By Sam Dantzler Last week’s Trump-Xi meeting in South Koreas was one of those diplomatic moments where the vibes and the substance didn’t totally match, but both administrations pretended they did. Both sides seemed to have a positive response and agreed that relations were headed in a more “stable” direction. Compared to the icy standoff... Continue Reading →
By Sam Dantzler On September 3, 2025, Beijing staged its largest military parade in years to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. President Xi Jinping presided over the event in Tiananmen Square, flanked by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un. The imagery was unmistakable: a carefully choreographed alignment of leaders who... Continue Reading →
By Lexi Dean China continues to assert control over the South China Sea where around one-third ofglobal shipping occurs. Amidst growing Chinese aggression in regional countries’exclusive economic zones, Indo-Pacific countries continue to step up efforts to combatthis. This past week, Taiwan’s coast guard detained a Chinese-linked ship after itstopped near an undersea communication cable that... Continue Reading →
By Lauren Ho Amidst the Philippine’s continued political unrest, concerns of a Chinese spy-ring are now plaguing the nation. On January 20, 2025 a Chinese national, Deng Yuanqing, was arrested by Philippine law enforcement under suspicion of spying on multiple Filipino military facilities. Deng was found to be a member of a spy ring that... Continue Reading →
By Lexi Dean The proliferation of scam operations and illegal cyber-ploys across Southeast Asia gave rise to a wave of concern back in 2023. This concern led to crackdowns on these operations, which have continued this week, as Thailand received over 250 victims of human trafficking from a Myanma militia who freed workers from scam... Continue Reading →
By John W. Parks Central Asia’s open doors have increasingly welcomed foreign investment over the decade. Though China throws large swaths of money at the region, the West (the U.S. and Europe) are not sitting the bench in this great game. Western interests and investments in Central Asia reflect the increasingly globalized nature of the... Continue Reading →
By Lauren Ho Thirty-one Maoist rebels were killed by Indian security forces on February 9, 2025 in Chhattisgarh. Beginning in the 1920s, India’s communist political movement has grown but it was not until the 60s did it experience its first armed uprising. As the movement grew, it was re-termed by the Indian government as Left-Wing... Continue Reading →
Sam Dantzler Following Election Day 2024 in the United States, China has braced for the impact of Trump 2.0. In the months between November 5th and Inauguration Day, Beijing’s leadership has been evaluating the outcome of Trump’s election and its implications on broader Chinese grand strategy. Trump’s first term was defined by aggressive diplomatic posturing... Continue Reading →
By: Sam Dantzler Early this week, the Hangzhou-based, Chinese startup, DeepSeek released its AI model causing a stir in the larger global tech industry. Historically, American tech firms have stayed at the forefront of the AI arms race. DeepSeek has disrupted this norm, however, as the company claims its model was developed more efficiently and... Continue Reading →
By: John W. Parks Following recent industrial trends, China has begun the expansion of an innovative market into the Central Asian region. Kazakh Invest, a nationalized investment company of Kazakhstan, signed agreements with two Chinese drone producers to build manufacturing hubs in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan. As of January 2025, Yesil Technology Company and... Continue Reading →
The Patterson Journal of International Affairs 