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
Inside China's coronavirus response
Commentary
Inside China's coronavirus response
If Beijing had been open about its own early failings, instead of triumphantly promoting its later achievements, China’s global image might have been enhanced by the crisis…
Beijing hard-liners kick against Xi Jinping's wolf warrior diplomacy
Commentary
Beijing hard-liners kick against Xi Jinping's wolf warrior diplomacy
Foreign policy hawks concede that current strategy is winning China no new friends. Originally published in the Nikkei Asian Review. 
Western liberalism’s crisis is self-inflicted
Commentary
Western liberalism’s crisis is self-inflicted
Originally published in The Australian.
Global Order in the Shadow of the Coronavirus: China, Russia and the West
Analyses
Global Order in the Shadow of the Coronavirus: China, Russia and the West
It’s time to rethink global governance and its priorities
Get behind Southeast Asia with clear policy against China bullies
Commentary
Get behind Southeast Asia with clear policy against China bullies
Originally published in The Australian.
China's Deep State: The Communist Party and the Coronavirus
Research Notes
China's Deep State: The Communist Party and the Coronavirus
China's political system was instrumental both in plunging the country into the COVID-19 crisis and aiding its recovery, but its pandemic management has not…
Don’t panic — Xi doesn’t hold all the aces in the great game of trade
Commentary
Don’t panic — Xi doesn’t hold all the aces in the great game of trade
Originally published in The Sunday Times.
China has only itself to blame for Australia's move on Hong Kong
Commentary
China has only itself to blame for Australia's move on Hong Kong
The Australian government and its partners had no choice but to recognise the new reality in the territory and offer some of its citizens a way out. Originally published in The…
National security law cannot erase Hong Kong's political awakening
Commentary
National security law cannot erase Hong Kong's political awakening
Demosisto may have disbanded and Nathan Law fled but struggle will continue for generations. Originally published in the Nikkei Asian Review.
Beijing crackdown will squeeze business
Commentary
Beijing crackdown will squeeze business
Investors will make a grave mistake by ignoring how much China's new national security law will change Hong Kong. Originally published in the Australian Financial Review.
Australian Financial Review
4 August 2023
Agence France-Presse
26 July 2023
Bloomberg Daybreak
26 July 2023
Bloomberg
21 July 2023
Australian Financial Review
7 June 2023
ABC Radio National Breakfast
5 June 2023