On the chessboard of the South China Sea, spectators have turned into players and the game is expanding, writes Zhai Kun.

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.

After half a century of isolation, Myanmar’s seeks to sustain its reform momentum. It is a challenging balancing act amidst Chinese rebalancing and America’s pivot to Southeast Asia.

Regional tensions in Asia have precipitously increased as disputes in the South China Sea continue to grow. While Zhai Kun notes that the current escalation is controllable, future conflicts cannot be ruled out.

Through an historical review of China’s various concepts of security, Zhai Kun formulates what should be the next version of China’s concept of security and delineates three key aspects of the new concept.

As time has progressed, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have proven to be enduring, and quite relevant. In addition to promoting this thesis, Yu Sui analyzes the various facets that make the Five Principles so appealing, as well as the opposition its proponents face.

Given the outcome of the recent Indian election, Ma Jiali discusses the implications of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership on Sino-Indian relations. Moreover, Jiali asserts that a logical step in Modi’s plan of reform is to strengthen ties with China. Jilai states that, due to China’s commitment to Sino-Indian relations in the past, a Sino-Indian partnership is indeed feasible.

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.

China’s 2014 “host diplomacy” provides the best opportunity for China to demonstrate its achievements in economic growth and its recent defense build-up, writes Jin Canrong and Kong Xihui.

As China’s foreign policy continues to develop, Shi Yinhong compares China’s previous policy priorities under President Hu Jintao with those of the current leadership, under President Xi Jinping, to determine what lies ahead.