<p>The Asia-Pacific is home to more people than any other region. Centered on the western rim of the Pacific Ocean, this region includes the easternmost countries of continental Asia as well as the archipelagos that punctuate the coast. Several of these countries, most notably China, experienced rapid economic growth in the second half of the 20th century, giving the region a new sense of global economic relevance that continues today. That relevance, however, depends largely on China, a power in transition whose rise is testing the network of U.S. alliances that have long dominated the region. How effectively Beijing manages its transition will shape the regional balance of power in the decades to come.</p>

Centered on the western rim of the Pacific Ocean, the Asia-Pacific region includes the easternmost countries of continental Asia as well as the archipelagos that punctuate the coast. 

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Beyond Quantitative Easing

The New Silk Road

Modernizing China’s Military

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Globalization

Social Issues

Coping With a Nuclear North Korea

Moscow Looks to the East

China in Transition

A Japanese Awakening

Asia-Pacific: Among Great Powers

Southeast Asia: Burdened by Consensus

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A freight train carrying cargo containers rides along a railway track in Ajmer, India, on Aug. 26, 2025.

Economics

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Politics

New Delhi's decisions to permit specific imports and fast-track minority investments highlight its strategy of addressing critical manufacturing shortages, though relations are unlikely to extend beyond low-level confidence-building measures.

India Cautiously Opens up to Chinese Investment

Assessments

Djibouti

United States

Israel

Damage at the Azadi Sport Complex in the Iranian capital of Tehran on April 3.

Military & Security

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: The Iran War Continues, Taiwan's KMT Restarts China Talks

U.S.-Iran Relations

Myanmar's then-military chief Min Aung Hlaing prepares to deliver a speech during a memorial event at the Myanmar International Convention Center in Naypyidaw on March 28, 2026, to mark the first anniversary since a 7.7-magnitude tremor killed more than 3,800 people in Myanmar.

Myanmar's transition from military to civilian governance will not lead to a meaningful transfer of power, nor will it impact the country's civil war.

Myanmar's Government Transitions to Civilian Rule in Name Only

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (C) answers questions during a plenary session of the House of Representatives at Parliament on March 26 in Tokyo. Poor ties with China under Japan's new premier portend industrial disruptions in Japan, and supply chain and defense cooperation with regional partners like South Korea and the United States.

Poor ties with China under Japan's new premier portend industrial disruptions in Japan, and supply chain and defense cooperation with regional partners like South Korea and the United States.

A New Leader in Japan and an Old Feud With China

Newly elected opposition Kuomintang (KMT) leader Cheng Li-wun delivers a speech in Taipei on Nov. 1, 2025. 

The KMT's diplomatic outreach to Beijing may yield modest economic gains, but it will also hurt the party's electoral prospects, which could paradoxically raise the risk of military conflict in the coming years.

The Taiwanese Opposition's Plan To Revive Talks With China Will Likely Backfire

Americas

This photo, taken in Lima in November 2024, shows Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte attending the inauguration ceremony for the Chinese-built and operated "megaport" in the small Peruvian town of Chancay.

Environment, Science & Technology

As Washington formalizes a new hemispheric doctrine centered on security and supply chain dominance, regional governments face mounting pressure to align their defense and economic policies with U.S. geopolitical interests.

How the U.S.'s Anti-China Strategy for Latin America Could Unfold

U.S.-China Relations

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The Geopolitics of Natural Resources

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As competition for natural resources and critical raw materials intensifies, companies -- not just countries -- must be more mindful of risks in their physical supply chains.

The Geopolitics of Natural Resources: An Introduction

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Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The second quarter will test global resilience as lingering conflicts and energy shocks converge to heighten economic uncertainty and geopolitical volatility.

2026 Second-Quarter Forecast: An Excerpt

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People on March 15 in Tehran, Iran, clean up rubble from a missile attack. The Iran war will almost certainly continue through the next week amid Israeli threats to escalate and expand strikes due to Iranian attacks targeting Israeli civilians and the U.S. deployment of additional military assets to the region.

The Weekly Rundown: The Iran War Continues, a European Parliament Delegation Visits China

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How will the trajectory of China-U.S. trade conversations change in light of conflict in the Middle East?

The Decision Advantage: The Impact of the Iran War on the Asia-Pacific Region

Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen, who is a member of Taiwan's Kuomintang opposition party and a potential presidential candidate for the January 2028 election, said on April 6 that a reasonable special defense budget should be NT$800 billion-NT$1 trillion ($25 billion-$31 billion), much higher than the current KMT proposal, the South China Morning Post reported on April 4.

Taiwan: KMT Split on U.S. and China Ties, Support for U.S. Arms Sales

Palestinian Territories

Thousands of people protested outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta following the deaths of three Indonesian soldiers serving in the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, with demonstrators condemning Israel, the Jakarta Globe reported on April 6.

Indonesia: Peacekeeper Deaths in Lebanon Spark Anti-Israel Protests Outside U.S. Embassy

On April 6, OPEC+ agreed to increase oil production quotas for the month of May by 206,000 barrels per day, effectively agreeing to increase production once oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz return to normal levels.

Global: OPEC+ Agrees to Symbolic Production Hike as It Warns About Damage to Assets

Beijing is investigating Ma Xingrui, a Politburo member and former Party secretary of Xinjiang province, for "serious violations of discipline and law," a euphemism for corruption or political disloyalty, Chinese state news outlet Xinhua announced on April 3.

China: Ma Xingrui Investigated, Most Politburo Members Purged Since 1977

Kenya

Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Mines Ali Hassan Joho said Kenyan authorities would prioritize bidders that give "Kenya the best deal on beneficiation" in allocating the tender to develop the country's Mrima Hill mining project, the Financial Times reported on April 3.

Kenya: Government To Prioritize Local Processing in Tender for Major Critical Mineral Project

Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle struck the state of Western Australia, making landfall four separate times in recent days, disrupting major liquefied natural gas export facilities, including those operated by Chevron and Woodside Energy, which remain partially offline, with repairs at key sites projected to take weeks, the Financial Times reported on April 3. 

Australia: Cyclone Narelle Disrupts LNG and Mining at Inopportune Time

United Kingdom

In two separate presidential proclamations signed April 2, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered changes to U.S. steel, copper and aluminum tariffs that would simplify the regime for low metal content goods and authorized new tariffs of up to 100% on certain imported pharmaceuticals.

U.S.: Trump Orders Changes to Steel, Copper and Aluminum Tariff Regime, Authorizes New Pharmaceutical Tariffs

New Zealand and the Cook Islands signed a defense and security declaration, reaffirming New Zealand as the Cook Islands' primary security partner, Bloomberg reported April 2.

New Zealand, Cook Islands: Countries Sign Defense and Security Declaration

Asia-Pacific

SITUATION REPORTS

Taiwan: KMT Split on U.S. and China Ties, Support for U.S. Arms Sales

Indonesia: Peacekeeper Deaths in Lebanon Spark Anti-Israel Protests Outside U.S. Embassy

Global: OPEC+ Agrees to Symbolic Production Hike as It Warns About Damage to Assets

China: Ma Xingrui Investigated, Most Politburo Members Purged Since 1977

Kenya: Government To Prioritize Local Processing in Tender for Major Critical Mineral Project

Australia: Cyclone Narelle Disrupts LNG and Mining at Inopportune Time

U.S.: Trump Orders Changes to Steel, Copper and Aluminum Tariff Regime, Authorizes New Pharmaceutical Tariffs

New Zealand, Cook Islands: Countries Sign Defense and Security Declaration

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