VP Vance and family will visit India next week. www.indiatoday.in/india/story/...

North Korea has surprisingly become a major factor in Russia's war against Ukraine. "The majority of artillery shells used by Russian forces in Ukraine in 2024 were manufactured in North Korea..." kyivindependent.com/north-korean...

China's CPTTP bid is solely meant "to block Taipei's application," according to Taiwan's MOFA. Of course it is. focustaiwan.tw/politics/202...

"Indonesia won’t allow Russian planes to be stationed on its territory, Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles said following earlier reports that Moscow had requested permission to access a provincial base in the archipelago." www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Malaysian PM Anwar amid Xi visit: “We stand with the Chinese government, for the well-being of our people and for our national economic interests, as well as the overall development and stability of our country.” t.co/EMHPL5HuSm

“Manila voiced concerns on maritime incidents endangering its vessels in the West Philippine Sea during negotiations it hosted last week aimed at making progress on the ASEAN-China South China Sea code of conduct.” t.co/8GOPI1TGGn

"Vietnam will host [Chinese] DM Dong Jun for a military exchange next week, marking his second visit to the country in four months..." www.scmp.com/news/china/m...

"Influence" in global affairs is when one country can get another to do something in the first country's interest. Here's a good example. After threat of tariffs, Vietnam is preparing to crack down on Chinese goods being shipped to US via its territory. www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

"Taiwan is to be included in the first batch of trading partners to hold talks with Washington, President Lai Ching-te said on Friday, as his economy minister said the island could import over $200 billion worth of U.S. goods, much of it in energy." www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

Trump once again questions the utility of the US-Japan alliance, this time amid trade talks. english.kyodonews.net/news/2025/04...

"Washington must recognize that Beijing’s military expansion in the Indian Ocean poses a long-term risk to the interests of the US and its partners...A central goal of a new US strategy for the Indian Ocean should be building collective military power." www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

"Southeast Asian leaders, their export-driven economies in peril, are trying to placate the president. 'We may have to comply,' Thailand’s finance minister said." www.nytimes.com/2025/04/10/w...

"[Japanese PM] Ishiba’s peaceful approach faces scrutiny at home, with leaders of opposition parties and even some of his own LDP colleagues criticizing him for being too weak while calling for a more muscular response to the Trump tariffs." www.japantimes.co.jp/business/202...

Trump on South Korea's response to tariffs: "We have the confines and probability of a great DEAL for both countries. Their top TEAM is on a plane heading to the U.S., and things are looking good." www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

Russia invited Modi to attend the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on May 9, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/russia...

India-Russia relations keep humming along. economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy...

Trump tariff response. "Planned US tariffs could reduce Indonesia's potential growth by 0.3 to 0.5 percentage points, but a 90-day pause in implementing the levies allows time to discuss solutions, Indonesia's finance minister told Reuters on Thursday." www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indones...

"South Korea's top trade envoy Cheong In-kyo said on Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff reprieve had provided room for negotiations, as the country seeks to reduce tariffs through talks." www.reuters.com/world/south-...

"A Bangladesh court on Thursday issued a fresh arrest warrant against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her daughter Saima Wajed Putul, and 17 others in connection with a graft case involving alleged fraudulent acquisition of a residential plot." indianexpress.com/article/worl...

Palau still has faith in America's position in the Pacific Islands region. www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

Jaishankar says India-China ties are now "much better than before." timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/eam-ja...

"Taiwan state-backed bodies could over the next decade buy an extra $200 billion from the United States and bump up the percentage of LNG it gets from the county by one-third to help narrow the trade deficit, the economy minister said on Thursday." www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

According to the Acting ASD for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, the Pentagon is "working to prioritize our security systems to Taiwan." www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/a...

"DPP legislators yesterday warned that a KMT proposal to create a 'free-trade zone' on outlying islands could undermine Taiwan’s efforts to create a “non-red supply chain” by opening a “back door” for Chinese companies evading US tariffs." www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/...

"Pakistan is stepping up efforts to reset ties with Bangladesh amid growing Chinese influence in the region." www.indiatoday.in/world/story/...

Bonhomie of Modi-Yunus meeting now feels like forever ago. "India has revoked a key transit facility for Bangladeshi exports via its territory, days after Dhaka's interim leader Muhammad Yunus pitched for China's economic entry into India's Northeast." www.indiatoday.in/india/story/...

Senior Trump admin officials will visit Bangladesh for the first time next week. www.daily-sun.com/post/799471

Acting South Korean president on possible China-Japan-ROK trilateral trade group: "I don't think that kind of fighting back will improve the situation dramatically...We will not take that route." Bilateral negotiations with Trump admin instead. en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2025...

INDOPACOM Commander: "USAID aid is under review, and I'll be advocating most strongly for that aid for all of the countries, and the Coast Guard provides a critical role in the South Pacific...the PRC sees these opportunities, and they seize them." www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...

"Taiwan hopes that it can come to a quick agreement with the United States to resolve tariffs and has already approached Washington to discuss the issue, a senior Taiwanese official said on Wednesday." www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

"The United States will 'take back' the Panama Canal from Chinese influence, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday during a visit to the Central American nation." www.reuters.com/world/americ...

Trump tariff responses. Vietnam won’t be bullied. “While the US stands as Việt Nam's most important export market, it is by no means the only one, with several other key markets also playing a crucial role, he affirmed.” vietnamnews.vn/politics-law...

China just approved construction of what will become the world's largest hydroelectric dam, crossing the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet. The problem? That same river becomes the Brahmaputra and may severely impact downstream nations India and Bangladesh. theconversation.com/china-plans-...

Vietnam doesn't want this outcome and will strenuously oppose relying too heavily on neither China nor the US. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

I doubt China can replicate USAID's work in the Pacific Islands region, especially within the coming months, but it is already trying to do just that. www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202504/08/...

"India and China should stand together to overcome difficulties in the face of tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump's administration, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India said on Tuesday." www.ndtv.com/world-news/i...

Since the financial crisis in 2008, China has assessed that the US has been in decline. And now, under Trump, that process is speeding up, from Beijing's perspective. www.scmp.com/news/china/m...

Trump tariff results. "Vietnam will buy more American goods, including defence and security products, and has asked for a 45-day delay in the imposition of U.S. tariffs, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said in a statement issued late on Monday." www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

South Korea will have a new president soon. Snap election set for June 3rd. www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

Bangladesh and Pakistan are fast becoming good friends, probably to India's detriment. Pakistani FM is set to make her maiden visit to Dhaka. www.wionews.com/south-asia/t...

Bangladesh may let China build an air base in Lalmonrihat district right near India's Siliguri Corridor ("Chicken Neck")--an incredibly sensitive region for New Delhi that, if cut off, could detach India's northeast states from the rest of the nation. economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence...

"China said Tuesday it would 'fight to the end' and take countermeasures against the United States to safeguard its own interests after President Donald Trump threatened an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports." apnews.com/article/chin...

Tariff responses, Pakistan edition. "The federal government has decided to initiate talks with the Trump administration regarding the 29% tariff imposed on Pakistani products by the United States..." tribune.com.pk/story/253843...

"Many in Hanoi had reckoned that tariffs were coming, but the scale of Mr Trump’s punishment has come as a shock. The Ho Chi Minh stock index fell by 7% after the announcement, the biggest daily drop in over two decades." www.economist.com/asia/2025/04...

"A Chinese coast guard vessel blocked a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) patrol ship near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal on Sunday, causing a near collision, in the latest flare-up of tensions over the disputed waters." www.inquirer.net/435320/chine...

Lai: "Taiwan has no plans to take retaliatory tariff action in response to the United States' 'reciprocal tariffs.' Investments by Taiwanese companies in the U.S. will also proceed without any changes, as long as they align with our national interests." focustaiwan.tw/politics/202...

"New Zealand said on Monday it would boost defence spending by NZ$9 billion ($5 billion) over the next four years, and aim to nearly double spending to 2% as a share of GDP in the next eight years, at a time of rapidly growing tension worldwide." www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Trump tariff responses. "Bangladesh has urged the United States to delay imposition of 37% tariff on imports from the South Asian country for three months." www.livemint.com/news/world/b...

One day after Cambodia's Ream Naval base expansion area is inaugurated, China and Cambodia hold naval exercises there. www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/china-h...

“Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te on Sunday offered zero tariffs as the basis for talks with the U.S., pledging to remove trade barriers rather than imposing reciprocal measures and saying Taiwanese companies will raise their U.S. investments.” www.reuters.com/world/taiwan...