Center for Asian Studies
Asia is a nerve center for multiple global economic, political and security challenges. The Center for Asian Studies provides documented expertise and a platform for discussion on Asian issues to accompany decision makers and explain and contextualize developments in the region for the sake of a larger public dialogue.
The Center's research is organized along two major axes: relations between Asia's major powers and the rest of the world; and internal economic and social dynamics of Asian countries. The Center's research focuses primarily on China, Japan, India, Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific, but also covers Southeast Asia, the Korean peninsula and the Pacific Islands.
The Centre for Asian Studies maintains close institutional links with counterpart research institutes in Europe and Asia, and its researchers regularly carry out fieldwork in the region.
The Center organizes closed-door roundtables, expert-level seminars and a number of public events, including an Annual Conference, that welcome experts from Asia, Europe and the United States. The work of Center’s researchers, as well as that of their partners, is regularly published in the Center’s electronic journal Asie.Visions.
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Director, Center for Asian Studies, Ifri
Titre mis en avant
The Centre for Asian Studies is expanding!
The Center for Asian Studies is delighted to welcome Sylvia Malinbaum as Head of India and South Asia Research!
Before joining Ifri, Sylvia was Deputy Financial Advisor to the French Treasury at the French Consulate in Mumbai, India. She specializes in economic issues and has solid international experience.
Welcome aboard Sylvia!
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Research Areas
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China
In 2017, Secretary General Xi Jinping said: "This is an era that will see China move closer to the center of the world stage". The People's Republic of China is indeed at a pivotal moment in its history, gradually acquiring all the components of power and competing with, if not surpassing, the major world powers. This new status is challenging the global balance of power, raising questions and awakening fears. The European Union and its member states are seeking to adapt their position vis-à-vis China, to face its new diplomatic assertiveness, the rise of its military and technological capacities, and to deal with the Sino-American rivalry. However, since Beijing's international policy cannot be dissociated from its domestic context, it is also necessary to analyze the internal political dynamics that dictate foreign policy choices. Through its research activities, Ifri's Center for Asian Studies aims to provide a better understanding of contemporary China and its position on the world stage.
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Taiwan
An area long reserved to specialists of “Greater China” and overlooked in European policy circles, Taiwan has succeeded in carving out an important space for itself on the international scene in recent years. Its management of the Covid-19 crisis has proven exemplary. Its approach to managing new digital technologies has reinforced the rule of law. Its democratic model is held up as an example in an international context of increasing polarization between liberal and authoritarian regimes. Finally, its unique know-how in the field of high-performance semiconductors made Taiwan an indispensable actor for a wide range of industries across the globe during the pandemic, and now it is sought after by many states seeking to develop their own production chains.
In a context of growing rivalry between the United States and China, Taiwan is the most serious point of contention between the two adversaries and, as such, an area of extremely high-risk friction. In fact, the strategic interest in Taiwan is just as high for Washington as it is for Beijing.
Ifri’s Center for Asian Studies analyses and interprets the critical issues around Taiwan’s emergence and its role in contemporary international relations.
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Japan
As the international system undergoes a major overhaul, Japan is emerging as one pillar of the multilateral rules-based order. Despite being often perceived as a declining country, it remains the world's third largest economy and, as a member of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement, plays a key role in trade liberalization and norms shaping. In recent years, Tokyo has also demonstrated a proactive diplomacy, especially in the Indo-Pacific area where it is one of the core stakeholders. In this regard, Japan has become a major partner for Europe and for France. Through its research activities, Ifri's Center for Asian Studies aims to provide a better understanding of Japan's action in the world and to foster the dialogue and cooperation between France and Japan.
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Korean Peninsula
One of the few countries that managed to successfully transform itself from an aid-receiving country to a donor country, South Korea is an economic success story which is often seen as a role model for emerging countries in the region and beyond. Its foreign policy seeks to capitalize on these assets but, as a middle-power, Seoul is also active in shaping a regional architecture for East Asia. However, the erratic behavior of its northern neighbor persistently undermines the stability of the peninsula, making its objective difficult to achieve. Ifri's Center for Asian Studies examines the developments on the Korean peninsula from these two complementary perspectives.
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India and South Asia
Despite its emergence since the end of the 1990s, India has struggled to involve its neighbours in its growth dynamic as well as to pacify its entire sub-region. South Asia remains marked by high tensions, with areas exposed to high levels of intra-state violence (Afghanistan, Khyber, Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir in India, to name but a few) and conflicts between states that are either without much prospect of resolution (India-Pakistan) or in a phase of aggravation (India-China). Far from experiencing a process of regional integration, South Asia has instead become the field of rivalries for influence between China and India.
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Southeast Asia
Over the past decade or so Southeast Asia has gone through multiple developments which usher in an era of alarming political uncertainty. While several countries were thought to be heading toward democracy (Myanmar, Thailand), recent events suggest that vested interests die hard and that defending citizens’ hard-won rights is a daunting task. In the wake of the health crisis other countries are faced with serious socio-economic difficulties which threaten their stability and wealth (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines). In a context of sino-US rivalry, each of the great powers seeks to push its own interests, potentially disrupting local stability. Southeast Asia has undoubtedly become a battleground for bipolar rivalry.
Through its research activities, Ifri's Center for Asian Studies aims to provide a better understanding of the evolutions and main trends of this regions' actors.
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Indo-Pacific Strategies
The Indo-Pacific is today a key geopolitical concept that informs the strategies of major international players. A maritime space encompassing the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the Indo-Pacific is above all a political construct that reflects the competition for influence revolving around the Sino-American rivalry. Both an economic and a political center of gravity, this mega-region is also at the heart of essential governance issues for the future (climate change, proliferation, governance of the commons — ocean, cyber, space). Its stability is threatened by transnational risks and inter-state tensions exacerbated by nationalism and the militarization of actors in the area. At the same time, the regional security architecture is now more fragmented with the emergence of new kinds of cooperation frameworks.
Through its research activities, and in conjunction with other relevant centers and programs at Ifri, the Center for Asian Studies seeks to offer a better understanding of strategic issues in the Indo-Pacific, looking in particular at the approaches of the major players in the region, including France and the European Union.
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Oceania
France and the European Union (EU) have issued their own Indo-Pacific strategies meant to enhance their commitment in this strategic area. Until now, the Pacific Islands – the member states and territories of the Pacific Community (SPC) – have received little attention despite their strategic importance The geographical distance and the still limited knowledge of this region in Europe certainly hamper political, economic and media interest. In this context, Ifri’s Center for Asian Studies, with the support of the Pacific Community (SPC), launches a research program in 2022 to enhance awareness of the multiple strategic issues at stake in the Pacific Islands region. While the French presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2022 aims at translating the European Indo-Pacific approach into concrete actions, this research program offers an original and useful contribution to an ambitious European policy in the region. SPC supports Ifri's research program, which is structured around an opening conference (March 10, 2022), three research seminars on themes related to sustainable development, as well as a series of short publications and videos. Additional notes and events will also address a number of key geostrategic issues.
Publications
From 'Looking' to Engaging: India and East Asia
The Look East policy (LEP), launched in the early 1990s, was intended to engage India more closely with the East Asian region, but it met with only limited success initially, for India was not seen to be a major contributor either to regional security or economic development.
Innovation Policy Challenges for Japan: An Open and Global Strategy
Productivity is increasingly important in the Japanese economy as an aging and shrinking population is expected to constrain labor input. Thus, the creation of innovation is critical for realizing economic growth and maintaining Japan's international competitiveness. Specifically, emerging countries such as China and South Korea are quickly catching up on Japan's level of technological prowess in electronics and other high-tech industries. For that reason, continual investment in R&D and provision of products and services that are competitive in the global market are crucial for Japan's international competitiveness.
The Great East Japan Earthquake and Sino-Japanese Reconciliation
Ifri and the Canon Institute for Global Studies are launching a series of policy papers presenting the analyses of senior Japanese researchers on how the triple disasters that hit the archipelago last March have impacted Japan's economic, environmental and energy policies as well as country's crisis management system.
Japan: How Should Funds Be Raised for Rebuilding After the Disaster?
Ifri and the Canon Institute for Global Studies are launching a series of policy papers presenting the analyses of senior Japanese researchers on how the triple disasters that hit the archipelago last March have impacted Japan's economic, environmental and energy policies as well as country's crisis management system.
East Asian Regional Economic Integration: A Post-Crisis Update
To the surprise of many analysts, the outbreak of the global financial crisis (GFC) in 2008 did not leave East Asian economies unscathed. The objective of the paper is to examine the implications of the GFC for the regional economic integration process in East Asia, taking into account both the de facto and the de jure dimensions.
Dreams and Nightmares: Australia's Past, Present and Future in Asia
This paper argues that Australian governments of both political stripes have responded pragmatically and effectively to the rise of China, the relative decline of the United States and the increased assertiveness of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). When they have made mistakes, the Howard, Rudd and Gillard governments have worked hard to improve relations.
Special Farming Zones and Land-Use Planning for Reviving the Agricultural Industry
Ifri and the Canon Institute for Global Studies are launching a series of policy papers presenting the analyses of senior Japanese researchers on how the triple disasters that hit the archipelago last March have impacted Japan's economic, environmental and energy policies as well as country's crisis management system.
Restoring Health Care and Welfare Services after the Great East Japan Earthquake
Ifri and the Canon Institute for Global Studies are launching a series of policy papers presenting the analyses of senior Japanese researchers on how the triple disasters that hit the archipelago last March have impacted Japan's economic, environmental and energy policies as well as country's crisis management system.
Toward Higher Household Consumption? An Up-to-Date Analysis of China's Economic Transition
For more than two decades, China's economy has been growing at an average rate of close to 10 percent. As a result of this stellar performance, China ascended to the rank of the world's second largest economy in 2010, surpassing Japan.
The Evolving Role of Southeast Asia in Global FDI Flows
This paper traces the evolution of FDI in ASEAN and discusses future prospects for the region as a host - and increasingly home - to FDI.
The Team
Our research fellows: Center for Asian Studies
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The European Think-tank Network on China (ETNC) is a gathering of China experts from a selection of European research institutes. It is devoted to the policy-oriented study of Chinese foreign policy and relations between China and European countries as well as China and the EU. It facilitates regular exchanges among participating researchers with a view to deepening the understanding within the European policy and research community and the broader public of how Europe, as a complex set of actors, relates with China and how China’s development and evolving global role is likely to impact the future of Europe. The network’s discussions and analyses take a decidedly ‘bottom-up’ approach, accounting for the various aspects of bilateral relations between European countries and China, and the points of convergence and divergence among EU member states in order to examine EU-China relations in a realistic and comprehensive way. The views presented in ETNC reports are the sole responsibility of the signed authors and do not in any way represent the views of all members of the ETNC, its participating institutions, nor the institutions with which the authors are affiliated.
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Ifri, a foundation recognized as being of public utility, relies largely on private donors – companies and individuals – to guarantee its sustainability and intellectual independence. Through their funding, donors help maintain the Institute's position among the world's leading think tanks. By benefiting from an internationally recognized network and expertise, donors refine their understanding of geopolitical risk and its consequences on global politics and the economy. In 2024, Ifri will support more than 70 French and foreign companies and organizations.
Discover our other research centers and programs
European Think-tank Network on China (ETNC)
The European Think-tank Network on China (ETNC) is a gathering of China experts from a selection of European research institutes. It is devoted to the policy-oriented study of Chinese foreign policy and relations between China and European countries as well as China and the EU. It facilitates regular exchanges among participating researchers with a view to deepening the understanding within the European policy and research community and the broader public of how Europe, as a complex set of actors, relates with China and how China’s development and evolving global role is likely to impact the future of Europe. The network’s discussions and analyses take a decidedly ‘bottom-up’ approach, accounting for the various aspects of bilateral relations between European countries and China, and the points of convergence and divergence among EU member states in order to examine EU-China relations in a realistic and comprehensive way. The views presented in ETNC reports are the sole responsibility of the signed authors and do not in any way represent the views of all members of the ETNC, its participating institutions, nor the institutions with which the authors are affiliated.
East and Central Africa Observatory
The East and Central Africa Observatory is a 3-year research project (2023-2025) that Ifri is carrying out jointly with the French Institute of Research in Africa (IFRA) in Nairobi for the French Ministry of Defense, and more specifically its International Relations and Strategy Division (DGRIS). This observatory focuses on the main political, security and geopolitical developments taking place in the geographical areas covered by itself. This is achieved through the regular production of research notes, in English or French and the organization of an annual seminar around a key theme. For our research notes and conferences, we call on internationally acknowledged experts in the topics covered. This Observatory began in 2016, under the title of Observatory of Central and Southern Africa within Ifri's Sub-Saharan Africa Center. 55 notes were drafted between 2016 and 2020.
Turkey 2050 Program
The Turkey 2050 Program develops a forward-looking analysis of the country to anticipate its dynamics over the next 30 years. The reflection is structured around three key themes:
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This research, funded by companies and institutions active in Turkey, is based on field missions that aim to shed light on the blind spots and lesser-known areas of the Turkish landscape. Program partners benefit from personalized monitoring of relevant indicators to inform their decision-making, supported by monthly strategic briefings, sectoral reports, and access to a network of Turkish and French experts. The exchanges surrounding the program ultimately seek to define the concept of "Turkish risk" in a broad sense, in order to adapt our working methods accordingly.
European & Transatlantic Security
The European & Transatlantic Security Program aims to contribute to the strategic debate by developing analyses around three main axes: European defense and the security architecture of the European continent, institutional and strategic links between the Treaty Organization of North Atlantic (NATO) and the European Union (EU), as well as the evolution of the transatlantic relationship.
Internal Security
The distinction between internal and external threats is often exaggerated, as the borders are so porous. Conflicts taking place thousands of kilometers from France can have tragic resonances on national territory. Radicalization, terrorism and even organized crime have an international dimension that cannot be ignored.
Deterrence and Proliferation
The conflicts in Europe, Asia and the Middle East demonstrate a return of nuclear power to the balance of power. Arsenals are being modernized and expanded, while arms control is collapsing. This research program aims to analyze these phenomena.
Observatory on Future Conflicts
The Observatory of Future Conflicts is a research program carried out by the French Institute of International Relations and the Foundation for Strategic Research on behalf of the three army headquarters aimed at studying developments in tensions and armaments at the horizon 2040 in a transversal perspective, taking into account the issues of each army.
Russia/Eurasia Center
Founded in 2005 within Ifri, the Russia/Eurasia Center conducts research and organizes debates on Russia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus. Its goal is to understand and anticipate the evolution of this complex and rapidly changing geographical area in order to enrich public discourse in France and Europe and to assist in strategic, political, and economic decision-making.
The Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa)
The Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) was created in 1954 by an inter-governmental agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and France, in order to raise awareness of Germany in France and analyze Franco-German relations, including in their European and international dimensions. In its conferences and seminars, which bring together experts, political leaders, senior decision-makers and representatives of civil society from both countries, Cerfa develops the Franco-German debate and stimulates political proposals. It regularly publishes studies through two collections: Cerfa notes and studies as well as Franco-German visions.
Cerfa maintains close relations with the network of German foundations and think tanks. In addition to its research and debate activities, Cerfa promotes the emergence of a new Franco-German generation through original cooperation programs. This is how in 2021-2022, Cerfa led a program on multilateralism with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Paris. This program is aimed at young professionals from both countries interested in the issues of multilateralism in the context of their activities. It covered a wide range of themes relating to multilateralism, such as international trade, health, human rights and migration, non-proliferation and disarmament. Previously, Cerfa had participated in the Franco-German future dialogue, co-led with the DGAP from 2007 to 2020, and supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Daniel Vernet group (formerly the Franco-German Reflection Group) which was founded in 2014 upon the initiative of the Genshagen Foundation.
Sub-Saharan Africa Center
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The organization of events of various formats complements the production of analyzes by bringing the different spheres of the public space (academic, political, media, economic and civil society) to meet and exchange analytical tools and visions of the continent. The Sub-Saharan Africa Center regularly welcomes political leaders from different sub-Saharan African countries.
Security Studies Center
Heir to a tradition dating back to the founding of Ifri, the Security Studies Center provides public and private decision-makers as well as the general public with the keys to understanding power relations and contemporary modes of conflict as well as those to come. Through its positioning at the juncture of politics and operations, the credibility of its civil-military team and the wide distribution of its publications in French and English, the Center for Security Studies constitutes in the French landscape of think tanks a unique center of research and influence on the national and international defense debate.
Governing the Urban Transition in Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa's cities are experiencing the fastest growth rates in the world. By 2050, most of the countries in the region will have made an urban transition, meaning that more than 50% of their population will live in urban areas. Urban growth is often presented as a cornerstone of the continent's socio-economic development.
To assess these challenges Ifri’s Sub-Saharan Africa Center is launching, in May 2022, a research program looking into the major socio-economic and geopolitical challenges of urban dynamics on the continent.
The program deals with urban development in Africa through a sectoral and cross-cutting approach based on three key sectors:
- Land issues are the foundation of urban life. Each urban project triggers changes within the relationship between land and its inhabitants.
- Urban infrastructure is often presented as a solution to the challenges of demographic growth in cities. However, the lack of infrastructure and its financing remains a concern for specialists.
- The mobility of goods, people and financial flows is characteristic of urban life and drives the multiple links between cities and the countryside. Analyzing the urban-rural continuum is at the heart of this program's objectives.
Research will be conducted at the macro (continental), meso (country), and micro (city/neighborhood) levels and will be promoted through events and publications.
Space Program
Space has become a crucial theme in the main international think tanks’ research activities as it entails important strategic, economic, and technological issues.
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Today, as part of its research agenda, Ifri mobilizes several of its centers and programs to transversally tackle the theme of space, through three main inputs:
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Since the Summer 2020, Ifri has been coordinating a tripartite European Space Governance Initiative, together with two other renowned European think tanks: the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik (DGAP) in Germany and the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) in Italy.
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The ÖFZ/CFA strives to place all of its exchanges in a global perspective concerning the future of our continent. Today it centers its activities around three directions: the Franco-Austrian bilateral dialogue, the future of the European Union, the future recomposition of the continent.
Reports of all events organized by the ÖFZ/CFA are available on its website (http://oefz.at). The ÖFZ/CFA's budget is provided by the French and Austrian foreign ministries. Depending on the themes addressed, the ÖFZ/CFA calls on European public and private institutions to help finance its meetings. The CFA's orientations benefit from the recommendations of an Orientation Council, approved by a Board of Directors, which elects from among its members a president and a secretary general.
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Americas Program
Ifri's work on the Americas region focuses mainly on the United States. Indeed, for more than 20 years, Ifri's Americas Program has provided keys to understanding American society and domestic policy while shedding light on developments in the country's foreign policy, including transatlantic relations and trade issues.
Since 2023, a specific axis on Latin America structures more actively Ifri's research on this region.
Ifri's Canada program was active in 2015 and 2016.
Turkey/Middle East Program
Ifri's Turkey/Middle East Program aims to provide expertise on the trends and developments in politics, societies and economies across the region.
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- Highlighting the role of foreign powers which have traditionally been present in the region and analyzing the new role taken on by emerging countries ;
- Anticipating new directions and outlooks in each country.
- Interpreting risks and potentials and putting forward new templates for analysis.
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Geoeconomics and Geofinance Initiative
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Center for Geopolitics of Technology
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The program takes a resolutely European approach to international issues related to so-called critical technologies. Its work is organized around four cross-cutting themes:
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- Sovereignty: definition of critical infrastructures and technologies; industrial and innovation policies in strategic sectors; opportunities and risks associated with international value chains;
- Governance: ethical and legal issues; interactions between companies, states, international organizations and users; public-private partnerships and GovTech;
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Defense Research Unit
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