East Asia

East Asia

For more than seventy years, East Asia has been the nexus of US presence and engagement in Asia. Today, the region is becoming a hotbed for the return of great power competition, with long-term US allies and partners like Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan next door to competitors and challengers including China, Russia, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. While East Asia continues to navigate a number of longstanding traditional security issues, it must also address the rise of online disinformation, competition to pioneer emerging technologies, and more.

Explore
From manufacturing to AI, Thailand must reinvent its growth model

New Atlanticist Mar 31, 2025

Dispatch from Hong Kong: How the ‘geoeconomic city’ is weathering global headwinds

By Josh Lipsky, Ananya Kumar

From Chinese and US economic growth to stablecoin regulations, a recent visit to Hong Kong offered important insights for two Atlantic Council GeoEconomics Center experts.
China Digital Currencies
From manufacturing to AI, Thailand must reinvent its growth model

New Atlanticist Mar 25, 2025

Reading between the lines of Taiwan’s new Quadrennial Defense Review

By Kitsch Liao

The recently released Quadrennial Defense Review offers a window into the Taiwanese military’s issues with prioritization, operational readiness, and manpower retention.
China East Asia
From manufacturing to AI, Thailand must reinvent its growth model

Report Mar 24, 2025

How Beijing uses inducements as a tool of economic statecraft

By William Piekos

As strategic competition between the United States and China intensifies, Washington and Beijing seek every possible advantage to gain an edge. In this environment, both countries are increasingly turning to economic statecraft—the use of economic coercion or inducement to pursue strategic goals—to advance their interests.
China Economy & Business

Programs

The Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s Indo-Pacific Security Initiative equips the transatlantic community to “pivot” to the Asia-Pacific and to position the Atlantic Council to serve as the essential link between high-level transatlantic and Asian leaders and thinkers

EXPLORE THE Initiative

Content

Econographics

Aug 21, 2026

From manufacturing to AI, Thailand must reinvent its growth model

By Amin Mohseni-Cheraghlou

Thailand is at an economic crossroads. Slowing growth and rising structural pressures are exposing the limits of its manufacturing-led model. Can EVs, green industries, and AI drive its next phase of growth?

East Asia Economy & Business

In the News

Aug 21, 2026

Eftimiades interviewed on Restricted Handling on Chinese political influence campaigns

By Atlantic Council

On July 5, Forward Defense Nonresident Senior Fellow Nicholas Eftimiades was interviewed on the Restricted Handling podcast to discuss Chinese political influence campaigns and penetration of American critical infrastructure. He highlights the need for an American response strategy based on Beijing’s long-term intelligence strategy.

China Critical Infrastructure Policy

In the News

Aug 21, 2026

Eftimiades testified at the National Intelligence Enterprise Subcommittee of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

By Atlantic Council

On June 25, Forward Defense Nonresident Senior Fellow Nicholas Eftimiades testified in front of the National Intelligence Enterprise Subcommittee of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence as part of a roundtable on gray zone threats. He emphasized the scale of China’s penetration of American critical infrastructure and urged policymakers to develop a response strategy.

China Critical Infrastructure Policy

In the News

Aug 21, 2026

Eftimiades interviewed on Deterrence Down Under on countering Chinese covert influence operations

By Atlantic Council

On February 26, Forward Defense Nonresident Senior Fellow Nicholas Eftimiades was interviewed on Deterrence Down Under for a conversation about the organizational structure of the Chinese intelligence apparatus. He underscored the importance of a credible deterrence framework to respond to Chinese covert influence operations, particularly given increasing threats of economic and political interference.

China Indo-Pacific

In the News

Aug 21, 2026

Eftimiades interviewed on Restricted Handling on intelligence strategy in China

By Atlantic Council

On December 31, Forward Defense Nonresident Senior Fellow Nicholas Eftimiades was interviewed on the Restricted Handling podcast to discuss the history of China’s intelligence capabilities and how they have been met by American strategy. The conversation covers economic espionage, American vulnerabilities to foreign influence, and ways intelligence strategies can counter Chinese influence.

China Intelligence

In the News

Aug 21, 2026

Eftimiades interviewed on China Insider Podcast on Chinese intelligence operations

By Atlantic Council

On July 10, Forward Defense Nonresident Senior Fellow Nicholas Eftimiades was interviewed on the China Insider Podcast to discuss trends in Chinese Communist Party espionage. He highlighted an uptick in economic espionage and concerns around forms of intelligence collection efforts, and provided history around how China’s intelligence apparatus is constructed.

China Intelligence

In the News

Aug 21, 2026

Eftimiades interviewed on NTD Newsroom on Chinese shipment masking

By Atlantic Council

On August 15, Forward Defense Nonresident Senior Fellow Nicholas Eftimiades appeared on NTD Newsroom to discuss industrial-scale Chinese shipment masking. He highlighted a variety of methods used to mask shipments and argued that transshipment networks have grown after tariff increases. He also discussed China’s espionage tactics.

China Intelligence

Dispatches

Aug 19, 2026

The view from South Korea on Trump scaling back joint military exercises

By Atlantic Council experts

Seoul-based Atlantic Council experts weigh in on how US president’s decision to cut short military training is being viewed by the US ally.

Defense Policy Korea

Issue Brief

Aug 3, 2026

ASEAN-5 in an era of geoeconomic realignment: Opportunities and risks in a fragmenting global economy

By Amin Mohseni-Cheraghlou

ASEAN-5 is poised to become an increasingly important engine of global growth, supported by young populations, improving human capital, abundant resources, and deep integration into global supply chains. Yet fragmentation, trade tensions, climate risks, infrastructure gaps, and regulatory constraints could limit this potential, making coordinated reforms essential to securing resilient and sustained regional economic progress.

East Asia Economy & Business

Dispatches

Jul 29, 2026

ASEAN does not need decoupling. It needs coordinated resilience.

By Nik Foster

If the group of Southeast Asian nations does not craft its own path of economic resilience, then it will end up importing the industrial policies of its larger neighbors.

East Asia Economy & Business
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Experts

Fellow

Dakota Cary

Nonresident Fellow

Global China Hub

China Cybersecurity

Expert

Ji-Ting Chen

Visiting Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

China Freedom and Prosperity

Fellow

Sungmin Cho

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Indo-Pacific Security Initiative Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

China Defense Policy

Fellow

Julie Chon

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoEconomics Center

Americas China

Fellow

Victoria Chonn-Ching

Nonresident Fellow

Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

Americas China

Fellow

Chung-Yu Chou

Former Visiting Military Fellow

Indo-Pacific Security Initiative Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

China Conflict
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