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As the Biden administration begins its second year in office, it is evident that its focus on the Indo-Pacific and geopolitical competition against China remains uneven. There are two small but strategically important countries that have been all but ignored by the administration so far: ...

Ambassador Michael George DeSombre’s Closing Remarks Indo-Pacific Virtual Conference on Strengthening Governance of Transboundary Rivers I would like to start by thanking Satu Limaye and the organizers at the East-West Center, Assistant Secretary Stillwell and my colleagues at the State Department, and of course you all – ...

Thailand and the smaller states in its neighbourhood will miss the Asia-Pacific era. It is not as if the Asia-Pacific has gone away or disappeared in any sense. But its role as a cradle of prosperity linking larger and small economies around the Pacific Rim ...

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday (Oct 9) pledged to promote quality infrastructure projects in five South-east Asian nations along the Mekong River, while their leaders said they supported Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy (FOIPS). “The Mekong region is a corridor that connects ...

Japan’s ambitious new foreign policy strategy aimed at “bridging” the Southeast Asian mainland and Indo-Pacific regions through aid, trade and infrastructure links has drawn a wary welcome from Mekong area countries concerned about growing rivalry between the major donor countries, China and Japan. Keep reading   ...