The news of the passing of Mr. Tung Chee Hwa — former Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the first Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and Founding Chairman of the China-US Exchange Foundation — reached me on September 8. Although I knew that Mr. Tung was very ill for quite some time, yet I was sadly struck by this grievous news. With his departure, I have forever lost a respected leader, mentor and trusted friend. My mind is flooded with reflections on his contributions to think tank development, international exchange and national service, and I find myself unable to contain my grief while writing these lines to recall my days with him personally in the past 20 years.

The American president’s approach has been characterized by improvisation, contradictory messaging, lack of coherent strategic planning and no clear exit strategy. This has imposed significant political and economic costs and undermined U.S. standing and deterrence worldwide.

Revising Japan’s three non-nuclear principles would require far more than a simple adjustment to national security policy. It would concern Japan’s ultimate choice of national identity and could profoundly shape the future direction of the security architecture in Northeast Asia.

Over the past year, the war between Russia and Ukraine has evolved, extending into economic and social spheres and prompting a shift in the brokering of peace. This, in turn, has allowed strategic pressure to spill across theaters.

The upcoming BRICS summit offers India an opportunity to expand its diplomatic space in the Global South. With mounting geopolitical conflicts and disorder in global governance, the summit will allow BRICS countries to demonstrate their capacity for reshaping the international order.

China-ASEAN relations are shaped by deep economic integration but also by territorial disputes, competitive pressures and persistent public unease toward Beijin

The political shift in the United States is no historical accident. It’s the product of combined pressures arising from economic, social and ideological transformations and reflects profound changes taking place in the evolution of capitalism and the country’s domestic and foreign policies.

Britain's new prime minister, Andy Burnham, inherits a markedly different relationship with China than the "Golden Era" of a decade ago. To navigate growing U.S.-China rivalry while advancing British interests, the UK should pursue pragmatic engagement with China alongside stronger institutional coordination, economic resilience, and strategic diversification.

The recent G7 and NATO summits suggest that Europe is seeking not only to retain the initiative in shaping regional security but also to play a more active role in building an improved international order. In doing so, it has absorbed elements of Donald Trump’s transactional diplomacy.

The Iran conflict has accelerated the emergence of a more multipolar global order, compelling U.S. allies such as the Philippines to reassess their foreign policy priorities. Facing mounting energy and economic pressures, Manila is exploring greater engagement with China while pursuing a more independent, interest-driven approach to great power competition.