Supply Chains
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Global Commons
Japan focuses on economic resilience, technology safeguards to bolster national defense
Tom Abke With geopolitical pressures growing, Japan is reshaping its national defense with a focus on economic resilience and technological independence. Through initiatives such as the Economic Security Promotion Act (ESPA), Tokyo aims to shield critical technologies, secure supply chains and protect essential infrastructure from foreign interference. The shift is integral to Japan’s national security strategy, where economic stability is…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
South Korea enhances regional security role
FORUM Staff Seoul is reinforcing security partnerships in the Indo-Pacific and beyond as tensions flare in the economically important South China Sea and North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations persist. South Korea upgraded ties with the Philippines and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in October 2024. Singapore and Seoul signed agreements on supply chain and liquefied natural gas…
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Conflicts - Tensions
U.S.-led coalition preserves maritime security in Red Sea
FORUM Staff Houthi rebels in Yemen have indiscriminately attacked more than 70 vessels in the Red Sea since October 2023, disrupting an estimated $1 trillion in commerce on shipping lanes crucial to Asia, Europe and the Middle East. A United States-led coalition tasked with preserving maritime security in the region has repeatedly intercepted the missiles and drones targeting vessels. The…
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Global Commons
India’s defense production soars with record output, strategic industrial corridors
Mandeep Singh With domestic defense production at record levels, India remains committed to the Defense Industrial Corridor model, with corridors in and around the states of Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh focused on high-tech projects such as uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), electronic warfare and electro-optics. Rising output meets the needs of the Indian Armed Forces and promotes supply chain resilience…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Taiwan embraces status quo for cross-strait peace
FORUM Staff Taiwan’s democracy is helping ensure stability in the Taiwan Strait, throughout the Indo-Pacific and across the globe. All three presidential candidates in the self-governed island’s January 2024 election vowed to maintain the cross-strait status quo. “Despite increased military and economic challenges, my top priorities remain pragmatism and consistency,” President-elect Lai Ching-te wrote in The Wall Street Journal newspaper…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Indian Navy pledges to ensure security amid piracy, rebel attacks
FORUM Staff India’s growing naval presence in the Red Sea region reflects its commitment to safety and security along the vital trade route. New Delhi has surveillance aircraft and at least 12 vessels focused on preventing piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, Reuters news agency reported in late January 2024. A multinational coalition is working separately…
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Global Commons
Indian drugmakers benefit from interest beyond China
Reuters Drug manufacturers are seeking to limit their reliance on Chinese contractors to produce drugs for clinical trials and early-stage manufacturing, a move that is benefiting Indian companies, executives and experts say. Factors such as low cost and speed made contract drugmakers in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) the preferred option for pharmaceutical research and manufacturing services for nearly…
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Conflicts - Tensions
CCP’s infrastructure scheme slows as more nations question Xi’s motivations
FORUM Staff Despite Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping’s recent efforts to revitalize his One Belt, One Road (OBOR) infrastructure scheme, evidence is mounting that his policy, launched in 2013 purportedly to build a “broad community of shared interests” throughout the Indo-Pacific, Africa, Latin America and Europe, is falling short of his goals and stated intentions. Although Xi…
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