Andrew S. Erickson (U.S. Naval War College) and Adam P. Liff (Princeton University) assess trends in China’s defense spending within the wider context of China’s military development and transparency, as well as its broader strategic and national interests.

David M. Lampton

In this advance Asia Policy 16 release, David M. Lampton (Johns Hopkins-SAIS) proposes measures to reduce mistrust in U.S.-China relations and build a new type of major-power relationship.

This week South Korea’s new president Park Geun-hye makes her first trip to the United States since assuming office in February. As tensions on the Korean peninsula continue to simmer, John S. Park (NBR) discusses several of the issues Madame Park and President Obama are likely to address during her visit.

As of late April, China's state-run Xinhua news agency had reported 126 human cases of H7N9, a novel strain of bird flu that has been the cause of 24 deaths nationwide. In light of the unfolding events, NBR spoke with Jeremy Farrar (Oxford University) about the context of, and responses to, the outbreak

James Manicom

James Manicom (Centre for International Governance Innovation) examines the volatile situation surrounding the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands and considers efforts by all three claimants to manage tensions. He argues that there is a considerable amount that the United States can do to discourage deliberate escalation of the dispute, even if it can do little to directly ensure a peaceful resolution.

To inform plenary sessions and prompt thought-provoking discussion, the 2013 Summit organizers commissioned five policy papers from top experts in the field.

Looking at leadership changes in Taiwan, including a September 2012 cabinet reshuffle that replaced important several memebers of the national security team, Edward I-Hsin Chen (Tamkang University) examines President Ma Ying-jeou's cross-strait policies and draws implications for U.S.-Taiwan relations.

With U.S. and NATO troops preparing to withdraw from Afghanistan by 2014, the influence in Central Asia of other international actors will become increasingly important for regional stability and security. NBR talked with Stephen Blank (Strategic Studies Institute) about what China’s and Russia’s roles are in Central Asia, how their rivalry and strategies have changed over the past decade, and how a diminished U.S. presence will affect this critical region.

2013 Pacific Energy Summit participants offered additional information to support the discussions on the challenges and opportunities in forging trans-Pacific cooperation. Download the Summit participant handouts and presentations.

Edward Gresser and Daniel Twining

Edward Gresser (Progressive Economy) and Daniel Twining (German Marshall Fund of the United States) examine the central issues facing the new Congress in the dynamic Asia-Pacific security and trade environment. These issues range from dealing with an increasingly dangerous North Korea and managing the military drawdown in Afghanistan to possibly concluding the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement.