Disputes over territorial sovereignty are among the thorniest of all diplomatic disagreements. While the sovereignty disputes in the South and East China Seas involve seemingly non-negotiable claims, the resources surrounding the islands can nevertheless be shared, nurturing habits of closer regional cooperation in the process.

China’s growing defense budget seems to be a perpetual topic for speculation, interpretation, and allegations. Based on analysis from Xiao Tiefeng, China’s defense budget is neither growing excessively fast, nor is it extraordinarily large, nor is it a threatening factor to international peace.

The state of security in Northeast Asia will be counteractive to the state of Sino-US relations. Thus, increased cooperation in Northeast Asia will also provide a favorable opportunity and important platform to cultivate a new type of relations between China and the United States.

As the United States continues its rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific, Southeast Asian nations continue to rely upon US influence and military strength to counterbalance China. However, China’s regional power continues to grow and the economic incentives for aligning with China far outweigh those pushing nations toward the US.

Recently, US foreign policy experts have argued that China’s military power presents major implications for the US and Japan’s ability to maintain regional stability. However, Stephen Harner argues the US and Japan must recognize the changing geopolitical landscape in the Asia-Pacific and recognize the dangers of the current security order.

Following General Fang Fenghui’s comments comparing a major cyber attack to a nuclear bomb, Franz-Stefan Gady discusses the consequences of cyber warfare in the twenty-first century.

Officials in the George W. Bush as well as Barack Obama administrations have argued that China's military budget is excessive for the country's legitimate defense needs. But US military spending is much higher than that of China or any other country.

Recent tensions along the border of India and China have led some experts to speculate whether the build-up of troops could lead to a repetition of the Sino-Indian border war of 1962. However, as Donald Kirk explains, the latest incident is more about asserting Chinese influence in the region rather than preparing for a military assault.

China’s national defense white paper has caused a stir amongst China watchers. However, Chen Zhou explains that the white paper is not reason for concern, and instead provides a path for China’s continued peaceful development.

The concern over terrorism is the least common denominator among advanced and emerging economies. Unipolar responses are no longer effective, as evidenced by the Boston marathon bombings. Multipolar counter-terrorist cooperation is essential to peaceful global order.