Xi Jinping has chosen Moscow as the destination for his first state visit in his new capacity as the Chinese president, a decision that has caught the attention of the international community. Some people see it as a readily understandable decision, while others regard it with unease.

With the departure of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, the future of the United States' "pivot" to Asia has been called into question. While initial perceptions of Secretary Kerry’s priorities led some to worry that a policy shift might ensue, Dr. Ely Ratner argues that the Obama Administration remains deeply committed to the Asia rebalancing.

At this month's BRICS summit in Durban, the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa will set ambitious goals. But, given the obstacles to cooperation – from mutual distrust to disparate interests – that exist among them, they are more likely to achieve their goals individually.

As China’s new leadership appears to be be making efforts to dial down tensions with Japan over the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku islands, could a war between China and Japan be inadvertently sparked by a maritime accident?

With the end of the National People’s Congress, Dan Steinbock writes that China should expect economic and financial reforms, international recalibration, and gradual political transition. Xi jinping and Li Keqiang must also balance regional interests to fulfill the “Chinese Dream.”

The fact that Xi Jinping's first foreign visit as China's president will be to Russia is symbolic. Russia is, of course, a neighbor across a 4,355-km-long border. It is also an important source of raw materials and military technology for China.

In his closing address to the 12th NPC, Xi Jinping stated, “The Chinese dream, after all, is the dream of the people.” As Xiong Lei notes, China’s richest resource is its 1.3 billion people and their collective dreams, which are vital for China’s national rejuvenation and to provide a prosperous life for all of its citizens.

Despite high tensions and risks between China and Japan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, finding the way out may lead to constructing a new U.S.-China-Japan geopolitical order with better prospects for maintaining regional peace and security.

The atmospherics surrounding Xi Jinping’s coming trip to Russia – his first visit to a foreign country as China’s new president – recall a Soviet slogan from the late 1950’s: “Russia-China, Friendship Forever.” Fortunately for both sides, the slogan appears more valid now than it was then.

While tensions on the Korean Peninsula have gained widespread attention, Ted Galen Carpenter posits that the greater threat to stability comes from territorial disputes between Japan, China and Taiwan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands.