
South Korea's Defense Minister Wants Nuclear Weapons. Washington Says No.
Seoul's push for its own arsenal reflects deep doubts about US protection as North Korea expands its programme and Trump allies question alliances.
In-depth coverage of Asia-Pacific politics, security, economics, and the forces reshaping the world most populous region.

Seoul's push for its own arsenal reflects deep doubts about US protection as North Korea expands its programme and Trump allies question alliances.

Eight years after Bangkok promised to end trafficking in its fishing fleet, a new audit reveals 127,000 workers with no legal status and captains who still hold their papers.

Despite China's investment dominance in Central Asia, Uzbekistan is sending 85% of its crude through Russia's network—a Soviet-era infrastructure lock that Beijing's billions cannot break.

A sweeping audit reveals the true scale of off-balance-sheet borrowing by provinces and cities. The reckoning has begun.

In Vietnam's central coast, fishing communities are caught between Beijing's maritime militia and Hanoi's calculated silence. This is the cost of strategic patience.

After decades of ultra-loose policy, Japan's central bank is tightening — and the tremors are reaching every corner of the world economy.

Eighteen months after the Hasina government collapsed, Bangladesh's interim administration faces a choice: hold flawed elections soon, or delay democracy indefinitely.

As China dominates critical mineral supply chains, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan leverage their vast rare earth deposits to play Moscow, Beijing, and Washington against each other.