Asia

Asia's politics are shaped by China's weight, by the US alliances with Japan and South Korea, and by the pressure on smaller states to balance between the great powers. The standing conflicts include the confrontation across the Taiwan Strait, the standoff on the Korean Peninsula, the territorial and maritime disputes in the South China Sea and the contested borders of South Asia. Myanmar's civil conflict and the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia add to them. This page covers Asia's regions and countries, including China, India, Japan, Pakistan and South Korea: politics, conflicts and news, month by month.

Geopolitical tensions and standing conflicts: Asia

The disputes that keep coming back, from armed confrontation to economic and diplomatic rivalry, in which countries of this region take part or have a stake.

US-China economic and technological competition

The United States and China are in dispute over trade, technology, and economic influence. Washington seeks to limit China's access to advanced semiconductors and to protect its own industries and security. Beijing defends its measures as lawful and pursues technological self-reliance. Other governments and companies are drawn into the rivalry.

South Caucasus realignment

The South Caucasus is contested ground. Armenia and Azerbaijan dispute Nagorno-Karabakh and their shared border, while Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia remain unresolved. Russia, Turkey, Iran and Western powers compete for influence over the region's states, their alliances and their trade routes.

Korean Peninsula standoff

North Korea and South Korea remain divided, each claiming to be the legitimate government of all Korea. The United States backs the South, while China and Russia support the North. Talks over the North's nuclear weapons and a formal end to the conflict have stalled.