TheWorldIsFacingUnprecedentedChanges

CICIRResearchGroup

Abstract: The year 2018 is the 10th anniversary of the outbreak of the international financial crisis and the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. The world is facing unprecedented changes in the last one hundred years. In the face of the changes, all major powers stepped up their internal and external strategic adjustments. The strategic competition of powers has intensified. The United States has stubbornly adhered to its unilateralism, which has been opposed by most countries. The international rules, mechanisms, and orders are reshaping. The geopolitical struggle is still complicated and fierce. The United States steps up its efforts to promote the “Indo-Pacific strategy”. The Middle East turbulences continue. European and American populism expands to newly rising countries. The imbalance between supply and demand in global governance has intensified.

Keywords: International changes; the strategic competition of powers; the populist thought; global governance

ChinaCalmlyRespondstotheGreatChangesintheWorld

CICIRResearchGroup

Abstract: In 2018, China’s grand diplomacy remained firm and calmly responded to the unprecedented changes in the world. Faced with a new wave of “China Threat” rhetoric, China responds promptly, adds credits and dispels doubts, and actively strives for initiative and discourse power. Faced with the dramatic warming-up and new changes in the game among big powers, especially between China and the United States, China has appropriately constructed a framework for overall stable and balanced development of relations among big powers. Faced with a complex and changing neighborhood, China has actively responded to the situation and created a generally favorable surrounding environment. Faced with the rise of unilateralism and protectionism, China adheres to open cooperation and multilateral consultation and plays an active role as a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of international order. Under Xi Jinping’s diplomatic thought’s guidance, China’s grand diplomacy is bound to move steadily and far.

Keywords: China’s diplomacy; big power relations; global governance; Xi Jinping’s diplomatic thought

SoutheastAsiaCountries’ResponsetoTrumpAdministration’sRegionalSecurityPolicy

LiuRuonan

Abstract: Over the past two years, the Trump administration’s strategic vision and policy framework in the Asia-Pacific region have gradually become clear. From the timeout to the reinforcement of the so-called “free navigation” in the South China Sea, from the abandonment of “rebalancing” to the high-profile proposal of Indo-Pacific strategy, from imposing pressure on DPRK to participating in the US-DPRK summit, the continuation and change of US security policy during Trump administration have produced important impacts in the region. In the eyes of Southeast Asia states, US strategic concerns, prudence in practice and military presence are necessary. Southeast Asia states have similar stances on drawing support from the US to deal with the South China Sea crisis, easing tensions in Korean peninsula and treating Indo-Pacific with caution. At the same time, the diversity of security issues and the differentiation of interests among states have also made the responses of Southeast Asian states various.

Keywords: Southeast Asia; Trump administration; South China Sea issue; North Korea crisis; Indo-Pacific strategy

APerspectiveontheAmericaPolicyofReassurancetoSoutheastAsia

CaiPenghong

Abstract: The United States is adjusting its Asia strategy and designing a new policy of reassurance to Southeast Asia. This strategic adjustment is conducted in the changing international strategic environment. The goal is to preserve the American leadership in the Indo-Pacific political-economic-security architecture and weaken China’s influence in Southeast Asia. The American policies include military presence, security alliances, more freedom of navigation operations in South China Sea, economic cooperation and promoting democratic values throughout the region. Based on realism, the policy adjustment stresses aggressiveness to reinforce Southeast Asia. The renewed Southeast Asia reassurance policy challenges China in a way of making troubles in China’s neighborhood. The competition between China and the US in Indo-Pacific is actually focusing on the Southeast Asia region in the near future.

Keywords: US strategy; Southeast Asia; neighboring diplomacy; China-ASEAN

TheMotivationsandProspectsoftheEvolutionofUS-CubaRelationsintheTrumpEra

CaoTing

Abstract: US President Donald Trump has adopted a series of tough policies, aiming to overturn Obama’s legacy of diplomacy toward Cuba since 2017. In order to ensure the political transition and economic development stability, the Cuban government adopted a “rational and prudent” struggle strategy against the United States, which made the relations not completely broken. However, the stagnation of the normalization process of US-Cuba relations has produced negative effects, which not only brought a certain impact on the Cuban economy, but also adverse effects to the United States in many areas. Nevertheless, US-Cuba relations under the Trump era will remain at the bottom and Cuba will continue to face a great pressure for survival.

Keywords: US-Cuba relations; Trump; motivations; internal affairs (Edited By Zhang Yimeng)