"A June 2026 report by the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) shows low South Korean confidence in US commitment, while also showing high support (70% as of 2024) for having nuclear weapons." asiatimes.com/2026/10/sout...

South Korea's hypersonic leap runs into North Korea's nuclear wall - Asia Times

South Korea's maiden flight test of a domestic hypersonic glide vehicle highlights an accelerating bid to field counterstrike assets capable of bolstering

asiatimes.com

NBR nonresident fellow K. Tristan Tang coauthored a commentary in @thediplomat.com on Taiwan's military preparedness: thediplomat.com/2026/10/miss...

Missing the Forest for the Trees in Taiwan’s Defense Preparations

Beyond exercises and equipment, strategic developments in Taiwan’s military preparedness are being overlooked.

thediplomat.com

NBR nonresident fellow Kei Koga @k-since2024.bsky.social is quoted in CNBC on the retreat of Japanese companies from China: www.cnbc.com/2026/10/05/j...

‘Unwelcome and unsafe’: Why Japanese companies are retreating from China at a historic rate

Japanese companies are leaving China at record pace, as a diplomatic freeze and a slowing economy force businesses to reassess their presence.

cnbc.com

NBR nonresident fellow Lev Nachman (@lnachman32.bsky.social) writes on Taiwan's upcoming local elections in the Diplomat : thediplomat.com/2026/10/taiw...

Taiwan’s Local Elections Are Not About China, President Lai, or the United States

Candidates across Taiwan are campaigning on local issues that vary by city – not topics like cross-strait relations. What can we learn from these elections?

thediplomat.com

NBR will offer its next executive education course on China’s PLA on Dec 1–3. The course is tailored to meet the needs of military and civilian practitioners, industry leaders, and research professionals working on China-related security issues. bit.ly/4AxRzRX

M. Waffaa Kharisma argues that Indonesia’s next generation of political leaders and their views on foreign politics will be increasingly defined by a growing acceptance of the need for strategic resilience and autonomy in a volatile global order. nbr.org/publication/... #Indonesia

Leonard C. Sebastian and Nauval El Ghifari argue that Indonesia’s emerging generation of political leaders is less tolerant of ambiguity that lacks results and that it is beginning to reshape the terms under which strategic autonomy is practiced. nbr.org/publication/...

"In a reshuffle, Prabowo named Indonesia's former permanent representative to ‌the United Nations in New York, Arrmanatha Nasir, as the new foreign minister, with the outgoing Sugiono appointed coordinating minister for human development." www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

Indonesia's Prabowo appoints new foreign minister

Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto replaced his foreign minister with a career diplomat on Thursday, his second senior cabinet change ​in less than three weeks.

reuters.com

"Today, regrettably, there hardly exist any meaningful and institutionalized channels between the two governments and security establishments. Thus the relationship remains intrinsically unstable," writes NBR advisor David Shambaugh in China-U.S. Focus: www.chinausfocus.com/foreign-poli...

A Turning Point? Rebuilding the U.S.-China Relationship

The May and September reciprocal state visits by U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping have seemingly succeeded in cementing warm personal ties between the two leaders while sta...

chinausfocus.com

NBR will offer its next executive education course on China’s People's Liberation Army on Dec 1–3. The course is tailored to meet the needs of military and civilian practitioners, industry leaders, and research professionals working on China-related security issues. Learn more/apply! bit.ly/4AxRzRX

Mendee Jargalsaikhan provides background on the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, considers how it differs from China’s other major economic corridors, and discusses the impact on Mongolia and its relationship with China. strategicspace.nbr.org/the-china-mo... #China #Mongolia #Russia

NBR is pleased to announce the 2026–27 Japan-U.S. Cyber Policy Fellows: Kyosuke Kitaichi, Yuki Kurihara, Rintaro Nishimura, Takaya Shibagaki, and Kanna Yoshioka. Check out their bios and learn more about the fellowship! www.nbr.org/japan-u-s-cy...

Bates Gill: "I think President Trump's greatest interest in having this meeting is simply to sort of demonstrate that he can have high-level summitry with countries that he obviously respects or believes to be near co-equals." www.africanews.com/amp/2026/09/...

NBR nonresident fellow Husan Chahal was quoted in a New York Times story on attitudes toward #artificialintelligence of people in countries across the globe as measured by Gallup polls. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/23/w...

Outside the ‘Worried West,’ Many Feel Good About A.I.

A Gallup poll found that a majority of people surveyed across 37 countries said they were curious or excited about artificial intelligence, more than scared or worried.

nytimes.com

Lucy Best offers background on #Taiwan’s upcoming November 28 elections, which will determine more than 11,000 local executive and legislative offices, and identifies contests to watch and dynamics that shape local races and those that drive national elections: www.nbr.org/publication/...

NBR senior advisor Aaron Friedberg is interviewed on this week's Trump-Xi summit, the perspectives and objectives of China's leadership, U.S.-China relations, and China's economy: www.youtube.com/live/RvGCPWO...

China | Studio 2 from WHYY | 9/23/26

YouTube video by WHYY

youtube.com

"On Oct. 1, the Air Force will eliminate all 10 civilian positions at the China Aerospace Studies Institute, the Air University center that publishes unclassified research on the People’s Liberation Army’s air, space and missile forces." www.defensenews.com/air/2026/09/...

Air Force, civilian staff dispute status of China Aerospace Studies Institute

CASI's director said the move will effectively end the institute, even as the service says CASI’s mission will continue.

defensenews.com

@rollandnadege.bsky.social was interviewed by Voice of America Chinese, discussing #XiJinping's absence from the UN General Assembly in New York and Beijing's priorities for the U.S.-China bilateral relationship heading into the Trump-Xi summit in Washington, DC: www.voachinese.com/a/xi-skips-u...

习近平缺席联大专赴华盛顿，北京凸显对美关系优先

当世界各国领导人本周齐聚纽约参加第81届联合国大会高级别周时，中国国家主席习近平将不会出席一般性辩论，而是前往华盛顿与美国总统特朗普举行峰会。中国政府星期二(9月22日)宣布，中国国家副主席韩正将代表中国赴纽约出席联大一般性辩论。 这一安排凸显出北京同时运作的两个外交层次：韩正在联合国继续宣传中国对多边主义、发展和全球治理的立场，而习近平本人则把最高层外交重心放在处理对北京最具战略影响的双边关系-...

voachinese.com

“The challenge is that there’s some really significant disagreements on how to manage those risks, and whether AI governance can be separated from the broader strategic U.S.-China competition.” | NBR advisor Alison Szalwinski @aliszali.bsky.social www.abc27.com/news/top-sto...

AI fears burst onto Trump-Xi agenda, but challenges abound

Apocalyptic warnings about the danger of uncontrolled artificial intelligence are adding new urgency to talks between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping set for next week.  Trump…

abc27.com

In a new Q&A with NBR, Marc Mealy (executive vice president and chief policy officer, US-ASEAN Business Council) discusses how the lead-up to #APEC 2027 has been shaped by intensifying geopolitical and economic competition and how #Vietnam will use its platform as host: www.nbr.org/publication/...

Commentary by NBR advisor David Shambaugh on the upcoming Trump-Xi summit in China-US Focus : "The central challenge (and likely outcome) of this summit is to continue to project a new normalcy in bilateral relations." www.chinausfocus.com/foreign-poli...

Low Expectations for the Trump-Xi Summit in Washington

The upcoming Trump-Xi summit may yield few concrete breakthroughs, with much about both the substance and presentation of the meeting still uncertain. Maintaining the relative stability achieved at th...

chinausfocus.com

Nadege Rolland (@rollandnadege.bsky.social), distinguished fellow for China studies at NBR, was interviewed by French newspaper Le Monde for an OSINT investigation on drones in the Russia-Ukraine war and China’s role in supplying both sides. (Facebook reel) www.facebook.com/share/v/1FNv...

“Korea, possessing manufacturing capabilities and needing to diversify its markets and supply chains, and the Central Asian nations, boasting abundant resources and growing markets, are ideal partners capable of unlocking each other's potential," Lee said www.koreajoongangdaily.com/korea/korea-...

Korea, Central Asia forge new supply chain partnership at Seoul summit

Leaders adopted the Seoul Declaration to expand cooperation on critical minerals, energy, trade, digital technology and investment.

koreajoongangdaily.com

"Conceived in 1997, the 500km China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway will offer the shortest land route from China to the Middle East and Europe" www.scmp.com/news/china/d...

China marks major tunnel milestone for Central Asia railway bypassing Russia

Conceived in 1997, the 500km China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway will offer the shortest land route from China to the Middle East and Europe.

scmp.com

Gary Clyde Hufbauer and Ye Zhang examine how #foreigndirectinvestment changed from propelling world economic growth between 1980 and 2010 to being altered in character and held back in expansion since the 2008–10 global #financialcrisis: www.nbr.org/publication/...

Geoffrey Macdonald examines the overlap in the foreign policy visions of the 3 parties that currently dominate Bangladeshi politics and the domestic and international factors shaping the worldview of #Bangladesh’s next generation of leaders: www.nbr.org/publication/...

"In a big statement...India rejected the so-called Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission that was operationalised earlier today in Islamabad and reiterated that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are 'inalienable' parts of India" www.ndtv.com/world-news/i...

"The fast-paced development of #AI technology means both are struggling to keep up, resulting in #China and the United States continuously adapting their regulations in response to each other’s policy innovations." | Kendra Schaefer www.nbr.org/publication/...

"India has taken a more cautious approach, seeing Brics as a bridge between the west and the developing world. Saturday’s talks began with an address by Modi, who said Brics was 'not against anyone'." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...

Xi Jinping gets red carpet at Brics summit amid thaw in India-China relations

Chinese president’s arrival in Delhi seen as step towards reconciliation after deadly 2020 military clash

theguardian.com

"China’s armed forces will get every possible resource from the home front if needed during a war, according to a change in the law to take effect in October." bit.ly/4rf8DrN

China changes law to mobilize all resources in case of conflict. Should neighbors worry?

China’s military will get every possible resource from the home front if needed during a war, according to a change in the law to take effect in October.

bit.ly