Malaysia’s chairmanship sought to fend off short-term challenges while laying the groundwork for minimizing ASEAN’s longer-term exposure to external stresses.
Elina Noor
An assessment of the impact of three major trends on the geopolitical environment of the Indo-Pacific region: intensifying strategic competition between China and the United States, growing pushback against globalization, and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Source: National Bureau of Asian Research
Strategic Asia 2021–22: Navigating Tumultuous Times in the Indo-Pacific assesses the impact of three major trends on the geopolitical environment of the Indo-Pacific region: intensifying strategic competition between China and the United States, growing pushback against globalization, and the Covid-19 pandemic. Each chapter examines how these challenges shape the security environment, grand strategy, and national and economic power for a country or in a region and analyzes the implications for U.S. interests.
Read the introduction by Ashley J. Tellis for free or order this book.
Ashley J. Tellis holds the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Research Director of the Strategic Asia Program at the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR).
Alison Szalwinski is vice president of research at NBR.
Michael Wills is executive vice president at NBR.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
Malaysia’s chairmanship sought to fend off short-term challenges while laying the groundwork for minimizing ASEAN’s longer-term exposure to external stresses.
Elina Noor
For Malaysia, the conjunction that works is “and” not “or” when it comes to the United States and China.
Elina Noor
ASEAN needs to determine how to balance perpetuating the benefits of technology cooperation with China while mitigating the risks of getting caught in the crosshairs of U.S.-China gamesmanship.
Elina Noor
In July 2025, Vietnam and China held their first joint army drill, a modest but symbolic move reflecting Hanoi’s strategic hedging amid U.S.–China rivalry.
Nguyễn Khắc Giang
Regulation, not embargo, allows Beijing to shape how other countries and firms adapt to its terms.
Alvin Camba