• How China’s EV makers left incumbent automakers in the dust: A story of specialization

    How China’s EV makers left incumbent automakers in the dust: A story of specialization

    In the rapidly evolving landscape of global automotive manufacturing, China’s electric vehicle (EV) sector has emerged as a testament to the power of specialized industrial organization. While traditional automakers in Germany and Japan struggle with declining market share, Chinese EV manufacturers have achieved remarkable success through a model of focused…

  • Reflecting on China’s One: Child Policy 45 Years Later

    Reflecting on China’s One: Child Policy 45 Years Later

    Born out of a legacy of extensive state planning, China’s one-child policy is regarded as the strictest family planning program in modern history. Formulated as an emergency measure to increase per capita living standards at its inception, the experiences of comparative countries provide strong evidence that the policy provided limited…

  • SEATO: The Tantalizing Promise of Nato’s Forgotten Counterpart in the Indo-Pacific

    SEATO: The Tantalizing Promise of Nato’s Forgotten Counterpart in the Indo-Pacific

    The past failures of SEATO highlight the challenges of forming regional alliances in Southeast Asia and demonstrate that economic cooperation are more viable than security partnerships like NATO. With a Trump 2.0 administration increasingly focusing on China and Southeast Asia in 2025, a look at the regional alliance structure of…

  • Trump’s Gaza Plan Sparks Outrage in Southeast Asia, Paving Way for Chinese Diplomatic Gains

    Trump’s Gaza Plan Sparks Outrage in Southeast Asia, Paving Way for Chinese Diplomatic Gains

    On February 4th, President Trump declared that the United States would “take over the Gaza strip,” and “own it.” The announcement, made at a White House press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sparked global shock and condemnation. Southeast Asian countries, several of which have sizable Muslim demographics, have…

  • Chinese Yuan Under Pressure Ahead of the National People’s Congress

    Chinese Yuan Under Pressure Ahead of the National People’s Congress

    China will confront a unique set of economic challenges in 2025. In the past two years, the world’s second largest economy saw a lukewarm COVID-19 recovery, a property crisis and a private business crackdown—all while facing an aging population crisis. Substantive monetary easing measures are expected from the upcoming National…