Asian international relations have been characterized by enduring stability amid uncertainty, emerging opportunities amid threats, and expanding institutions amid competing interests. To address these evolving dynamics at multiple levels and domains, this panel seeks to examine and unpack several key dimensions of the contemporary inter-state affairs in East Asia. These include the sources of strategic stability in East Asia, the patterns of policy responses to transnational and sub-national security challenges in Southeast Asia, the power of "middle power diplomacy" in Asia, and the effects of regional multilateralism in regional order.