Understanding Asia.
Informing decisions.
At the Leiden Asia Centre, we believe that insight drives action. Our research into the most pressing societal and geopolitical issues across Asia builds a crucial bridge with Europe—ensuring that the decisions made today lead to meaningful impact tomorrow. We work with government, academia and media to make expertise on Asia widely accessible and practically useful.
Beyond Isolation: The Rising DPRK-Russia Collaboration and Its Global Ripple Effect
This report analyzes the rapidly intensifying strategic partnership between North Korea (DPRK) and Russia since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. This partnership has deep implications for regional security in Northeast Asia, the war in Ukraine, global sanctions regimes, and the emerging multipolar international order. How has this alignment evolved from a transactional wartime arrangement into a broader, potentially long-term geopolitical axis?
Book Launch & Discussion - Beyond the Great-Power Clash: ASEAN’s Quiet Power in the Indo-Pacific
Upcoming events
- Online
Outer space is rapidly emerging as a critical domain of geopolitical and military competition. Satellites support navigation, communications, financial systems, climate monitoring and much more. At the same time, space is increasingly seen as a strategic and military domain. Countries are investing heavily in space…
Speaker(s)
Sanne van der Lugt
Meet the experts
Our experts offer insights on current developments in China, India, Japan, North and South Korea, the Indo-Pacific, and Southeast Asia. They explore themes such as digitalization, geopolitics, human rights and diplomacy. Whether part of our core team or external collaborators, our experts are available for media commentary, panel talks and public dialogue.
Publications
Preparing for the Actual Worst: Supporting Japanese Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) From Okinawa
READ THE REPORT Report Summary This report analyzes Japan’s preparations to evacuate and support internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Okinawa prefecture in the event of a Taiwan Strait contingency. It finds three major weaknesses in current Government of Japan (GOJ)…
Read the report By Elena Guido, Eric Siyi Zhang & Christopher Green. Supported by the Russia and Eastern Europe Knowledge Alliance. This report analyzes the rapidly intensifying strategic partnership between North Korea (DPRK) and Russia since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of…
Latest Asia analyses
About the Leiden Asia Centre
Partners in Research & Knowledge
Asia is changing fast – and those changes matter here, too. At the Leiden Asia Centre, we explore how developments in Asia impact the Netherlands and Europe. From our office at Leiden University – one of Europe’s leading centres for Asian Studies – we offer scholarly expertise with real world impact, bridging knowledge between Asia and the Netherlands. Our projects go beyond academic research; we also organize public events, offer training, and publish work that sparks debate and shapes understanding.
Our services
The Leiden Asia Centre offers practical, concrete and research-based insights on Asia to policymakers, business executives and journalists. We conduct commissioned research, offer training programmes, host public events, and support stakeholders with region-specific knowledge. Our activities are grounded in academic expertise and aimed at informing policy, strengthening understanding and supporting informed engagement with Asia.
Research
We carry out research on Asia-related issues, focusing on regional and global (re)ordering and technological transformations. Our regional focus is East, South and Southeast Asia. Our projects result in accessible public reports that inform policy and deepen understanding of Asia’s role and interests in global developments.
Training
We provide expert-led training sessions and briefings for government, business and media, and other organizations looking to strengthen their Asia expertise and respond more effectively to regional developments. Our training sessions are professionally moderated, resulting in lively exchanges and insightful meetings.
Media & Commentary
Our experts regularly contribute to public debates through media appearances, interviews, and op-eds, using academic knowledge to provide in-depth understanding of news developments for general audiences.
Events
We organize lectures, panels, and conferences that bring together researchers, policymakers, and the public. Professionally moderated, these events foster informed discussion and create space for new ideas on Asia in the Netherlands and beyond.