United States

India and China Re-engage at the SCO: A Signal of a Shifting Multipolar Order

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) 25th Summit in Tianjin, China, the image of Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Narendra Modi clasping hands captured a shifting geopolitical order. Once dismissed as a merely symbolic forum, the SCO is emerging as a platform for financial innovation, technological coordination, and diplomatic thaw—most notably between India and China. Its evolution signals a broader attempt to redefine the architecture of global governance.

Converging Interests of Europe and ASEAN in a (More) Multipolar Global Economy

The 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur took place amid rising geoeconomic uncertainty, reaffirming ASEAN’s commitment to rules-based trade and welcoming Timor-Leste as its 11th member. The meeting was overshadowed by US President Trump’s pursuit of bilateral deals with individual ASEAN states, exposing varying national vulnerabilities to US tariff measures and their economic fallout. In this context, the EU has a key opportunity to strengthen its role as a stable and predictable economic partner, underlineing the opportunity for a deeper ASEAN-EU partnership grounded in predictability, mutual benefit and in respect of ASEAN’s unique regional order.

EU-South Korea-Japan: Revitalizing Defence and Security Ties in a Changing Geopolitical Landscape

The global inter-state cooperation landscape is changing. In this regard, the geopolitical situation detonated by the outbreak of the war in Ukraine has produced two main areas of convergence between Europe and Northeast Asia. First, shifting geopolitical alliances and security challenges have fostered a renewed understanding of defence in all its facets in both regions. Second, thanks to their engagement through NATO and strengthened bilateral cooperation, the EU, Japan, and South Korea are also gaining momentum for enhanced trilateral security cooperation. In doing so, the three partners may be facing an array of challenges, but the opportunities for collaboration are present and continue to be growing.