| In our latest update, we published a special report by Tanvi Kulkarni and Hree Putri Samudra examining how shifting China-US relations are reshaping the regional strategic landscape and how Asia-Pacific middle powers are navigating an increasingly complex major-power environment. We also feature a commentary by Gareth Evans, former Australian Foreign Minister, on the vital role of international law in constraining both the use and threat of use of nuclear weapons. Finally, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Frank O’Donnell as APLN’s new Research Program Head.
Our weekly roundup of member activities features analysis on the US-Saudi Arabia nuclear cooperation agreement, the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, the possibility of a Trump-Kim summit, and the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. |
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Managing Strategic Competition and Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific
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Tanvi Kulkarni, Senior Policy Fellow and Hree Putri Samudra, Policy Fellow, summarise key findings from the fourth Asia Dialogue on China-US relations convened in Kuala Lumpur in April 2026. The longstanding regional bargain of relying on China for economic prosperity and the United States for security is becoming harder to sustain. As US engagement grows more selective and China expands its regional security role, Asian states are not simply choosing sides. They are pursuing multi-alignment to preserve strategic autonomy, diversifying partnerships and building flexible coalitions to protect their agency. The report also challenges the assumption that Asian minilaterals primarily exist to balance China, revealing a more plural security architecture shaped by functional cooperation, resilience, and the determination of smaller states to resist major-power dominance.
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Nuclear Sanity: Recognising and Restoring the Salience of International Law
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Gareth Evans, former Australian Foreign Minister, highlights the urgent necessity of restoring the authority of international law to prevent existential nuclear catastrophe. As nuclear arms control weakens and respect for international law comes under growing pressure, the legal constraints on nuclear weapons risk losing their salience. He calls for renewed efforts to ensure that international law remains central to nuclear decision-making and continues to play its role in reducing nuclear risks.
This commentary is published simultaneously by Nautilus Institute here and in an abridged version by The Conversation here. |
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We are pleased to announce that Dr Frank O’Donnell has been appointed as our new Research Program Head. Frank has been an integral part of APLN’s research work, managing much of our research output, leading our work on the Asia Dialogue on China-US Relations and Advancing Nuclear Fail-Safe in the Asia-Pacific, and representing APLN in government-level discussions. He is a South Asia security specialist who brings extensive expertise in broader nuclear and conventional military issues, arms control and nonproliferation. We look forward to his continued contributions in this role and to further advancing APLN’s research and policy engagement in the years ahead.
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APLN has over 190 members from 26 countries in the Asia-Pacific.
Each week, we feature their latest contributions
to global and regional security debates.
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| Manpreet Sethi, APLN Senior Research Adviser, wrote for the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies on the US-Saudi nuclear cooperation agreement, pointing out that at a time when interest in nuclear energy as a low-carbon source of electricity is on the rise alongside growing interest in nuclear weapons, it is critical that nuclear suppliers strengthen responsible nuclear governance, rather than loosen it. |
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| Adil Sultan, Dean Faculty of Aerospace and Strategic Studies and Head of Department Defense and Strategic Studies, argues that the contradictory accounts of the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict expose weaknesses in India’s military command and control mechanisms, underscoring the urgent need for safeguards to prevent operational errors or miscalculation from triggering a nuclear crisis. |
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| Cheong Wook-sik, Director of the Hankyoreh Peace Institute and Director of the Peace Network, wrote for Hankyoreh and noted that a renewed Trump–Kim summit could mark a shift in US-DPRK relations away from denuclearisation toward peace and arms control, requiring South Korea to prepare for a changing strategic environment. |
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| Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, Resident Senior Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), wrote for ASPI and highlighted that the SCO’s growing regional role is constrained by internal rivalries and competing interests, particularly among China, Russia, and India, limiting its ability to become a meaningful alternative to Western-led institutions. |
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| C Uday Bhaskar, Director of the Society for Policy Studies (SPS), wrote for South Asia Monitor and argued that the SCO’s greatest achievement is preserving its relatively non-aligned character, while warning that this balance depends on India remaining a committed and clear-eyed stakeholder despite the regional constraints it faces. |
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