions? American Public Opinion and U.S.-China Relations.” The episode examines trends in U.S. perceptions of China and discusses the implications for the U.S.-China relationship.
In this episode of Asia Insight, Congressman Charles W. Boustany Jr. leads a discussion on Indo-Pacific trade with Vice President of the Asia Society Policy Institute Wendy Cutler and former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Robert Holleyman. They examine the Biden administration’s trade priorities, developments in digital trade agreements, and more, while seeking to answer questions about the United States’ role in the region in the wake of major multilateral trade agreements that are reshaping the rules of trade without U.S. participation.
In this episode of Asia Insight, M. Taylor Fravel, principal investigator of the Maritime Awareness Project (MAP), discusses key maritime issues in East Asia related to the South China Sea, the East China Sea, Taiwan, and the U.S. role in the region. He is joined by two other members of NBR’s MAP team, Karolos Karnikis and John S. Van Oudenaren.
In this episode of Asia Insight, Rachel Bernstein interviews NBR senior fellow Nadège Rolland and other contributors to the NBR Special Report “An Emerging China-Centric Order: China's Vision for a New World Order in Practice” about the types of mechanisms, institutions, norms, and rules China wants to see established in new international systems.
In this episode of Asia Insight, Dan Aum interviews senior advisor and research director of NBR’s Energy Security Program Mikkal Herberg. They explore various issues related to the energy relationship between the United States and Japan, including how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected global energy markets, what U.S. and Japanese policymakers have done separately and together to improve energy security, and the barriers to further developing energy infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific.
In this episode of NBR’s Asia Insight, NBR nonresident fellow Arzan Tarapore interviews Manoj Kewalramani and Suyash Desai from the Takshashila Institution to discuss their report “An Indian Approach to Navigate China’s Rise.”
In this episode of Asia Insight, NBR's senior director of public affairs Dan Aum interviews Dr. Kristi Govella to discuss the opportunities and challenges for U.S.-Japan cooperation in the global commons.
In this episode of Asia Insight, NBR's senior director of public affairs Dan Aum interviews Sheila Smith to discuss her chapter "Japan's Interests in an Era of U.S.-China Strategic Competition" from the new Strategic Asia volume.
In this episode of Asia Insight, NBR’s senior director for public affairs Dan Aum discusses the new volume in the Strategic Asia series, Strategic Asia 2020: U.S.-China Competition for Global Influence, with editors Ashley J. Tellis and Michael Wills.
In this episode of NBR's Asia Insight, NBR and the Daniel Morgan Graduate School host a discussion accompanying the release of NBR's special report, Securing the Belt and Road Initiative: China's Evolving Military Engagement along the Silk Roads. NBR's Alison Szalwinski moderates this discussion with Mathieu Duchatel, Kristen Gunness, and Nadege Rolland.
In this episode of NBR’s Asia Insight podcast series, Richard J. Ellings and Aaron L. Friedberg assess the state of the U.S.-China strategic rivalry and underscore the need for the United States to develop a more effective approach to China and the Indo-Pacific region. The discussion, moderated by Laura Junor, took place at the Asia Policy Assembly on June 18.
Richard J. Ellings is Co-founder, President Emeritus, and Counselor at NBR.
Aaron L. Friedberg is Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University and Co-director of the Woodrow Wilson School’s Center for International Security Studies. He is also a Counselor at NBR.
Laura Junor is the Director of Research and Strategic Support at the National Defense University, Institute for National Strategic Studies.
In this episode of NBR’s Asia Insight podcast series, Kazutoshi Aikawa and James F. Moriarty discuss the unique relationship between Taiwan and the U.S., assess what makes alliances work best, and analyze the current U.S.-Japan alliance. The discussion, moderated by Roy Kamphausen, took place at the Asia Policy Assembly on June 19.
In this episode of NBR’s Asia Insight podcast series, Thomas X. Hammes, Claire Reade, and Michael Beckley analyze globalization trends, U.S.-China trade and investment, and the effects of economic stagnation on Chinese security policy. The discussion, moderated by Amy Celico, took place at the Asia Policy Assembly on June 19.
In this episode of NBR’s Asia Insight podcast series, Daniel Twining, Carolyn Bartholomew, and Tariq Karim examine the recent Hong Kong protests, discuss democratic trends in Asia, and analyze tensions between democratic and authoritarian forces in the region. The discussion, moderated by Michael Wills, took place at the Asia Policy Assembly on June 19.
Phillip C. Saunders and Thomas G. Mahnken examine the global ambitions of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the strategic calculation behind PLA's disruptive activities in the region in the latest episode of NBR's Asia Insight podcast series. The discussion, moderated by Abraham M. Denmark, took place at the Asia Policy Assembly on June 19.
Dan Aum, director of NBR’s Washington, D.C., Office, interviews NBR Senior Fellow Nadège Rolland and Brookings-Yale Postdoctoral Fellow in Foreign Policy Rush Doshi on the recent Belt and Road Forum. Topics discussed include takeaways from the forum, the strategic implications of BRI, forecasting China’s moves, and more.
Bios:
Rush Doshi is the Brookings-Yale Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center.
His research has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, the Washington Post, and the Washington Quarterly, among other publications. Dr. Doshi received his PhD from Harvard University, where he wrote his dissertation on Chinese grand strategy, and his BA from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School with a minor in East Asian Studies. He is proficient in Mandarin and Hindi.
Nadège Rolland is Senior Fellow for Political and Security Affairs at NBR.
Prior to joining NBR, Ms. Rolland was an analyst and senior adviser on Asian and Chinese strategic issues to the French Ministry of Defense (1994–2014) and a research analyst for the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) (2007–8).
She is the author of the book China’s Eurasian Century? Political and Strategic Implications of the Belt and Road Initiative (2017). Her articles have appeared in various publications, including the Washington Quarterly, Foreign Policy, the Diplomat, the Asan Open Forum, the Lowy Institute Interpreter, and Strategic Asia, and her comments have been published by the Wall Street Journal, Libération, Les Echos, the Indian National Interest, Radio Free Asia, and BBC World Service.
Ms. Rolland is a graduate of the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (MSc Chinese Language and Contemporary Chinese Studies, 1994) and RSIS (MSc Strategic Studies, 2007).
Timestamp:
Q1 [1:56] What major changes took place between the first BRI Forum in 2017 and the recent forum in April 2019?
Q2 [3:28] What were Xi’s key objectives for the 2019 forum?
Q3 [4:49] Were the message and tone different this time around?
Q4 [7:03] What are your key takeaways from the 2019 forum?
Q5 [10:58] The challenges associated with being a recipient country of BRI projects are well known. Yet countries continue to sign up for BRI projects. Why?
Q6 [13:48] Are BRI projects meeting universal standards of quality? Why?
Q7 [18:58] How is China expanding its people, assets, and values abroad?
Q8 [21:57] How is China using financial tools to support BRI, and what are the broader strategic ambitions at play?
Q9 [24:33] How is China seeking to reshape the international financial architecture?
Q10 [28:12] What triggered China’s desire to create a new set of international messaging and financing systems?
Q11 [30:08] We’ve seen several phases of BRI. What phase are we in now? What will happen next?
Q12 [34:27] As China increases its emphasis on soft power, should we expect a de-emphasis in the more tactile areas like infrastructure?
Q13 [35:19] What are the vulnerabilities facing BRI?
Q14 [40:20] Is China applying its soft power approach to the United States?
Q15 [41:56] How should the United States respond to China on any of the key fronts we’ve discussed?
Q16 [45:45] Is there anything about BRI that is obvious to you that other people still don’t appreciate?
Q17 [48:53] What grade would you give Xi on the recalibration of BRI?
About Asia Insight
The NBR podcast series Asia Insight features interviews with top Asia experts about key issues affecting the Indo-Pacific region, with a focus on implications for U.S. policy and businesses. Subscribe to Asia Insight on Apple Podcasts and let us know what you think of the podcast on Twitter.
Media Contact: Dan Aum, media@nbr.org or (202) 347-9767.
Asia Insight theme music is by Laura Schwartz of Bellwether Bayou.
This podcast was co-edited by Dan Lee and Matt Ropeik at NBR.
In this episode, we interview the co-editors of NBR's Strategic Asia series. This year's volume explores China's strategic ambitions and its implications for the Indo-Pacific.
In this informative and wide-ranging discussion, Dr. Ashley J. Tellis, Alison Szalwinski, and Michael Wills discuss how China seeks to reshape the international system to serve its strategic aims and present policy options for the United States and its partners to address the challenges posed by a rising China.
Please join us for future discussions and let us know what you think of the podcast on Twitter (@NBRNews) or via email at media@nbr.org
We were excited to host NBR’s president Richard J. Ellings this week to discuss some of the upcoming challenges and opportunities the United States faces in the Indo-Pacific region. In addition to his role at NBR, he is an Affiliate Professor in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington.
In this wide-ranging discussion, Dr. Ellings forecasts some of the critical issues U.S. policymakers and businesses will likely have to manage in the Indo-Pacific: China’s Belt and Road Initiative, growing China-Russia cooperation, and the trigger points in the South China Sea. He also provides a number of recommendations to policymakers, including a replacement for the TPP, engagement through regional alliances and institutions, and what he considers the best option for dealing with North Korea.
Please join us for future discussions and let us know what you think of the podcast on Twitter (@NBRNews) or via email at media@nbr.org
In this episode, we interview ADM Jonathan Greenert about maritime strategy in the Indo-Pacific.
ADM Greenert holds the John M. Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies at NBR. He is a career naval officer, having served for 40 years in the U.S. Navy, culminating in his appointment as the 30th Chief of Naval Operations from 2011 to 2015. He is a recipient of various personal and campaign awards, including the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Vice Admiral Stockdale Award for inspirational leadership.
His recent publication, Tenets of a Regional Defense Strategy: Considerations for the Indo-Pacific, is available for free download from the NBR website.
The Indo-Pacific at present is a hotspot of political turmoil and territorial disputes. Discovering solutions for these issues requires critical strategic planning and innovation. Fresh from hosting a panel event of international Navy Chiefs, ADM Greenert provides valuable insights to address the dynamic challenges in the maritime commons. In this wide-ranging conversation, he discusses the diverse complexities of the Indo-Pacific and explores possible avenues for U.S. policy.
We hope you enjoy this episode of Asia Insight!
In this episode, we interview Jonathan Elkind (Columbia University, former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy) and Clara Gillispie (NBR) about U.S. energy policy in Asia. Elkind and Gillispie discuss the role of energy in the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” strategy, how countries in the region are responding, what U.S.-China trade tensions have to do with energy, and what they’d like to see from the Trump administration’s policies in the future.
2:30 How did your interest in energy policy begin?
4:50 What is the U.S. energy policy towards Asia?
8:49 Can you separate energy policy from broader policy toward Asia?
10:15 How do Japan and South Korea fit into our energy policy?
12:30 What are the primary concerns from other countries in the region? How have they been reacting to U.S. policy?
15:33 What is the future of U.S.-Russia relations on energy?
18:40 What are the prospects for a Russia-Japan energy pipeline?
20:12 How are U.S.-China tensions on trade affecting energy policy?
- References the report, “A Natural Gas Giant Awakens: China’s Quest for Blue Skies Shapes Global Markets”
27:55 How is the energy industry handling uncertainty in U.S. policy?
35:50 What have you seen in the Trump administration’s approach to investing in emerging energy technology?
40:20 What do you wish the administration would consider as it formulates energy policy?
43:58 What is the most promising energy source for the future and why?
45:00 What book on energy would you recommend to an Asia generalist?
- Richard Rhodes, Energy: A Human History
- Varun Sivaram, Taming the Sun: Innovations to Harness Solar Energy and Power the Planet
- Meghan O’Sullivan, Windfall: How the New Energy Abundance Upends Global Politics and Strengthens America's Power
In this episode, we interview Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt about the historic Singapore Summit on June 12 between President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un. Dr. Eberstadt discusses his key takeaways from the summit, what the summit means for U.S. allies and other stakeholders in the region, and what he’d like to see from the Trump administration moving forward.
This episode presents a discussion of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), described by our guest as Xi Jinping’s “organizing foreign policy concept.” That guest is Nadège Rolland, Senior Fellow for Political and Security Affairs at NBR. Nadège walks us through the significance of BRI, what it means for the region, and how U.S. officials and businesses should respond to the initiative.
Please join us for future discussions and let us know what you think of the podcast on Twitter (@nbrnews) or via email at media@nbr.org.
Listen as Strategic Asia editors Ashley Tellis (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) and Michael Wills (NBR) discuss the newest volume in the series, Strategic Asia 2017–18: Power, Ideas, and Military Strategy in the Asia-Pacific.
NBR's President Richard J. Ellings sat down with William "Bill" McCahill on October 25, 2017, to discuss the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and its implications for the United States and its allies. McCahill is a Senior Resident Fellow at NBR.