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Blue Economy, Strategic Seas: China’s Maritime Statecraft in Southeast Asia and Bay of Bengal — Blue Economy, Strategic Seas: China’s Maritime Statecraft in Southeast Asia and Bay of Bengal

This policy brief by Jessica C. Liao analyzes China’s evolution into a proactive maritime power, a transition central to its “Great Rejuvenation” and national security. She argues that beyond mitigating the “Malacca Dilemma,” Beijing seeks to establish a stable maritime order aligned with its strategic interests. The brief examines a dual-theater strategy that links China’s domestic “Blue Economy” with regional infrastructure development to promote maritime industrial and supply chain integration across Southeast Asia and the Bay of Bengal. While these initiatives expand Beijing’s influence, the intensification of assertive gray-zone activities in disputed waters has also triggered regional counter-balancing. Ultimately, Beijing employs normative rhetoric to position itself not merely as a participant in maritime governance but as a primary architect of frameworks that institutionalize its influence, argues Jessica C. Liao. Read the full issue brief here.

Geopolitical Speed Dating: Putin was in Beijing to keep Russia alive. He is increasingly dependent on China — Geopolitical Speed Dating: Putin was in Beijing to keep Russia alive. He is increasingly dependent on China

Xi Jinping received President Donald Trump and President V. Putin in quick succession. What was the reason for this high-level meeting between Xi and Trump, and between Xi and Putin? What impact does it have on global politics? Andrej Matišák of the Pravda Daily spoke to Jagannath Panda on this. See the English version of the interview. The Slovak version of the interview can also be accessed here. Jagannath Panda primarily says that Xi Jinping’s back-to-back diplomacy with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is less a coincidence of scheduling and more a carefully staged strategic arrangement.

The Rise of South Korea’s Defense Industry and Europe‑Korea Industrial Defense Cooperation: An Interview with Lt. Gen. (ret.) Chun In-bum — The Rise of South Korea’s Defense Industry and Europe‑Korea Industrial Defense Cooperation: An Interview with Lt. Gen. (ret.) Chun In-bum

Nerea Alvarez Aríztegui interviews Lieutenant General (Ret.) Chun In-bum, who is a decorated three-star war general from the Republic of Korea (ROK) Army and a distinguished military fellow at ISDP, to explore Seoul’s defense industry evolution, its position within a divided transatlantic alliance, and future areas of cooperation and growth alongside Europe: not just in a mere buyer-seller relationship, but as co-developers of industrial resilience. Chun In-bum, a retired three-star general of the South Korean Army, offers an insightful look beyond the current contracts and toward a long-term restructuring of global defense. Read this interview here.

China’s Global Initiatives: Limited Reach, Strategic Openings in the Indian Ocean — China’s Global Initiatives: Limited Reach, Strategic Openings in the Indian Ocean

Jiayi Zhou writes that the fragmentation of the global, multilateral order is visible even in the range of purportedly cooperative initiatives on offer by great powers, which represent competing and alternative systems, (counter-)narratives, and poles of influence. This includes several “global” initiatives that China has put forward over the past several years—the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI) among them. Intensified stakeholder competition limits the scope and impact of these initiatives, but also provides entry points for influence among smaller states. This is visible in the Indian Ocean Region, which has diverse local and extra-regional interests at play, and where China’s initiatives are one among a growing gamut of regional and extra-regional offerings for developmental and security partnerships, writes Zhou. She further writes that the main challenge will be to channel these competing economic, development, and security models towards a “race to the top” that enhances rather than erodes small-state development, security, and sovereignty. Read and download this brief here.

Afghanistan in China’s Extended CPEC 2.0 Strategy — Afghanistan in China’s Extended CPEC 2.0 Strategy

The May 2025 trilateral agreement between China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, formalizing the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into Afghan territory, marked what Beijing celebrated as a turning point in Central and South Asian geopolitics. Within five months, however, Pakistan and Afghanistan were exchanging artillery fire and airstrikes across their contested border. This policy brief by Ratish Mehta argues that Beijing’s reliance on economic statecraft as its primary instrument of regional engagement has proven insufficient for the political complexity it confronts. Beijing’s trilateral diplomacy produced agreements on paper while leaving untouched the ideological-military nexus that makes the Af-Pak border one of the most volatile frontiers in Asia, writes Mehta. Read and download this policy brief here.

The Hubris of the High-End: Why the West is Failing the Shahed Test — The Hubris of the High-End: Why the West is Failing the Shahed Test

Bastian Szepanski writes why the Western players must undergo a radical unlearning of their superpower status. He argues that the U.S. military-industrial complex is structurally geared toward the high-end, with procurement cycles measured in decades and budgets dominated by a handful of billion-dollar platforms. This structural bias has created a force that spends less than 0.5 percent of its defense budget on procuring ”precise mass” capabilities like loitering munitions. The result is a dangerous mismatch between threat and defense. Szepanski further writes that while adversaries like Iran and Russia focus on an industrial revolution of “precise mass”, fielding $30,000 Shahed drones that deliver strategic effects at an attritional scale, the United States remains anchored to a high-reliability, multi-million-dollar interceptor paradigm. Read this piece here.

What K-pop can teach about defense cooperation — What K-pop can teach about defense cooperation

In-bum Chun, a distinguished military fellow of the ISDP, writes that in Stockholm, creativity travels quietly. You will not see crowds gathering outside anonymous studios, yet inside them, Swedish songwriters have helped shape one of the most globally dominant cultural phenomena of the 21st century: K-pop. He further writes that the faces are Korean, the language is Korean, but much of the melodic architecture, the hooks, the rhythm, and the structure originates in Sweden. That same model of specialization, trust, and integration offers a useful analogy for how South Korea, Sweden, NATO, and the United States should think about defense cooperation in an era defined not by mass, but by complexity, writes Gen. Chun. Read this piece in UPI.com here.

Trump and Xi are playing cards. US and China do not want direct conflict, but will not back down. Andrej Matišák interviews Jagannath Panda in Pravda Daily — Trump and Xi are playing cards. US and China do not want direct conflict, but will not back down. Andrej Matišák interviews Jagannath Panda in Pravda Daily

Ahead of the crucial Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meeting, Andrej Matišák interviews Jagannath Panda for Pravda Daily. Panda says that the forthcoming engagement with Xi Jinping is less about conventional diplomacy and more about strategic bargaining shaped by trade, technology, and geopolitical leverage. Washington’s primary objective is to stabilize competition without surrendering strategic advantage. The United States increasingly views China not merely as a commercial rival but as a systemic challenger capable of reshaping global technology, supply chains, artificial intelligence, maritime security, and even international institutions, said Trump. He further says that Trump would likely seek tactical gains on tariffs, industrial overcapacity, fentanyl flows, and supply-chain dependence while simultaneously projecting American strength to domestic audiences and allies. Read the full interview here.

India-Sweden Strategic Compass: a bi-monthly newsletter, Vol.5, No.2, March-April 2026. — India-Sweden Strategic Compass: a bi-monthly newsletter, Vol.5, No.2, March-April 2026.

The latest issue of India-Sweden Strategic Compass, a bi-monthly newsletter of the Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs, is out. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Sweden marks an important step in strengthening the already cordial ties between India and Sweden. This visit is likely to deepen collaboration in sectors such as green technology, defense manufacturing, and digital transformation. Swedish companies have shown increasing interest in India’s growing market, while India benefits from Sweden’s expertise in research and innovation. Initiatives like joint research programs and startup partnerships can further boost economic engagement. Read the latest developments in India-Sweden, India-Nordic, and India-EU ties in this latest issue here.

Events »

10 Jun

ICES Annual Conference: EU-China Relations in an Era of Great Power Competition and Global Order Reconfiguration
Bruxelles
29 Jun

Digital Taiwan Lecture Series – Bridging Nordic Dual-Use Innovation and Taiwan’s Defense Ecosystem

Publications »

Geopolitical Speed Dating: Putin was in Beijing to keep Russia alive. He is increasingly dependent on China

Jagannath Panda

Blue Economy, Strategic Seas: China’s Maritime Statecraft in Southeast Asia and Bay of Bengal

Jessica C. Liao

The Rise of South Korea’s Defense Industry and Europe‑Korea Industrial Defense Cooperation: An Interview with Lt. Gen. (ret.) Chun In-bum

Nerea Alvarez Ariztegui and In-bum Chun

China’s Global Initiatives: Limited Reach, Strategic Openings in the Indian Ocean

Afghanistan in China’s Extended CPEC 2.0 Strategy

Trump and Xi are playing cards. US and China do not want direct conflict, but will not back down. Andrej Matišák interviews Jagannath Panda in Pravda Daily

Jagannath Panda

ISDP Spotlight

ISDP hosted an engaging academic interaction with Prof. T. V. Paul and Prof. Nabanita Chaddha Behera — ISDP hosted an engaging academic interaction with Prof. T. V. Paul and Prof. Nabanita Chaddha Behera

The Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs (SCSA-IPA) hosted an academic interaction titled “India’s Search for Major Power Status and the US-China Rivalry,” bringing together two distinguished scholars of international relations: Prof. T. V. Paul and Prof. Nabanita Chaddha Behera. The discussion explored India’s evolving strategic posture amid intensifying great power competition, particularly in the context of the growing US-China rivalry and the changing architecture of global politics.

Polish Perspectives on Research and Innovation Security: ISDP welcomed Marcin Grabowski for a roundtable discussion — Polish Perspectives on Research and Innovation Security: ISDP welcomed Marcin Grabowski for a roundtable discussion

The ISDP team had the pleasure of hosting a roundtable discussion with Dr. Marcin Grabowski, Associated Senior Research Fellow with ISDP’s Stockholm Center for Research and Innovation Security (SCRIS). Marcin Grabowski presented current challenges concerning research and innovation security in Poland as well as core findings from “The Research and Education Security Report”.

Looking back at the Korea Foundation Guest Researcher Lieutenant General (ret.) Chun In-Bum’s stay in Stockholm — Looking back at the Korea Foundation Guest Researcher Lieutenant General (ret.) Chun In-Bum’s stay in Stockholm

During his stay at ISDP as a guest researcher (April 4th – May 10th), Lieutenant General (Ret.) In-bum Chun, a three-star general of the Republic of Korea Army, engaged in a series of high-level exchanges across Stockholm, all around his research into how middle powers adapt their defense postures to shifting security environments, with a focus on cognitive warfare, critical maritime infrastructure, and alliance adaptation.

Jagannath Panda spoke at a conference in Kyiv organized by he Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism” and the Representative Office of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Ukraine — Jagannath Panda spoke at a conference in Kyiv organized by he Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism” and the Representative Office of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Ukraine

Dr. Jagannath Panda, Head of the Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs, visited Kyiv in Ukraine and spoke at a conference titled “From Diplomacy of Resistance to Diplomacy of Action” organized by the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism” along with the Representative Office of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Ukraine. This conference was held on April 28, 2026, with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.

ISDP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) — ISDP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR)

On April 22, building on a close relationship established in 2019, ISDP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR). This MoU marks an important step in further enhancing collaboration and knowledge exchange between the two institutions.

The Taiwan-Nordic Forum 2026 Emphasizes Resilience Through Cooperation as Central to Defense — The Taiwan-Nordic Forum 2026 Emphasizes Resilience Through Cooperation as Central to Defense

The Taiwan-Nordic Forum 2026, titled Resilience as Defense, was held on April 15, 2026, in Stockholm and called for closer cooperation, deeper knowledge sharing, and strengthened joint expertise between Taiwan and the Nordic and Baltic countries to meet emerging challenges together.