IRSEA - The Romanian Institute for Europe-Asia Studies

24/05/2026

RED LINES AND RHETORIC: DECIPHERING THE SIGNALS FROM THE TRUMP-XI SUMMIT

As the US and China test the contours of a tentative thaw, the Beijing summit reveals a calibrated dance between economic accommodation and strategic warning, especially on Taiwan.

Full article is available on our website:

Please be advised that LiteSpeed Technologies Inc. is not a web hosting company and, as such, has no control over content found on this site.

24/05/2026

CHINA’S FOREIGN POLICY AND PRAGMATIC COOPERATION BETWEEN CHINA AND ROMANIA

On May,12, 2026, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Bucharest organized a meeting of minds conference on “China’s Foreign Policy and Pragmatic Cooperation Between China and Romania”. The Honorable Speaker was H.E. Mr. Chen Feng, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Romania.

Full article is available on our website:

On May,12, 2026, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Bucharest organized a meeting of minds conference on “China’s Foreign Policy and Pragmatic Cooperation Between China and Romania”. The Honorable Speaker was H.E. Mr. Chen Feng, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to R...

21/05/2026

ASEAN’S COLLECTIVE RESILIENCE AGENDA: CAN IT DELIVER UNDER PRESSURE?

The 48th ASEAN Summit in early May took place amid prolonged military action in the Middle East and growing risks to global trade. These pressures have exposed ASEAN’s vulnerability to external shocks, but they have also created a rare moment of policy convergence.

Full article is available on our website:

The 48th ASEAN Summit in early May took place amid prolonged military action in the Middle East and growing risks to global trade.

21/05/2026

SOUTHEAST ASIA: NOT CHOOSING SIDES BUT OPTIONS

For decades, Southeast Asia prospered in a world of open trade and US-anchored security and multilateral rules. However, that world is now under strain, as captured in the State of Southeast Asia 2026 Survey.

Full article is available on our website:

Dealt a tough deck of geopolitical cards, Southeast Asia wagers on flexibility and plurilateralism.

20/05/2026

INDIA’S ENGAGEMENT WITH ASEAN: OUTREACH DOES TRANSLATE INTO POSITIVE PERCEPTIONS

India’s diplomatic outreach to key Southeast Asian countries belie the fact that many of the same countries view New Delhi with low confidence.

Full article is available on our website:

India’s diplomatic outreach to key Southeast Asian countries belie the fact that many of the same countries view New Delhi with low confidence.

20/05/2026

HOW SOUTHEAST ASIANS EXPERIENCE CHINESE-BUILT INFRASTRUCTURE

China is a significant partner for large-scale infrastructure building in Southeast Asia through its flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). According to AidData, China provided approximately US$163 billion in loans and grants to lower- and middle-income countries in Southeast Asia between 2000 and 2023.

Full article is available on our webpage:

China is a significant partner for large-scale infrastructure building in Southeast Asia through its flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

19/05/2026

HOW SHOULD SOUTHEAST ASIA RESPOND TO CARNEY’S DAVOS CLARION CALL?

Occasionally, a single speech by a world leader can perfectly capture the zeitgeist of the moment. When Winston Churchill warned of an “iron curtain” descending across Europe in 1946, he provided a painfully accurate preview of the geopolitical framework – the Cold War – that would dominate the world stage for the next four decades.

Full article is available on our website:

Occasionally, a single speech by a world leader can perfectly capture the zeitgeist of the moment.

19/05/2026

FROM SELF-DEFENCE TO DETERRENCE: THE QUIET END OF JAPAN'S POSTWAR EXPERIMENT

Japan’s decision to lift its ban on lethal arms exports marks the culmination of a gradual but profound shift from post-war pacifism to a deterrence-driven security posture shaped by a harsher regional order

Full article is available on our website:

Japan’s decision to lift its ban on lethal arms exports marks the culmination of a gradual but profound shift from post-war pacifism to a deterrence-driven security posture

12/05/2026

On Aprile 28 and on May 5, 2026, as expression of the excellent long-term cooperation between The Romanian Institute for Europe-Asia Studies (IRSEA) and the Faculty of International Business and Economics (REI), Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE), Ambassador (p) Gheorghe SAVUICA continued IRSEA’s “Diplomatic Training Course”, initiated in 2009.

The program comprised of an interactive meeting on “Diplomacy and Norms of Diplomatic Practice” taught to the postgraduate students of pursuing a master’s degree in “Economic Diplomacy”, at REI.

Organized with the valuable and dedicated professional support of Prof. Anca ILIE, PhD, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of International Business and Economics (REI) of ASE, the module provides the postgraduate students with norms and instruments to employ in their future work, be it in economic diplomacy or at corporate level. The trainees are invited to address questions of their own interest, particularly, dedicated to the field of International Relations and the role of Diplomacy.

The post graduate students are awarded with Certificates of participation at the interactive meeting.

*Ambassador (p) Gheorghe SAVUICA is the Founder and President of IRSEA and Founder and Honorary President of Romania-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He is a graduate of Moscow State Institute of International Relations. As a career diplomat with over four decades of diplomatic service, a university recognized specialist on Southeast Asia and ASEAN, speaker of Bahasa Indonesia, Russian and English, he represented Romania as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Pakistan and Indonesia and Chief of Mission, with Cabinet Letter, to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cyprus, Finland and Estonia.

He published multiple articles, thought-pieces and commentaries reflecting his views on current dynamics in International Affairs and the ongoing developments related to the greater scope of Europe Asia relations. He authored several major chapters in edited volumes on Romania’s Foreign Policy, published by the Romanian Academy.

Ambassador (p) SAVUICA is a former Director of the Republic of Moldova Division, former Director of the Asia Pacific Division and former Director General of the Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Latin America Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of ROMANIA.

12/05/2026

IRAN WAR, GLOBAL SOUTH & PARTNERSHIPS: IN DIRE STRAITS

The Global South is struggling with wars, energy shocks, and weak bargaining power, so building practical, trust-based partnerships is key to survival and growth.

Full article is available on our website:

https://www.irsea.ro/Iran-War-Global-South-Partnerships-In-Dire-Straits/

12/05/2026

THE PHILIPPINES’ ENGAGEMENT WITH SOUTH KOREA: AN ENDURING AND PROMISING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

In his first address to the 77th United Nations General Assembly in 2022, then President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warned of “widening geopolitical polarities and sharpening strategic competitions” – a sentiment capturing the Philippines’ increasingly complex security environment.

Full article is available on our website:

In his first address to the 77th United Nations General Assembly in 2022, then President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warned of “widening geopolitical polarities