21 Nov 2023
A fragile lifeline: India and China must collaborate on water
More robust agreements to share the precious resource will result in a win-win for both countries.
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20 Nov 2023
Sonar reports much more than a blip in Australia’s relations with China
The latest incident, the first to injure Australian military personnel, appears to signal China’s willingness to test the red line. -
18 Nov 2023
China’s sonar pulse poses another test of Australia’s will
Even with international law on its side, Australia is still grappling with the conundrum of whether might makes right. -
15 Nov 2023
How China’s media reported Albanese’s visit
Some messages appear subtle – others, expectedly blunt. -
13 Nov 2023
Belt and Road 2.0
China’s Belt and Road Forum last month showed the initiative is not dead but changing shape. -
10 Nov 2023
The Coalition risks the general’s lament, of fighting the last war over China policy
Labor was right to suspend the WTO case against Beijing and should not be gulled into a confrontational stance. -
10 Nov 2023
China-Australia: Smartening up people-to-people links
Universities play an essential role in everyday diplomacy, fostering a genuine affection between the two countries. -
9 Nov 2023
Economic diplomacy: Labor’s green security state rises
From Chinese wind turbines to temporary foreign workers, Australia faces difficult intersections between domestic and foreign policy. -
8 Nov 2023
Haunted by a plague
Almost four years since the advent of Covid-19, the world still awaits answers on how the most devastating pandemic in 100 years first began. -
3 Nov 2023
Mineral futures: A critical step for Albanese’s Beijing trip
Trade in rare earth elements and numerous minerals is essential for the energy transition – but can Australia and China find complementary ground? -
27 Oct 2023
Geopolitics and the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway
Has the bullet train project strained the once tight relationship between Indonesia and China? -
26 Oct 2023
Beijing’s interest in the Middle Corridor
An economic gateway through Central Asia could provide China a much less messy trade route to Europe. -
25 Oct 2023
As the world looks elsewhere, China stirs trouble in the South China Sea
The Chinese Communist Party-controlled Global Times is already forecasting “more serious collisions”. -
19 Oct 2023
China’s car exports pose a key question to policymakers: Compete or protect?
How they respond will have implications for consumers and the climate. -
18 Oct 2023
The Fix: Getting a read on China
Your weekly Interpreter feature to rake up resources and reads you might otherwise miss. -
18 Oct 2023
Australia must play the geoeconomics game, or risk being side-lined
The world is moving away from a rules-based order and towards power politics. Is Canberra ready? -
6 Oct 2023
Power of Siberia 2: Moving beyond a pipe dream?
Australia would be wise to diversify its gas exports now before Russia’s pivot to Asia takes hold. -
27 Sep 2023
The Kalash are under threat from Pakistani Taliban
A remote and persecuted religious minority is an easy target for militants set on gaining territory by any means. -
26 Sep 2023
ASEAN’s first joint military exercise
A pyrrhic military cooperation or building capability for future contingency? -
21 Sep 2023
China does not need currency manipulation to boost its exports
A weak economy will itself increase China’s export competitiveness. -
20 Sep 2023
How China sees its conflict with the Philippines
Taiwan, the ten-dash line, and an ever-present US are driving a wedge between Manila and Beijing. -
19 Sep 2023
No neutrality in espionage: Why is Malaysia tangled up in a spying case in Norway?
Asking the Kremlin would be a good start. -
18 Sep 2023
Seychelles: Washington comes calling
Small island states are back on the diplomatic agenda with the West looking for strategic depth in the Indian Ocean region. -
15 Sep 2023
Beijing’s plan for Taiwan challenges its offshore wind push
Fujian’s coast hasn’t kept up with wind power in other provinces – and military strategy seems to be blowing the other direction. -
12 Sep 2023
ASEAN, China and the trust deficit
The gap between rhetoric and action is Beijing’s biggest problem – and the region showed it isn’t afraid to call this out. -
11 Sep 2023
India pushes China to the margins of the G20
New multilateral agreements unveiled on the sidelines of the forum show how New Delhi has been working hard to curtail Beijing’s strategic influence. -
8 Sep 2023
Ahead of G20, India-China reconciliation fails to launch
Beijing’s actions speak louder than words. By failing to turn up in Delhi, Xi sent a clear signal that China has little enthusiasm for stabilising relations. -
7 Sep 2023
Is China finally getting serious about hukou reform?
Unless China’s millions of migrant workers gain broader rights, “common prosperity” might turn out to be rhetorical. -
6 Sep 2023
The Fix: Explaining Indonesia’s silence in the North Natuna Sea
Your weekly Interpreter feature about issues, resources or helpful distractions that might otherwise be missed. -
6 Sep 2023
China’s troubles may well get worse before they get better
There is no straightforward path to escape weak demand and the financial risks from the ongoing real estate bust. -
4 Sep 2023
Coup d’État in Gabon: Oil, champagne, and China’s geopolitical opportunity
Local dynamics might be a primary cause of strife, but France’s loss is China’s possible gain. -
4 Sep 2023
Under Xi, the Party is winning but China is losing
Rather than solving problems in foreign relations or the economy at home, a host of new headaches are emerging. -
4 Sep 2023
Climate justice: friendshoring, China’s supremacy and America’s IR Act
The goal of ensuring equitable outcomes through the energy transition must be global. -
1 Sep 2023
Can North Korea play off Russia against China?
Pyongyang might have designs to take advantage of an increasingly desperate Moscow, but power rests with Beijing. -
29 Aug 2023
Cambodia, Thailand and dealing with China: The more things change…
New prime ministers might be in the job, but don’t expect any big shifts in approaches to Beijing. -
22 Aug 2023
India’s hesitation as China pushes for BRICS expansion
New Delhi and Beijing have competing visions for adding new members and where the organisation will focus. -
18 Aug 2023
China’s slowdown is nothing to celebrate
The heady rates of economic growth were always going to fall – but is boom time over for commodities? -
17 Aug 2023
Bridging the divide: the significance of the US-South Korea-Japan trilateral
The Biden administration sees the upcoming summit as historic – China and North Korea may also, for different reasons. -
15 Aug 2023
Pipe dreams: Turning an interconnected ASEAN gas market into a reality
An old idea for a regional network might hold the answer for energy demand into the future. -
14 Aug 2023
The Moon: The great game on new turf
India joins a powerplay with the United States, China and Russia in the hunt for lunar treasure and strategic superiority. -
9 Aug 2023
Iran’s lithium lode: A potential strategic game-changer
Australia might find itself on a political and economic tightrope as China looks to diversify its options for the new oil of our times. -
3 Aug 2023
Economic diplomacy: Hard labour managing geo-economic fragmentation
Australia faces tough choices from aid to energy in a new world of government intervention in trade and industry. -
3 Aug 2023
De-dollarisation: shifting power between the US and BRICS
Will a new global reserve currency threaten the greenback's supremacy? The short answer is yes. -
1 Aug 2023
China’s big gamble in Pakistan: A 10-year scorecard for CPEC
The monster project for the Belt and Road Initiative has a deeply troubled beginning. -
1 Aug 2023
Something fishy about China’s anger over the Quad’s open ocean plans
Even illegal fishing is politicised amid growing China-US tensions. -
31 Jul 2023
Berlin’s economic “de-risking” model could be Europe's answer to the Taiwan question
Germany's aim is not to “decouple” from China, but to reduce its exposure to risk. And the potential winner is Taipei. -
27 Jul 2023
Qin Gang has come and gone, but US-China drama is stuck on repeat
The sudden and surprising demise of China’s foreign minister won’t change the systemic tensions in the relationship. -
26 Jul 2023
It’s no surprise Australia shrugged off China’s campaign of trade coercion
New modelling confirms an early Lowy Institute conclusion that Beijing’s bluster would cause minimal economic damage. -
26 Jul 2023
A return to old-school mercantilism?
Suspicion and economic competition are forcing states back in time, with protectionism and self-sufficiency the new norm. -
24 Jul 2023
Forget Washington, Pyongyang’s most important target has always been Beijing
Kim Jong-un’s charm offensive with Donald Trump may have yielded few results. Not so his efforts with Xi Jinping.