Northeast Asia / NEA
-
Across The Region
Indo-Pacific Partners
National security advisors for Japan, the Philippines and the United States held their first joint talks in June 2023 and agreed to strengthen defense cooperation, as Indo-Pacific partners reinforce their alliances to address growing tensions over North Korea, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The three officials discussed the “turbulent regional security environment and…
Read More -
Features
Alliances and Partnerships
Dr. Alfred Oehlers/Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies Photos by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS We often hear that alliances and partnerships are a vital asset. These relationships distinguish the United States from its competitors. They also confer decisive advantages, especially at crucial moments. As the U.S. faces future challenges, it likely will again turn to Allies and Partners for…
Read More -
Features
Upholding International Norms in the Skies
FORUM Staff A People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) fighter jet intercepted a Canadian Armed Forces CP-140 Aurora aircraft multiple times in international airspace in October 2023 in a “dangerous and reckless” manner, yet another example of Beijing’s disregard for freedom of navigation and aircrew safety, officials said. Such unsafe and unprofessional activities risk midair collisions and escalation. The nonstandard intercepts…
Read More -
Features
Persistent partnerships in cyberspace
FORUM Staff When Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Lt. Gen. Hiroe Jiro went to Ukraine in 2020, the nation’s sophisticated cyber defenses came as a surprise. It was six years after Russia seized Crimea and invaded eastern Ukraine, launching a yearslong cyber onslaught along the way. Russian-affiliated cyberattacks targeted Ukraine’s Central Election Commission, took down power grids and unleashed malware. Disruptive…
Read More -
Conflicts - Tensions
PRC’s global security initiative contradicts actions
Dr. Jinghao Zhou The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) foreign ministry released a paper in February 2023 addressing international security challenges and solutions. The Global Security Initiative (GSI) reflected a speech by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping 10 months earlier in which he unveiled his GSI proposal. It is imperative that those who question recent CCP actions…
Read More -
Conflicts - Tensions
Sharp Edges
Dr. Jake Wallis/Australian Strategic Policy Institute Under an assertive Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is building a global propaganda system designed to reshape the international order. This is a more complex challenge than that posed by other authoritarian states in the information domain, even more so than Russia’s disruptive integration of…
Read More -
Conflicts - Tensions
Exposing CCP Espionage
FORUM Staff A clearly visible high-altitude balloon traversing the continental United States in late January and early February 2023 — before a U.S. fighter jet shot down the surveillance system — alerted nations to the extent of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) espionage efforts. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has deployed this type of surveillance technology globally before to…
Read More -
Features
Modern Militaries, Reinforced Alliances
FORUM Staff Technology is strengthening militaries tasked with maintaining security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Rapidly modernizing nations are transforming arsenals with advancements from cutting-edge aircraft and game-changing submarines to unmanned vehicles, space awareness tools and cyber defense upgrades. Meanwhile, security partnerships are encouraging scientific cooperation among like-minded militaries, and leaders are relying on the power of regional alliances to…
Read More -
Conflicts - Tensions
Implications of PLA Modernization
FORUM Staff The rise of an assertive People’s Republic of China (PRC) over the past decade and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) pursuit of large-scale military capabilities challenge the international security order throughout the Indo-Pacific and beyond, experts contend. People’s Liberation Army (PLA) modernization could have near- and long-term implications for regional stability that impact the South China Sea, Taiwan…
Read More -
Conflicts - Tensions
High-Risk Proposition
FORUM Staff The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) demonstrated the use of civilian ferries to launch a mock invasion of Taiwan during an August 2022 exercise. Using a custom-made ramp, the PLAN employed civilian roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ferries to load amphibious assault craft on a Chinese beach near the Taiwan Strait, according to USNI News, the daily…
Read More