The NUPI Center for Asia Research (NCAR), conducts academic and policy-oriented research on domestic politics and international affairs in Asia. Our mission is to be a leading source of research and expertise on Asia, bringing together timely and innovative perspectives on country- and regional developments within politics, economics, security and diplomacy, including domestic, regional and multilateral organizations and institutions.
Current NCAR-related projects study: the political dimension of infrastructure building in Southeast Asia; Chinese diplomacy and emotional assertiveness; Asia-related foreign investment in Norwegian and European markets, including within digital technology sectors; Asian powers’ roles and engagements in international development aid and multilateral cooperation, especially concerning digitalization; and Norway-China relations within research and education. Other projects finalized in recent years, include research on: foreign and security policy legitimation in Japan and the Indo-Pacific, comparative welfare state developments, Asia-Nordic relations, trade and free trade agreements, and peace building operations. See links to the various project websites for further information.
NCAR researchers have strong area expertise on several Asian countries, including China, Japan and ASEAN member states and we work to maintain and further our networks and competencies on other vital states in the broader Asian region, including South Korea and countries in the South Pacific. NCAR researchers represent a variety of academic backgrounds, including political science and international relations, economics, area studies and languages, with high language competency in Chinese (Mandarin) and Japanese in particular.
Read more about NUPI's research on Asia on our Asia regional page.
Asia-related research at NUPI is part of broader projects and is organized in collaboration with other centers and initiatives within NUPI, including the NUPI Centre for European Studies, NUPI Centre for Digitalization and Cyber Security Studies, and NUPI Center for UN and Global Governance.
This is the conclusion in a new report addressing political values in Europe-China relations. Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr (NUPI and UiB) has written the chapter on Norway.
China is strengthening its position within international development finance and monetary cooperation.
While the idea of the Indo-Pacific as more than just a geographic space is only recently taking root in the Nordics and broader Europe, it has already been hotly discussed as a strategically important arena in foreign and security policy circles in Asia for several years.
In a recent article, NUPI research fellow Henrik S. Hiim and Stig Stenslie aim to find an answer.
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has granted NOK 8 million to NUPI researchers Henrik Hiim and Sverre Lodgaard to study the drivers of nuclear rearmament in Asia.
Europeans are growing more wary of China, but still welcome many of its contributions.
Connectivity has become a buzzword today. It topped the agenda at the joint conference on trade, infrastructure and Europe–Asia relations, organized by NUPI and the MFA to mark ASEM day.
Xi Jinping wanting to scrap formal limitations on presidential terms is making waves.
The volume of Chinese investments in Europe has increased significantly in recent years.
The Nordics have a lot to gain from learning from each other's relationship with China.
China has played a central role in Japanese identity-making for centuries - what of its role today? asks Wrenn Yennie Lindgren (NUPI) in a new article.
What shapes EU policy towards China? This is the topic for NUPI Research Fellow Bjørnar Sverdrup-Thygeson's new article.
New article: China is rapidly rising as a key actor on the African continent.
How does the world appear seen from China and the Nordics?
China’s Belt and Road Initiative is evolving, but the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine are stirring questions about its paths. Are the original Chinese visions and ambitions still intact and how are construction projects and overall plans affected?
This webinar offers views on core ocean governance challenges and reflections on how to strengthen ocean-related cooperation from Japanese and European perspectives.
While framed by China as an inclusive platform of multilateral cooperation, The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been met with mixed perceptions in Europe. Join this webinar to learn more about the nature, dynamics and influence of the BRI.
What does the AUKUS security partnership between Australia, the US and UK mean for security in Asia, for the US-China rivalry, and for US-Europe relations?
China’s role as an international development actor is growing. What is China hoping to achieve? How do African actors respond, and what are possible implications for Norwegian development policy?
Chinese tech giants are increasingly visible and established in the European market. Are we ready for all that this implies?
We hear a lot about the slowing of China’s economic growth and the trade war with USA. How do Chinese researchers view the situation and what does it mean for other countries and Norway?
NUPI and CMI researchers meet in Bergen to discuss their ongoing work on Chinese and Nordic efforts towards the Sustainable Development Agenda. Erik Solheim, former leader of UN Environment, will comment and share insights from his vast development-related experiences.
Srdjan Vucetic will discuss his latest paper on China’s possibilities in a time where the relationship between the West and USA is more uncertain than before.
How does China deal with global disorder and distrust, and what does China’s domestic politics mean for its international engagements?
Trade and infrastructure projects are booming in Asia. How may relations between countries in Asia and Europe change?
One of the unforeseen consequences of President Trump’s erratic foreign policy has been to push Europe and Asia closer together. This is what Fraser Cameron will argue when he visits NUPI on 19 September.
The nuclear deal with Iran is in crisis, and talks on the North Korean nuclear program has made little progress. At the same time, China is well on its way to become one of the world’s most powerful states. How important is it for China to prevent any further proliferation of nuclear weapons?
With India’s massive poverty, food issues rank high on the policy agenda, including food consumption and food prices, and the income and power distribution along the food value chains. In recent work, NUPI researchers and partners have shed new light on key issues in the field.
What did the Philippines achieve in its chairmanship of ASEAN in 2017? And what challenges lie ahead for the ASEAN countries related to climate change?
UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP representative in Myanmar, Knut Østby and researchers Roman Vakulchuk and Kristian Stokke will take a closer look at Myanmar, and the political and economic challenges the country is facing.
How do organisations effectively transform themselves to cope with changing environments? Yuen Yuen Ang presents a new way to think about building adaptive capacity, with lessons from China.
In cooperation with the Norwegian Network for Asian Studies, NUPI invites you to this talk on the ‘Doomsday Clock’ and the threat of a global nuclear war.
China's president has now started his second term at power. What is the future outlook for the country's economy? And how does Japan perceive its neighbour?
North Korea’s rapid progress in developing nuclear and missile programs has posed a grave security threat to the international community. Dr. Junya Nishino visits NUPI to discuss this threat from a Japanese point of view.
NUPI has the pleasure of hosting the presentations of this year’s Asian Development Outlook. What challenges are middle-income economies facing?
Experts from leading think tanks visit NUPI to discuss the China-Nordic relationship in light of today's challenges.