After last week’s announcement that Russia and China finally signed a 30-year natural gas pipeline agreement valued at $400 billion, Michal Meidan analyses the geopolitical implications of this deal and how it could affect global energy markets and the U.S. presence in Asia over the next few years.

As John Ciorciari and Jessica Chen Weiss explain, relations between China and Vietnam have plummeted to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War following a row over disputed territory in the South China Sea.

The 30-year, $400 billion gas contract, signed between Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom and China during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Shanghai to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and to participate in the CICA summit, signals a new partnership between the two nations.

At the fourth CICA Summit in Shanghai, China proposed a security concept for Asia in an attempt to shape a common Asian awareness and collective Asian security acceptable for all Asian countries, writes Shen Dingli.

Having concluded the fourth summit on Confidence Building in Asia, CICA will play an increasingly important role in promoting peace, development and cooperation in Asia, writes Wu Zurong.

Beijing’s recent warning that Pyongyang not conduct another nuclear test will likely prove as ineffectual as previous warnings, writes Ted Galen Carpenter. Without huge incentives, which Washington has yet to offer, Beijing is unwilling to employ harsh measures to ensure North Korean compliance due to the risks entailed in such a drastic policy change.

The two high-profile visits of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Africa clearly depict an upgrade in China’s ties with the continent. As He Wenping explains, China’s foreign policy will focus more on “contribution” and “responsibility” while working to enhance global cooperation.

Bilateral relations between China and Japan have grown increasingly dangerous as tensions rise over the disputed Diaoyu Islands and the Yasukuni Shrine. The two countries must restore trust and consider the long-term political, economic and environmental consequences of their actions.

To remain relevant, Asia’s institutions must change in line with a changing Asia.

How can United States’ allies have confidence in its security commitments, while it is in decline? One way is to constantly stress that it has the ability and willingness to fulfill its obligations, writes Chen Jimin.