Geopolitics and security in Asia: What every business should know

For more than 20 years, it has been predicted there will be a power shift from the Atlantic to the Pacific. That shift has already happened, propelled by the rise of both China and India.

Any business wishing to take full advantage of the opportunities afforded by the region must understand the relationships between the various countries in Asia and how they have been shaped by history.

Regional misunderstandings can easily escalate because the region does not have any binding supranational entities like the EU or NATO to defuse tense situations. Instead, the Asia-Pacific relies on a number of less formal regional arrangements, such as ASEAN, that promote looser regional cooperation.