You are here
Many topical policy issues and regions are central to the programme's research agenda. These include China and Japan, nuclearisation in the Korean peninsula, and terrorism and insurgency in Central and South Asia.
In particular, the project works to build links between policy-makers and practitioners in Britain and their counterparts across Asia, and to provide a meeting place for Asian policy-makers to confer and discuss security issues together.
Experts also regularly advise and consult businesses on security risks across Asia's regions and markets.
Contacts



The Failure of China’s Security Policy in Xinjiang
RUSI Newsbrief, 11 January 2019
Edward Schwarck
The mass internment of Xinjiang’s Uyghurs in supposed ‘re-education’ facilities as a means of combatting violent extremism suggests that Beijing lacks confidence in the effectiveness of its intelligence architecture, and by extension, its capacity to identify and eliminate actual terrorist threats.
Tags: Asia, China, International Security Studies, New Silk Road, Counterinsurgency, Intelligence, Technology, Terrorism
Delicate Footwork: Security and Diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula
Commentary, 17 December 2018
Cristina Varriale
The suspension of US–South Korean military exercises is a vital step in the broader effort to build confidence on the Korean peninsula.
Tags: Armed Forces, Asia, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Project on Nuclear Issues, United States, North Korea, Global Strategy and Commitments, Defence Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
To Ban or to Banbury?
Commentary, 7 December 2018
John Hemmings
The detention of a chief Huawei executive has spotlighted yet again a controversial Chinese technology giant, and may be a harbinger of stronger international pressure on the company.
Tags: Asia, China, Cyber, Future UK Cyber Security Strategy Project, Terrorism and Conflict, UK, Global Security Issues, Information, Intelligence, Law and Ethics, National Security, Technology
Security on the Korean Peninsula: The Latest from RUSI
RUSI Newsbrief, 4 October 2018
Tom Plant and Cristina Varriale
A flurry of recent activity on the North Korean diplomatic front has kept researchers in the Proliferation and Nuclear Policy programme at RUSI extremely busy over the past few months. Their latest research findings indicate that policymakers should focus on pursuing small gains over a grand bargain, as well as balancing Tokyo’s long-term view and scepticism of China with Seoul’s focus on short-...
Tags: Asia, China, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, United States, Japan, North Korea, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Cracking Down on China’s Distant Water Fishing Fleet: What Impacts Closer to Home?
Commentary, 21 September 2018
Veerle Nouwens and Cathy Haenlein
China appears to be reigning in its distant water fishing fleet. This is good news for environmental protection, but China watchers should pay attention to the potential knock-on effects.
Tags: Asia, Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, China, International Security Studies, International Institutions, Law and Ethics, Organised Crime
President Trump’s Indo–Pacific Economic Investment Initiative: Good, But Not Enough
Commentary, 6 August 2018
Veerle Nouwens
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has laid out a new vision for American economic engagement in the Indo–Pacific, announcing the rollout of a new US regional infrastructure initiative, which, while not explicitly targeting China’s growing economic power in the region, attempts to provide Indo–Pacific countries with US financial and technical alternatives to China. The funds may be modest, yet...
Tags: Asia, International Security Studies, New Silk Road, United States, Pacific, Central and South AsiaPages

To Ban or to Banbury?
Commentary, 7 December 2018John Hemmings
The detention of a chief Huawei executive has spotlighted yet again a controversial Chinese technology giant, and may be a harbinger of stronger international pressure on the company.
Asia, China, Cyber, Future UK Cyber Security Strategy Project, Terrorism and Conflict, UK, Global Security Issues, Information, Intelligence, Law and Ethics, National Security, Technology
Cracking Down on China’s Distant Water Fishing Fleet: What Impacts Closer to Home?
Commentary, 21 September 2018Veerle Nouwens and Cathy Haenlein
China appears to be reigning in its distant water fishing fleet. This is good news for environmental protection, but China watchers should pay attention to the potential knock-on effects.
Asia, Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, China, International Security Studies, International Institutions, Law and Ethics, Organised Crime
President Trump’s Indo–Pacific Economic Investment Initiative: Good, But Not Enough
Commentary, 6 August 2018Veerle Nouwens
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has laid out a new vision for American economic engagement in the Indo–Pacific, announcing the rollout of a new US regional infrastructure initiative, which, while not explicitly targeting China’s growing economic power in the region, attempts to provide Indo–Pacific countries with US financial and technical alternatives to China. The funds may be modest, yet...
Asia, International Security Studies, New Silk Road, United States, Pacific, Central and South Asia
China and the Mekong: Future Flashpoint?
Commentary, 25 June 2018Brijesh Khemlani
The mighty Mekong river is a vital lifeline for Southeast Asia, a major source of trade, transport and sustenance for millions. However, the world’s twelfth longest river is emerging as an ecological and geopolitical flashpoint.
Asia, China, International Security Studies, Global Security Issues
A Dispute about Legality, or a Political Onslaught? China’s Response to the Arbitration Decision on the South China Sea Issue
Commentary, 8 August 2016Peter A Dutton
China has advanced a number of arguments to justify its decision to ignore the arbitral tribunal’s recent ruling on the South China Sea dispute. None of them make much legal sense, but all raise questions about China’s views of the international order.
Asia, ChinaPages

The Saudi–Pakistani Relationship: More than Meets the Eye
RUSI Newsbrief, 17 March 2016Kamal Alam
The links between the Saudi and Pakistani elites run deep
Asia, Pakistan, RUSI Newsbrief, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
Indonesia's Forest Fires: Igniting Tensions in Southeast Asia
RUSI Newsbrief, 22 January 2016Malcolm C K Soh and Kelvin S-H Peh
Jakarta’s failure to tackle illegal burning is threatening its relations with its neighbours
Asia, RUSI Newsbrief, Defence Management, Pacific
Should the West Embrace the AIIB?
RUSI Newsbrief, 22 January 2016Nikki Lee
Is the AIIB just a new foreign-policy tool for China, or is it necessary for regional development and a project the West should welcome?
Asia, RUSI Newsbrief, Defence Policy, Pacific
China's Relations with India: What Prospects in 2015?
RUSI Newsbrief, 26 January 2015Edward Schwarck
Entering 2015, China must learn that strong economic ties are an insufficient basis for a good bilateral relationship with India
Asia, China, International Security Studies, RUSI Newsbrief, India, Pacific, Central and South Asia
Mafia State: The Evolving Threat of North Korean Narcotics Trafficking
RUSI Journal, 4 November 2014Peng Wang and Stephan Blancke
The burgeoning illicit-drugs trade emanating from North Korea poses a severe threat to the region and beyond
Asia, Organised Crime, RUSI Journal, North Korea, Global Security Issues, Organised Crime, Pacific
A Post Mortem of a Disintegrated Review
Revolutions Of War
Strengthening the UK’s National Resilience: The Tasks Ahead