United States

Australia

Japan

South Korea

Taiwan

Military & Security

Around 40% of U.S. naval vessels ready for operations are currently in the Middle East, including one carrier and six destroyers that are normally based in the Pacific, according to a March 3 Reuters report.

Indo-Pacific: Regional Armament Concerns Grow Amid U.S.-Iran Conflict

China

Economics

Politics

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Japan will deploy its domestically produced Type-03 Chu-SAM medium-range surface-to-air defense missile system to the island of Yonaguni in March 2031, Channel News Asia reported on Feb. 24. 

Japan, Taiwan: Tokyo Sets 2031 Timeline for Missile Deployment on Yonaguni 

China's Ministry of Commerce placed 20 Japanese entities on a full export control list and 20 others on a new watchlist, thereby restricting or conditioning exports of dual use goods, Nikkei Asia reported on Feb. 24.

China, Japan: Beijing Slaps More Export Controls on Tokyo

U.S.-China Relations

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt on Feb. 18 declined to comment on a reporter's question about U.S. President Donald Trump's claim on Feb. 16 that he had talked to Chinese President Xi Jinping about arms sales to Taiwan and that they would make a determination on the matter soon, the South China Morning Post reported on Feb. 19. 

U.S., Taiwan, China: Trump Considering Delaying Arms Sales to Taiwan

The United States and Taiwan signed the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade in Washington on Feb. 12, solidifying U.S. tariffs on Taiwanese goods at 15% and offering most favored nation-level tariffs for 2,072 Taiwanese goods, the Taipei Times reported the next day. 

Taiwan, U.S.: Trade Deal Signed, Must Pass Taipei's Skeptical Legislature

Taiwan's defense ministry said it will ask the United States to extend deadlines for signing several arms purchase agreements because parliament has still not approved the required funding, Reuters reports Feb. 6.

Taiwan, U.S.: Taipei Seeks Extension for U.S. Arms Deal

Deputy Chairman Hsiao Hsu-tsen of Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang (KMT) met with Director Song Tao of China's Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing on Feb. 3 to revive party-to-party talks that ended in 2016, the Taipei Times reported.

Taiwan: KMT Revives Dialogue With Chinese Communist Party

Taiwan's legislature sent a $13 billion supplemental defense budget proposed by the opposition Taiwan People's Party to committee for review, with the new bill a slimmed-down version of the $40 billion budget proposed by President William Lai that the committee has refused to review 10 times, the Taipei Times reported on Jan. 30.

Taiwan, U.S.: Opposition Efforts Unlikely To Sate Washington's Demands on Defense, Trade

Assessments

A video interview of Taiwanese President William Lai plays onstage during The New York Times DealBook Summit 2025 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Dec. 3, 2025, in New York City.

President Lai's political disputes with the legislature are unlikely to ease anytime soon, which could disrupt U.S. trade and arms deals and/or jeopardize future opportunities for diplomatic engagement with China.

Taiwan's Political Dysfunction Goes Global

Snapshots

Zhang Youxia, senior vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), attends the opening of the fourth plenary session of the National People's Congress on March 11, 2023, in Beijing, China. 

The removal of Xi's closest military ally signals an acceleration of his push to eliminate internal threats and heightens uncertainty about the president's decision-making on Taiwan, potentially raising the risk of future conflict.

China's High-Level Military Purge Raises Risk of a Miscalculation on Taiwan

Venezuela

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil (left) attend a meeting in Beijing on May 12, 2025.

Global Trade

U.S. pressure on the new Venezuelan government will briefly cool China's engagement in Latin America and could renew trade tensions with Washington, though Maduro's removal is unlikely to affect China's calculus regarding Taiwan.

Assessing China's Response to the U.S. Capture of Venezuela's Maduro

Nigeria

Colombia

Cuba

Mexico

Greenland

Iran

Israel

Europe

Norway

Ukraine

Russia

India

Pakistan

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Social Issues

U.S.-Iran Relations

Science & Technology

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2026 highlights high-impact, low-probability risks and trends from the annual forecast presented in more extreme terms.

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2026

Columns

On Geopolitics

Taiwanese President William Lai (center), flanked by other top officials in his government, discusses plans to propose a $40 billion supplemental defense budget during a news conference in Taipei on Nov. 26, 2025.

The 2025 Taiwan National Defense Report reflects Taipei's growing intent and tactical capabilities for deterrence by denial against a Chinese invasion, but it also highlights persistent challenges that contribute to a continually rising risk of conflict through 2028.

Taiwan Report Highlights Evolving Security Orientation

Thailand

Germany

France

United Kingdom

The Maanshan nuclear power plant is seen next to a beach in Pingtung, in southern Taiwan, on April 29, 2025.

Energy

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Iran Meets With European Powers, Taiwan Holds a Nuclear Referendum

A voter leaves a booth during voting for the recall election at a polling station in Taipei, Taiwan, on July 26, 2025. 

Its victory in the recall votes will embolden the opposition KMT to press on with controversial reforms and defense spending cuts, but it will also help prevent a near-term escalation of cross-strait tensions.

A Failed Recall Emboldens Taiwan's Opposition

Canada

Cambodia

A Cambodian soldier stands on a truck with a rocket launcher in Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, which borders Thailand, on July 25, 2025. 

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. Tariff Deadline Passes, Thai-Cambodian Border Tensions Persist

A photo taken on Feb. 21, 2025, shows Subaru vehicles bound for shipment at a port in Yokohama, Japan. 

The deal is a win for Japan's economy and its ruling party, but it may hasten Prime Minister Ishiba's exit. It will also help South Korea and Taiwan secure their own U.S. trade deals.

U.S. Trade Deal Is a Mixed Victory for Japan, a Template for Regional Partners

Taiwanese lawmakers prepare to vote on reconsidering controversial bills in Taipei, Taiwan, on June 21, 2024. 

Political infighting since the president's inauguration has impeded Taiwan's efforts to bolster military spending and has prompted Chinese military and economic retaliation, which could eventually imperil U.S. trade and arms deals.

After One Year Under Lai, Taiwan's Political Dysfunction Shows Little Sign of Easing

South Africa

Portugal

Poland

Romania

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on May 21 during an official trip to the United States.

The Weekly Rundown: South Africa's U.S. Reset, Three European Elections

Taiwan's President Lai inspects troops taking part in the Rapid Response Exercise at the Songshan military airbase in Taipei on March 21, 2025.

Lai's policies to defend sovereignty and curb Chinese influence are prompting greater coercive pressure from Beijing.

In Taiwan, President Lai's Actions Toward China Will Speak Louder Than His Words

Taiwan is located along a sea lane in the West Pacific, with the East China Sea to the north, the Philippine Sea to the east and the South China Sea to the south. The island is 180 kilometers off the southeastern coast of mainland China, across the Taiwan Strait. The strait has allowed for communication with the mainland since ancient times, but has also forced the island to confront the mainland's unrelenting attempts to reclaim it.    Taiwan consists of two geographic and population cores. The first is the Chianan Plain in the southwestern region, home to Taiwan's earliest civilizations and the island's second-largest city, Kaohsiung. The second is Taipei Basin, home to the island's capital, Taipei. These two cores are separated by rugged mountains and over several centuries have developed their own distinct social patterns and economic structures. The presence of mainlanders, who have been crossing the strait since the 17th century, further compounds the island's socio-political divides.    Taiwan's crucial strategic position has put it at the center of regional geopolitical competition for centuries. In the 17th century it was controlled by various European colonial powers, and up until World War II, it switched hands between the Chinese empire and Japanese rulers. Taiwan was the extended battleground of the Chinese Civil War in the mid-1940s and only established itself as an independent, unified polity in 1945. Today, it remains a focal point of power struggles between China, Japan and the United States. The island's primary geographic challenge is to avoid being dominated by external powers while securing a maritime buffer. Both these goals are challenged by China, which is expanding its maritime ambitions in the East and South China seas and remains fixated on eventual national reunification.

SITUATION REPORTS

Indo-Pacific: Regional Armament Concerns Grow Amid U.S.-Iran Conflict

Japan, Taiwan: Tokyo Sets 2031 Timeline for Missile Deployment on Yonaguni

China, Japan: Beijing Slaps More Export Controls on Tokyo

U.S., Taiwan, China: Trump Considering Delaying Arms Sales to Taiwan

Taiwan, U.S.: Trade Deal Signed, Must Pass Taipei's Skeptical Legislature

Taiwan, U.S.: Taipei Seeks Extension for U.S. Arms Deal

Taiwan: KMT Revives Dialogue With Chinese Communist Party

Taiwan, U.S.: Opposition Efforts Unlikely To Sate Washington's Demands on Defense, Trade

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