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Don't Take Our Allies for Granted, Even Japan
Commentary / July 22, 2020
As political tensions in the Asia-Pacific increase, Kiyoteru Tsutsui, senior fellow and Japan Program director, cautions the United States from taking long-standing economic and military allies like...
Democracy in South Korea is Crumbling from Within
Commentary / July 14, 2020
South Korea is following global trends as it slides toward a “democratic depression,” warns APARC’s Gi-Wook Shin. But the dismantling of South Korean democracy by chauvinistic populism and political...
Strategy in the South China Sea
Commentary / June 3, 2020
Donald K. Emmerson analyzes China’s tactics in the South China Sea and how the countries of Southeast Asia are reacting to the tensions in the disputed waterway.
Politicize this Pandemic, But Do So Carefully
Commentary / May 5, 2020
An open letter from scholars studying public health in China and the U.S.
Gi-Wook Shin Offers Analysis of 2020 Korean National Election
Commentary / April 20, 2020
The Korea Society hosts APARC's director for a timely discussion of the recent South Korean national election.
Korean Democracy Is Sinking Under the Guise of the Rule of Law
Commentary / April 1, 2020
There is a Korean expression that means “to become soaked by a drizzle without noticing.” This metaphor is a timely warning against the gradual decline of democratic norms. Though some of the changes underlying this global phenomenon are subtle, they are producing creeping, piecemeal erosions of democracy and pluralism. The signs of democratic backsliding are now emerging everywhere in South Korean society, and a failure to recognize and robustly counter their effects may create future costs that prove unbearable.
Now It Gets Much Harder: Thomas Fingar and Jean Oi Discuss China’s Challenges in The Washington Quarterly
Commentary / March 19, 2020
In the last forty years, China has reemerged as a tremendous geopolitical, economic, and technological power on the world stage. But the easy phases of China’s quest for wealth and influence are over, argue Shorenstein APARC Fellow Thomas Fingar and China Program Director Jean Oi in a new article published by The Washington Quarterly.
Video: Thomas Fingar on Past and Present Milestones in U.S.-China Relations
Commentary / January 28, 2020
In a recent interview with People's Daily Online, APARC Fellow Thomas Fingar reflects on some of the milestones in the developing and diversifying relationship between the United States and China over the past forty years. The interview is part of a series of short documentaries produced by People's Daily Online West USA to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the United States and China in 1979.
Video: David M. Lampton on U.S.-China Relations
Commentary / October 18, 2019
Oksenberg-Rohlen Fellow David M. Lampton, an expert on Chinese politics and U.S.-China relations, joins World Affairs host and Hoover Institution Visiting Fellow Markos Kounalakis in a conversation about the growing rivalry between the world's two global powers and how we might evaluate the more than forty years of Sino-American engagement since Nixon went to Beijing in 1972.
Why has engagement weakened so precipitously in the last several years?
Video: Donald K. Emmerson on Strategic Thinking in Southeast Asia
Commentary / October 9, 2019
What is strategic thinking? Are the foreign policies of some Southeast Asian states more strategic than those of others? If so, in what way, and with what implications for U.S. policy?
APARC's Southeast Asia Program Director Donald K.
On Korean Nationalism and Its Role in the Escalating Japan-South Korea Friction
Commentary / September 5, 2019
Tension and discord in Japan-South Korea relations are nothing new, but the unfortunate, intensifying conflict between the two countries — a manifestation of right-wing Japanese nationalism and left-wing South Korean nationalism — seems headed toward a collision course. To understand the escalating friction between Tokyo and Seoul one must recognize the unique characteristics of Korean nationalism, and particularly its historical origins, development, and political role in shaping Korean attitudes toward Japan.
"Trilateral Framework at Risk" – APARC Director on South Korea's Decision to End Its Military Agreement with Japan
Commentary / August 27, 2019
"The Japan-South Korea relationship may not have hit rock bottom, but it could further deteriorate in the coming months," Gi-Wook Shin tells The Korea Times.
The U.S. Has a Role to Play in the Escalating Hong Kong Crisis – as a Moderating Force
Commentary / August 13, 2019
"Washington is not the ‘black hand’ Beijing believes it to be. But neither should it wash its hands of the crisis, as Trump has apparently done"
Debating Artificial Intelligence: The Fox Versus the Hedgehog
Commentary / July 10, 2019
Singapore has been described as “a thriving hub for artificial intelligence.” In May 2019, Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) released the first edition of “A Proposed Model AI Governance Framework.”
FSI Scholars Among Signatories Urging Effective U.S. Policy Toward China
Commentary / July 3, 2019
A group of more than 100 leading American Asia specialists, former U.S. officials and military officers, and foreign policy experts has signed an open letter calling on President Trump and Congress to develop a U.S. approach to China that is focused on creating enduring coalitions with other countries in support of economic and security objectives rather than on efforts to contain China’s engagement with the world.
Video: Is Trade Just a Side Issue in U.S.-China Disputes?
Commentary / May 30, 2019
Karl Eikenberry, director of the U.S.-Asia Security Initiative, spoke with "Bloomberg Markets: Asia" about the ongoing trade disputes between the U.S. and China. Video of his interview—conducted on the sidelines of the Morgan Stanley China Summit in Beijing—is posted below.
Audio: Tariffs Expand for Goods Going Between the United States and China
Commentary / May 14, 2019
Does the current trade-talk stalemate between the U.S. and China portend a larger confrontation? Oksenberg-Rohlen Fellow David Lampton says yes, and shared with VOA Asia reasons for why the two countries find themselves so much at odds. Listen below (first 8 minutes):
A View from the United States
Commentary / May 9, 2019
APARC Postdoctoral Fellow in Contemporary Asia Ketian Zhang provides commentary on U.S. policies toward Southeast Asia in the South China Sea.
Can Trust Be Verified? Managing 5G Risk in Southeast Asia
Commentary / May 9, 2019
Nothing can fully protect a country from secret malfeasance involving the company it hires to provide and maintain its 5th generation wireless system (5G). But certain steps can lessen the risk.
Do Innovation Subsidies Make Chinese Firms More Innovative?
Commentary / May 7, 2019
Motivated by the realization that China’s economic growth model is about to become obsolete, the Chinese government has been using various subsidies to encourage innovations by Chinese firms. This study examines the allocation and impacts of innovation subsidies, using the data from the China Employer Employee Survey (CEES).
How to Keep the Ball Rolling on North Korean Negotiations
Commentary / May 2, 2019
The current stalemate should not be taken as a restless waiting game or a prelude to dejected failure. The situation is frustrating and nerve-wracking to some, but the good news is that neither side is willing to close the window of talks and jump off the lurching — but still running — train of diplomacy.
At Carleton College, APARC Scholars Lay Out North Korea's Economic Quandary
Commentary / May 1, 2019
Scholar Andray Abrahamian organized many projects to promote economic change in North Korea over the past decade, including that country’s first two ultimate frisbee tournaments. So when he spoke at Carleton College in Northfield last week, the first thing Abrahamian did was acknowledge the school’s prominence in the sport. [Its intercollegiate team is a perennial power and most of the school’s students play in intramural leagues.]
Between Hope and Caution: One American’s View of Indonesia’s Election
Commentary / April 15, 2019
On April 17, Indonesia, the world’s fourth largest country and the third largest democracy after India and America, goes to the polls. APARC’s Don Emmerson reflects on what the fifth national election means for the twenty year old democracy.
China Is Pushing Back Against Taiwan for These Three Reasons
Commentary / April 8, 2019
On March 31, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that two Chinese Air Force (PLAAF) J-11 jets crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait. This violated the long-held tacit agreement between China and Taiwan that neither side should cross the median line.
Audio: APARC Scholars on China’s Belt and Road Initiative
Commentary / April 4, 2019
APARC's Direcror of the Southeast Asia Program Donald K. Emmerson, Center Fellow Thomas Fingar, and Oksenberg-Rohlen Fellow David M.