<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. 

Asia-Pacific

Australia

Samoa

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

China

Timor-Leste

Federated States of Micronesia

Fiji

Indonesia

Japan

Kiribati

Laos

Malaysia

Marshall Islands

Mongolia

Myanmar

Nauru

New Zealand

North Korea

Palau

Papua New Guinea

Philippines

Singapore

Solomon Islands

South Korea

Taiwan

Thailand

Tonga

Tuvalu

Vanuatu

Vietnam

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

Assessments

Canada

United States

Iran

Germany

India

The Tehran skyline on Dec. 30, 2025. On March 2, U.S. and Iranian negotiators will meet in Vienna, Austria, to begin technical talks on a nuclear deal.

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

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 Conflict in the Middle East, Merz meets Trump 

U.S.-Iran Relations

A video interview of Taiwanese President William Lai plays onstage during The New York Times DealBook Summit 2025 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Dec. 3, 2025, in New York City.

President Lai's political disputes with the legislature are unlikely to ease anytime soon, which could disrupt U.S. trade and arms deals and/or jeopardize future opportunities for diplomatic engagement with China.

Taiwan's Political Dysfunction Goes Global

Snapshots

Europe

European Union and Australian flags together.

Global Trade

European and Australian negotiators aim to strengthen supply chain resilience and hedge against growing global trade volatility.


The Strategic Logic Behind Revived Australia-EU Free Trade Talks 

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press Feb. 2 in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump will deliver the annual State of the Union address to Congress on Feb. 24.

The Weekly Rundown: Trump Threatens Iran, Pledges To Reimpose Tariffs on Different Grounds

U.S.-China Relations

Mexico

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Feb. 20, 2026, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Trump's use of emergency powers to implement international trade tariffs.

The Trump administration will use other trade authorities to replace many of the IEEPA tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court, meaning U.S. trading partners will remain incentivized to engage on trade matters.

What the Supreme Court Tariff Ruling Means for Trump and U.S. Trading Partners

Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro speaks at a press conference during a Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Cebu City, the Philippines, on Jan. 29, 2026.

The coming year will test ASEAN's ability to maintain unity, manage crises and remain a credible regional forum amid rising internal security risks and a more fractured world order, particularly as the Philippines butts heads with China in the South China Sea.

Previewing the Philippines 2026 ASEAN Chairmanship

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Slovakia

Hungary

Ukraine

Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump (C) holds up his signature on the founding charter of the Board of Peace among other world leaders at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 22 in Davos, Switzerland.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: The Board of Peace Convenes, Russia-Ukraine-U.S. Talks in Geneva

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul arrives at the Government House in Bangkok on Feb. 9, 2026.

The incumbent conservative party's victory will improve short-term political stability, but governance will remain constrained by coalition dynamics, entrenched institutions and uncertain constitutional reform.

Thailand Approves Constitutional Reform, Re-Elects Conservative Party

Japanese Prime Minister and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Sanae Takaichi reacts as she speaks with media on the day of lower house elections at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo on Feb. 8, 2026. 

The LDP's decisive lower house victory will enable Prime Minister Takaichi to boost social and defense spending and strengthen ties with the U.S., though at the expense of Japan’s relations with China and South Korea.

Election Landslide Stabilizes Japanese Politics, Cements Defense Modernization

Bangladesh

Campaign posters Feb. 6 of candidates running in the upcoming Japanese House of Representatives election, in Inagi, Tokyo prefecture.

The Weekly Rundown: Japan Holds Snap Elections, U.S. Weighs Options After Iran Talks

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on March 1 that the United States' "blatant killing of a sovereign leader" in Iran and attempts at regime change were unacceptable, according to Xinhua, but Beijing has yet to threaten retaliation.

China, North Korea: Nations React Calmly to U.S. Strikes on Iran

Vietnam will adopt a new resolution on preventing and combating corruption, wastefulness and "negative phenomena," state-run Bao Chinh Phu reported on March 2. 

Vietnam: Hanoi To Adopt 'New Mindset' Toward Anti-Corruption

South Korea's ruling Democratic Party, or DPK, in the National Assembly passed a law that allows the Constitutional Court to review rulings by lower courts, including the Supreme Court, Yonhap News Agency reported on Feb. 27. 

South Korea: Ruling Party's Curbs on Judiciary Empower President Lee

South Korea's infrastructure ministry announced that it would allow Google to export government-provided precise map data to overseas premises "on condition that Google strictly comply with security guidelines," Yonhap News Agency reported on Feb. 27.

South Korea: Seoul Permits Google Navigation, Will Facilitate U.S. Trade Deal

Syria

Environment, Science & Technology

The U.S. State Department warned Syria's Communications Minister Abdulsalam Haykal in San Francisco earlier the week of Feb. 23 to avoid relying on Chinese telecommunications technology, Reuters reported on Feb. 27.

U.S., Syria: U.S. Warns Syria Against Chinese Telecoms

United Kingdom

Uzbekistan

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Energy

The United Kingdom hosted the inaugural Central Asia-U.K. (CA5+UK) foreign ministers' meeting in London, the British Foreign Office said on Feb. 26.

Central Asia, U.K.: London Launches Critical Minerals Push Across the Region

Lynas Rare Earths, Australia's largest rare earths producer and the only major commercial separator outside China, reported roughly $295 million in revenue and approximately $57 million in profit from July 2025 through December 2025, marking a sharp year-on-year increase, Nikkei Asia reported on Feb. 26.

Australia: Lynas Profit Surge a Potential Sign of Viability for Non-China Rare Earths, but Risks Loom Large

North Korea's weeklong ruling Workers' Party congress concluded on Feb. 25, with leader Kim Jong Un calling for new strategic weapons development, warning Pyongyang could destroy Seoul if threatened by South Korea or the United States, and formally defining inter-Korean ties as those between "two hostile states," rather than one state with rival governments, Yonhap News Agency reported the same day.

North Korea: Party Congress Ends With Bluster, but Door Left Open for Dialogue With Washington

Asia-Pacific

SITUATION REPORTS

China, North Korea: Nations React Calmly to U.S. Strikes on Iran

Vietnam: Hanoi To Adopt 'New Mindset' Toward Anti-Corruption

South Korea: Ruling Party's Curbs on Judiciary Empower President Lee

South Korea: Seoul Permits Google Navigation, Will Facilitate U.S. Trade Deal

U.S., Syria: U.S. Warns Syria Against Chinese Telecoms

Central Asia, U.K.: London Launches Critical Minerals Push Across the Region

Australia: Lynas Profit Surge a Potential Sign of Viability for Non-China Rare Earths, but Risks Loom Large

North Korea: Party Congress Ends With Bluster, but Door Left Open for Dialogue With Washington

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