Relations between Tokyo and Seoul have always been somewhat frosty, but recent developments are accentuating the animosity. Obama administration officials continue to press Seoul and Tokyo to resolve their differences on the Dokdo/Takeshima dispute, the comfort women issue, and other grievances. A comprehensive reconciliation between Seoul and Tokyo, U.S. leaders believe, is imperative to facilitate meaningful trilateral cooperation to deal with North Korea’s threatening behavior and China’s looming presence in the region.

Andrew Small’s new book on China-Pakistan relations is a very significant new revelation on a relationship that has been primarily strategic and military-based since its beginnings. The Karakoram Highway, which connects the two countries, has very little economic value and increasingly “Talibinization” has become a concern for Beijing, which may see its ally as a strategic counter to India’s eminence.

From Beijing to Washington, those observing events in Central Asia knew that 2014 serves as a pivotal year. Stemming largely from the drawdown of the Internatio

In 2015, ASEAN will continue to pursue its priority objective of creating an ASEAN community. As China sees it, the creation of a China-ASEAN community with a shared destiny now stands at a new historical starting point. China will advance and be proactive in its diplomacy. What will ASEAN choose?

Chen Xiangyang presents a comprehensive overview of the successful highlights of Chinese diplomacy in 2014, focusing on: 1) Xi’s refreshing diplomatic strategies; 2) diplomatic progress with major countries; 3) periphery diplomacy’s steady progress in both crisis control and rights preservation; 4) proactive “home court diplomacy”; 5) economic diplomacy; and 6) its role as a “responsible major country” in dealing with global challenges.

Speaking at the recent Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs, Xi Jinping spelled out China’s new foreign-policy vision, which many have characterized as a diplomatic manifesto to secure the “Chinese dream”.

Analyzing the six major players in the Asia-Pacific, Chen Xian yang discusses four aspects of new developments in the region.

How can Beijing manage relations with both the United States and its regional neighbors in the Asia-Pacific? Shi Yinhong examines China’s foreign policy and offers insight into both US-China relations and China’s relationship with other Asian nations.

China must forge partnerships with strategic pivots, or nations with which it has stable relations, to extend its influence.