Programs & Projects

The North Asia Program

The China and East Asia Program

The China and East Asia Program conducts research on the politics and foreign policy of China and its immediate neighbours in Northeast Asia: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and the Korean peninsula. The program is renowned for its particular focus on China’s domestic politics and how this helps to shape its external behaviour. From 2020, the Institute’s extensive research on Southeast Asia – including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Myanmar – is now incorporated in a dedicated Southeast Asia Program. Each Program also commissions work by other scholars on the broader region. To complement their written research, Lowy Institute experts hold a robust series of dialogues and events on the politics of the region, independently and in partnership with other organisations.

Photo: Jung Yeon-Je-Pool/Getty Images

Experts
Latest publications
News and media
China’s Guinea mine is about security, not economics
Commentary
China’s Guinea mine is about security, not economics
Beijing’s investment in a greenfield project in Guinea is intended not so much to slash prices for Chinese steelmakers, but to guarantee the supply of a vital resource by…
Harness collective clout of allies to counter China’s power
Commentary
Harness collective clout of allies to counter China’s power
Unless like-minded nations bind together to push back in unison, Beijing will keep singling out countries for punishment at little cost to its interest. Originally published in…
Xi Jinping’s Strength is China’s Weakness
Commentary
Xi Jinping’s Strength is China’s Weakness
Unlike any other Chinese leader since 1949, he has no identifiable rivals and no likely successors. Originally published in The New York Times.
US election: Trump's China policy is here to stay, no matter who wins
Commentary
US election: Trump's China policy is here to stay, no matter who wins
Allies see America as tougher, but weaker. Originally published in Nikkei Asia.
How will Japan's new leader handle growing China-US tensions?
Commentary
How will Japan's new leader handle growing China-US tensions?
After years warning others to be wary of Beijing, Tokyo is now adopting a low profile. Originally published in the Nikkei Asian Review.
China parties as it plots an anti-decoupling strategy
Commentary
China parties as it plots an anti-decoupling strategy
Superpower politics has begun to directly shape China's economic policies. Expect more changes. Originally published in the Australian Financial Review.
China has wine in its firing line – will Scott Morrison bail out Australian producers?
Commentary
China has wine in its firing line – will Scott Morrison bail out Australian producers?
With sanctions already in place against beef and barley, Beijing’s ‘anti-dumping’ investigation is designed to punish Canberra over political disputes. Originally published in The…
How China reversed the new Great Game of strategic competition
Commentary
How China reversed the new Great Game of strategic competition
Beijing changes global governance in its own image rather than the other way around. Originally published in the Nikkei Asian Review.
Man of Contradictions: Joko Widodo and the Struggle to Remake Indonesia
Lowy Institute Papers
Man of Contradictions: Joko Widodo and the Struggle to Remake Indonesia
The first English-language political biography of Joko Widodo, to be published on 1 September 2020 by Penguin Specials as a Lowy Institute Paper.
Capital Brief
2 November 2023
ABC Radio AM
12 October 2023
The New York Times
11 October 2023
ABC Radio National Breakfast
5 October 2023
ABC Radio National Breakfast
21 August 2023
The Sydney Morning Herald
8 August 2023