Trade
Taiwan: Renewing a southbound vision
For all the talk of cross-Strait military tensions – which are real – in the economic realm, Taiwan’s fortunes have been bound to those of China. Recognising the need to…
Economic diplomacy: Supply chains, ASEAN wanes, and Japan’s coal dump
Two worlds
When the US and Japan kicked off a bid to take control of the next generation of mobile technology during a summit of their leaders last week, they also pushed the…
Commentary
Why our economy can afford to stand up to China with Belt and Road veto
Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Will the Five Eyes stare down China’s economic coercion?
Next month brings the inauspicious one-year anniversary of China ramping up a campaign of trade punishment against Australia. Wine, barley, beef, lobster and coal have all been…
The big bark but small bite of China’s trade coercion
Beginning last May, China has hit Australia with a barrage of trade sanctions in a fairly overt attempt at economic coercion. It’s still early days, but it’s worth…
With Xinjiang cotton, Beijing is taking on the world
When China’s nationalist outrage machine took aim at Swedish fashion giant H&M in late March, one could be forgiven for feeling a sense of déjà vu. Campaigns to boycott…
Why Aussie exporters won’t be toasting China or the US
Lock the doors
When the China trade numbers were released on Tuesday, you could hardly blame Australia’s 2500 winemakers if they locked themselves in the cellar with a nice…
A “beggar-thy-neighbour” approach keeps seafarers stranded
When a business manager is willing to spend US$200,000 to send home five employees whose contracts have expired and bring five colleagues to replace them on the spot, later…
What RCEP can tell us about geopolitics in Asia
Much of the economic gains from the newly signed mega trade deal known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will come from mitigating what is called the Asian …
RCEP revives the art of the deal
News that 15 governments had signed the text of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement did not force either Covid-19 or the presidential transition in…