Hao Nan
Research fellow, Charhar InstituteArticles by Hao Nan
Politics
A tungsten mine exposes Myanmar’s China-Russia balancing act
Russia’s recent entry into tungsten mining in Myanmar reveals a three-way resource-security triangle: China controls much of the flow, Russia seeks a stake, while Myanmar’s military government is using access to resources as leverage. Academic Hao Nan gives his assessment.
Hao Nan
22 Jun 2026
Politics
Xi in Pyongyang: Opening Asia’s frozen northeast frontier
The clearest signal delivered at Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Pyongyang visit was all in the map, says academic Hao Nan. A northern Northeast Asian corridor linking China’s northeast to the Tumen River, North Korea’s Rason, Russia’s Far East and the Sea of Japan, is now more possible than ever.
Hao Nan
10 Jun 2026
Politics
Before Trump arrives, Beijing’s room to manoeuvre is expanding
With recent developments in the Middle East helping China to access separate sources of leverage at the same time, the delay in Trump’s visit to China has actually given Beijing more room to shape the atmosphere before Trump arrives, contends academic Hao Nan.
Hao Nan
15 Apr 2026
Politics
The rise of Pakistan in the emerging diplomacy over Iran
Pakistan, the only Muslim-majority nuclear-armed state, is now a key conduit of the Iran war. Its security ties with Saudi Arabia boost its regional clout, while its links to both the US and China show that in crises, the most important states are not the strongest, but those that other actors can still use.
Hao Nan
02 Apr 2026
Politics
Who decides when the Iran war ends?
In the Iran war, the US, China and Russia each pursue their own objectives, while Iran and Israel follow separate agendas, creating a complex web of interests. No clear path to a ceasefire has emerged, and the conflict’s endgame remains uncertain. Academic Hao Nan examines the possible scenarios.
Hao Nan
27 Mar 2026
Politics
How the Iran war is stretching America thin against China
A prolonged Iran war is draining US munitions, critical minerals and industrial capacity, and weakening the country’s defence base and military presence in Asia as rivalry with China intensifies, observes academic Hao Nan.
Hao Nan
20 Mar 2026
Politics
Hormuz closed: East Asia’s energy shock and strategic shift
East Asia stands to be massively affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, given its reliance on just-in-time liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries. Critical will be the way governments diversify their energy resources and maintain power-sector reliability and industrial continuity. Academic Hao Nan looks into the variables.
Hao Nan
10 Mar 2026
Politics
The costs of quick power: America’s Iran strike
US-Israel attacks on Iran may achieve short-term gains but do long-term harm to the bargaining environment needed to prevent endless war. Instead of victory, Washington may have caused ripple effects that will have compounding costs for the US and for the Middle East region. Academic Hao Nan gives his assessment.
Hao Nan
05 Mar 2026
Politics
Shocks to shields: How India fortifies itself against a turbulent world
Hedging comes at a cost, but it is a price India may have to pay as it gets constricted by US transactionalism, two-front security pressure, Pakistan’s strategic rehabilitation and China’s institutional penetration of South Asia. Academic Hao Nan analyses the situation.
Hao Nan
02 Mar 2026
Politics
Takaichi’s supermajority: Power without brakes?
Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party supermajority accelerates decisive policy while triggering three reinforcing cycles: the “Takaichi-isation” of governance, rightward policy drift, and rising strategic risks at home and abroad, says academic Hao Nan.
Hao Nan
19 Feb 2026
Politics
Four ways the US could take Greenland — and what it means for China and Russia
Greenland’s attributes as an elevated platform for early warning, space tracking and North Atlantic control explain the naked truth behind the US’s desire to get Greenland. Out of the possible scenarios that this could happen, academic Hao Nan thinks that expanded access under Danish sovereignty, i.e. the Okinawa Model, is the most realistic option.
Hao Nan
03 Feb 2026
Economy
When Washington tests the Fed, it tests the dollar
In the face of US President Trump’s attacks on the Federal Reserve and its chair, Jerome Powell, major central bankers around the world showed their solidarity. This is out of their own interest to see the dollar-centric system preserved and a warning not to engage in self-sabotage. Academic Hao Nan explains.
Hao Nan
23 Jan 2026