Australia
The Coalition risks the general’s lament, of fighting the last war over China policy
Following positive developments such as the return home of Australian journalist Cheng Lei, the all-around smiles accompanying Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit last week to…
Where did the Afghan refugees go – and where next?
The majority of Afghans who fled the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 now reside in Pakistan (an estimated 600,000) and Iran (500,000), adding to the totals in both…
China-Australia: Smartening up people-to-people links
This week in Beijing, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told China’s President Xi Jinping that “we can all benefit from greater understanding that comes from high-level…
Economic diplomacy: Labor’s green security state rises
Tunnel vision
Last Sunday inner city Sydney residents got their first chance to walk inside a 24-kilometre labyrinth of intersecting underground road junction tunnels, which is…
Haunted by a plague
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has this week become the first Australian leader to visit China in seven years. The collapse of Sino-Australian relations is a well-known story now…
Learning the right lessons from Australia’s Covid response
Australia’s Albanese government recently announced an inquiry into the Commonwealth government’s Covid-19 response. While such an inquiry is welcome, the announcement was…
Mineral futures: A critical step for Albanese’s Beijing trip
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to meet China’s President Xi Jinping underscores that the turbulent waves of Australia-China relations are calming down. On the…
Commentary
China is steadily building an alternative world order
Originally published in the Australian Financial Review on 29 September 2023.
Outward bound: We should celebrate Australian investment overseas
Australian miners and bankers are globally competitive wherever they operate. And yet what Australian businesses are doing abroad is rarely celebrated with the same interest as…
Pacific aid enters a new era
Development priorities across the Pacific are changing, with new players and new financial instruments emerging to increase the scope and magnitude of funding required. The latest…