What does the release of Japan’s 2014 Defense White Paper say about the future of Sino-US-Japanese trilateral relations? Stephen Harner warns that Abe’s vision, as laid out in the White Paper, is not a path towards stability in the Asia-Pacific.

While the inaugural U.S. Africa Leaders Summit made great strides to improve the United States’ relationship with the continent, Dong Chunling and Wang Lei express doubt that the three-day meeting will hold much sway of America’s strategic thinking or foreign policy.

When the US strategy of rebalancing was initiated, the US said that it did not target China. However, the new US-Australia military agreement is intended to check China’s rise, writes Tao Wenzhao.

As tensions rise between the U.S. and China over China's islands dispute with Japan, American strategists have been thinking about how to accommodate China while at the same time standing behind their Japanese ally.

Can a market-based plan for energy infrastructure provide peace and prosperity in the South China Sea? Stewart Taggart, a former financial journalist, examines recent tensions and describes how creating Joint Development Areas could boost cooperation and mutual trust.

The international and domestic crises that have occurred this past summer have jeopardized President Obama’s Asia-Pacific rebalance. The Ukrainian Crisis, the “Arab Spring”, and the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip are only some of the catastrophes that have led to dissatisfaction with the President’s foreign policy and possible victory for Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections.

With August 22, 2014 marking the 110th Anniversary of Deng Xiaoping’s birth, Yu Sui reflects on the role this remarkable date plays in China’s foreign policy and how Xi Jinping has carried on Deng’s work.

The US-Africa summit revealed America’s intention to catch up and compete with China in Africa, but it also conveyed a message of strengthening collaboration with China and promoting African development and security together, writes He Wenping.

The United States’ engagement policy toward China is a strategic step toward containing Beijing’s growing financial power and economic influence. However, with tension increasing between China and the United States, Carpenter heeds Washington to look for more sustainable engagement plans before advancing on what American scholars have coined “congagement”, in fear of erupting a larger Sino-American crisis.

No matter how hard Japan tries to dress up the war as a valiant battle against colonial powers the truth of its aggression will not be denied, writes Cai Hong.