By Matthew P. Goodman & David A. Parker The Chinese economy has gotten off to a bumpy start in 2015. There are signs of a deepening slowdown, from lower-than-expected retail sales figures to an unexpected slide in employment. After 35…
By Ernest Z. Bower Yesterday in Arizona, the new U.S. defense secretary Ashton Carter delivered an important speech. He talked about trade and the urgent need for the United States and its partners to seize the initiative to conclude the…
By Phuong Nguyen When Communist Party of Vietnam general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong begins his high-profile visit to China on April 7, he will face the colossal task of getting Vietnam’s relations with both China and the United States right.…
This week we check in on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations and then explore how China’s leaders make economic policy. CSIS Scholl Chair Scott Miller joins to assess whether Congress will grant trade promotion to the executive branch and discuss…
By Phuong Nguyen A remarkable yet little-noticed development in the U.S. rebalance to the Asia Pacific has been Washington’s overtures to Laos, a country long isolated and often overlooked by U.S. officials. Shifts in geopolitical and regional economic trends in…
By Zhu Yihong Environmental issues in China are intertwined with the struggle within the energy sector, the back-and forth between the public and the authorities, and broad institutional reform. The recent case of Chai Jing and her film, “Under the…
This week we discuss the global reaction to the passing of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew with CSIS Sumitro Chair Senior Fellow Murray Hiebert. Hiebert describes Lee’s legacy, explains what Lee and the Singaporean people have accomplished, and assesses whether Singapore’s politics will be more…
This week we discuss the U.S. reaction to China’s new infrastructure bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Simon Chair Deputy Director Amy Studdart describes the bank’s origins, explains why Washington’s critique of its allies for joining AIIB has proven…
By Nigel Cory The United States’ effort to discourage allies from joining the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is counter-productive and has looked more tenuous after the United Kingdom decided to sign up. France, Germany, and Italy have since…
By Owen Jollie In January, Sri Lankan voters ousted former president Mahinda Rajapakse in favor of a candidate of the united opposition, Maithripala Sirisena. With this change Sri Lanka began moving away from a strong-handed government to a more democratic…