The Far East & Australasia 2025

Europa Publications’ regional publications are compiled by a team of editors and researchers, with introductory and country-specific material provided by specialists in their field: Bryant J. Allen. Former Visiting Fellow, State Society and Governance in Melanesia Program, School of International, Political and Strategic Studies, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. Shiro Armstrong. Professor and Director of the Australia-Japan Research Centre, Crawford School of Public Policy, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. Robert F. Ash. Emeritus Professor, SOAS China Institute, SOAS University of London, United Kingdom. Dean Aszkielowicz. Senior Lecturer, College of Arts, Business, Law and Social Sciences, and Fellow of the Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia. Frank Bongiorno. Professor, School of History, Research School of Social Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. Anne Booth. Emerita Professor of Economics, SOAS University of London, United Kingdom. Ian Campbell. Former Professor, School of Social Sciences, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji. Olivia Cheung. Research Fellow, SOAS China Institute, SOAS University of London, United Kingdom. Matthew Clarke. Alfred Deakin Distinguished Professor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), Deakin University, Victoria, Australia. Chan Kok Hoe. Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, National University of Singapore, Singapore. James Chin. Professor of Asian Studies, University of Tasmania, Australia. Julian Dierkes. Associate Professor and Keidanren Chair of Japanese Research, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Jörn Dosch. Professor of International Relations and Development Co-operation, University of Rostock, Germany. Stephen C. Druce. Deputy Director of the Academy of Brunei Studies, Associate Researcher at the Institute of Asian Studies, Senior Assistant Professor in History, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Darussalam. Ronald Duncan AO. Emeritus Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. Nicholas Farrelly. Professor and Head of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia. Dafydd Fell. Professor in Comparative Politics, with special reference to Taiwan, Department of Politics and International Studies, Director, Centre of Taiwan Studies, SOAS University of London, United Kingdom. Stewart Firth. Research Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. Volker Grabowsky. Professor of Thai Studies, Asia-Africa Institute, University of Hamburg, Germany. Jeanine Graham. Former Senior Lecturer in History, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. Edward Howell. Lecturer in Politics, Christ Church, University of Oxford, and Korea Foundation Fellow, Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs), London, United Kingdom. Lok Sang Ho. Professor of Economics, Centre for Public Policy Studies, Lingnan University, Hong Kong. James E. Hoare. Associate Fellow, Asia-Pacific Programme, Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), London, United Kingdom. Douglas Hunt. Adjunct Lecturer in Economics, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. Kenneth E. Jackson. Former Director, Centre for Development Studies, University of Auckland, and Adjunct Research Professor, Auckland Institute of Studies, Auckland, New Zealand. Trude Jacobsen Gidaszewski. Professor in Asian History, Department of History, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Assistant Director, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA. Professor in Asian History, College of Arts and Liberal Sciences, and Assistant Director, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA. Nazia Hussain. Associate Research Fellow, Centre for Multilateralism Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Randall S. Jones. Former Head of the Japan/Korea Desk, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris, France, Non-Resident Distinguished Fellow, Korea Economic Institute, Washington, DC, USA, and Adjunct Lecturer, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC, USA. Juthathip Jongwanich. Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand. Wee Chian Koh. Economist, ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office, Singapore. Archanun Kophaiboon. Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand. Charles Krusekopf. Professor, School of Business, Royal Roads University, Victoria, BC, Canada. Michael Leach. Professor of Politics and International Relations, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia, and Co-founder of the Timor-Leste Studies Association. Suiwah Leung. Honorary Associate Professor of Economics, Crawford School of Public Policy, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. S. R. Joey Long. Associate Professor and Head, Department of History, National University of Singapore, Singapore. Robert E. Looney. International Consultant specializing in economic development, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, USA. Philippa Louey. PhD Candidate, Department of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. Anthony Milner. Professorial Fellow, University of Melbourne, Australia, Visiting Professor, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Emeritus Professor, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. N. J. Miners. Former Reader in Political Science, Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Andrew C. Nahm. Former Professor Emeritus of History and Consultant to the Office of International Education and Programs, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA. Li Narangoa. Professor of Asian History, and Director of the Mongolia Institute, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, Australia. Guteriano Neves. Independent Policy Analyst, Dili, Timor-Leste. Dominic O’Sullivan. Professor of Political Science, School of Social Work and Arts, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, Australia. Shyama Ratnasiri. Senior Lecturer in Economics, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. Catherine Renshaw. Professor and Dean, School of Law, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia. James R. Rush. Professor Emeritus of History, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA. John T. Sidel. Sir Patrick Gillam Professor of International and Comparative Politics and Director of the Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom. Ross Steele. Former Principal Demographer, Department of Planning Transport and Infrastructure, Government of South Australia, and Adjunct Academic Staff, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia. Robert G. Sutter. Professor of Practice of International Affairs, The Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA. James Tang. Former Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University, Singapore. Paul Taucher. Lecturer, College of Law, Arts and Social Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia. Ardeth Thawnghmung. Professor, Political Science Department, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA. Michael Meow-Chung Yap. Associate Professor, Business Analytics and Economics Division, Nottingham University Business School, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

PART ONE General Survey

The USA’s Opposition to China in the Asia-Pacific Region: Biden’s Legacy and Future Uncertainty

ROBERT G. SUTTER

Human Rights in South-East Asia

CATHERINE RENSHAW

Australia, New Zealand and the Politics of Indigenous Self-determination

DOMINIC O’SULLIVAN

Recent Economic Developments in the Asia Pacific Region

ROBERT E. LOONEY

Minilateralism in the Indo-Pacific: Navigating Shifts in an Evolving Regional Order

NAZIA HUSSAIN

PART TWO Country Surveys

Sections on geography, history and economy, as well as statistical surveys, directories and bibliographies for each country. A dedicated section on the Pacific islands, which includes an introductory essay and directory and statistical information for each of the Pacific islands and a locally focused bibliography.

AUSTRALIA

History FRANK BONGIORNO

Economy DOUGLAS HUNT and SHYAMA RATNASIRI

AUSTRALIAN TERRITORIES IN THE INDIAN OCEAN

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Christmas Island

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Heard Island and the McDonald Islands

BRUNEI

History STEPHEN C. DRUCE

Economy WEE CHIAN KOH

CAMBODIA

History TRUDE JACOBSEN GIDASZEWSKI

Economy ROBERT E. LOONEY

THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

History OLIVIA CHEUN

Economy ROBERT F. ASH

CHINESE SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGIONS

HONG KONG

History JAMES TANG (based on an earlier article by N. J. MINERS)

Economy LOK SANG HO

MACAO

History

Economy

INDONESIA

History JAMES R. RUSH

Economy ANNE BOOTH

JAPAN

History DEAN ASZKIELOWICZ (Revised by PAUL TAUCHER)

Economy SHIRO ARMSTRONG

KOREA

History up to the Korean War ANDREW C. NAHM (with revisions by JAMES E. HOARE)

THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA

History EDWARD HOWELL

Economy ROBERT F. ASH

THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA

History EDWARD HOWELL

Economy RANDALL S. JONES

THE LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

History VOLKER GRABOWKSY

Economy ROBERT E. LOONEY

MALAYSIA

History JAMES CHIN and ANTHONY MILNER

Economy MICHAEL MEOW-CHUNG YAP

MONGOLIA

History LI NARANGOA (Revised by JULIAN DIERKES)

Economy CHARLES KRUSEKOPF

MYANMAR (BURMA)

History ARDETH THAWNGHMUNG

Economy ROBERT E. LOONEY

NEW ZEALAND

History JEANINE GRAHAM

Economy KENNETH E. JACKSON

THE PACIFIC ISLANDS

Background to the Pacific Islands BRYANT J. ALLEN

History of the Pacific Islands IAN CAMPBELL

Contemporary Politics of the Pacific Islands STEWART FIRTH

Security in the Pacific Islands STEWART FIRTH

Economies of the Pacific Islands RONALD DUNCAN (Revised by STEWART FIRTH)

Environmental Issues of the Pacific Islands ROSS STEELE

China and the Pacific: Increased Competition for Security and Engagement MATTHEW CLARKE

Competing Regional Visions: The Blue Pacific and Indo-Pacific in the Age of AUKUS PHILIPPA LOUEY

AUSTRALIAN PACIFIC TERRITORIES

Coral Sea Islands Territory

Norfolk Island

FIJI

FRENCH PACIFIC OVERSEAS COLLECTIVITIES

French Polynesia

The Wallis and Futuna Islands

OTHER FRENCH PACIFIC OVERSEAS TERRITORY

New Caledonia

KIRIBATI

THE MARSHALL ISLANDS

THE FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA

NAURU

NEW ZEALAND PACIFIC TERRITORY

Tokelau

NEW ZEALAND PACIFIC ASSOCIATED STATES

The Cook Islands

Niue

PALAU

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

SAMOA

SOLOMON ISLANDS

TONGA

TUVALU

UNITED KINGDOM PACIFIC TERRITORY

The Pitcairn Islands

US COMMONWEALTH TERRITORY IN THE PACIFIC

The Northern Mariana Islands

US EXTERNAL TERRITORIES IN THE PACIFIC

American Samoa

Guam

OTHER US TERRITORIES IN THE PACIFIC

Baker and Howland Islands

Jarvis Island

Johnston Atoll

Kingman Reef

Midway Island

Palmyra

Wake Island

VANUATU

THE PHILIPPINES

History JOHN T. SIDEL

Economy ROBERT E. LOONEY

SINGAPORE

History S. R. JOEY LONG

Economy CHAN KOK HOE

TAIWAN

History DAFYDD FELL

Economy ROBERT F. ASH

THAILAND

History NICHOLAS FARRELLY

Economy JUTHATHIP JONGWANICH and ARCHANUN KOPHAIBOON

TIMOR-LESTE (EAST TIMOR)

History MICHAEL LEACH

Economy GUTERIANO NEVES

VIET NAM

History JÖRN DOSCH

Economy SUIWAH LEUNG

PART THREE Regional Information

REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

MAJOR COMMODITIES OF ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

CALENDARS AND TIME RECKONING

RESEARCH INSTITUTES STUDYING THE FAR EAST AND AUSTRALASIA

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY (BOOKS)

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY (PERIODICALS)

INDEX OF REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

INDEX OF TERRITORIES

LIST OF MAPS