China

Indonesia’s dilemma as China pushes a “Global Security Initiative”
Indonesia’s dilemma as China pushes a “Global Security Initiative”
China’s vision for a “Global Security Initiative” was first set out by President Xi Jinping at the Boao Forum in April last year. While promising ambitious change, especially for…
What price will Laos need to pay to be saved, and will China pay it?
What price will Laos need to pay to be saved, and will China pay it?
Laos offers a fascinating case study about China’s approach to debt. How much will Beijing be willing to concede on the debt owed by a friend and fellow communist country? …
The two big flaws in Penny Wong’s talk of deterrence over Taiwan
The two big flaws in Penny Wong’s talk of deterrence over Taiwan
Speaking at the Press Club in Canberra last week, Foreign Minister Penny Wong dismissed discussion about war over Taiwan as “dangerous … parlour games”. It was an odd thing to say…
Quad should ask ASEAN to a diplomatic dance
Quad should ask ASEAN to a diplomatic dance
In early 1979, fearing the growing security cooperation between Hanoi and Moscow, China invaded Vietnam. A year earlier, the then-Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping met Singapore’s…
Countering Chinese economic coercion: enhanced cooperation between Australia and Europe
Research Notes
Countering Chinese economic coercion: enhanced cooperation between Australia and Europe
China appears increasingly confident in aligning itself politically against the West. But there are ways for Australia and Europe to even the balance.
Hugh White on the choice facing Penny Wong
Hugh White on the choice facing Penny Wong
In a speech to the Press Club in Canberra this week, Foreign Minister Penny Wong sketched a fine vision for the future of the Asian order. Wong seeks a region in which no one…
Economic diplomacy: Counting the cost of decoupling
Economic diplomacy: Counting the cost of decoupling
Members only Indonesia took one for the team in an era of minilaterals and “friendshoring” last week when it argued the case for its poorest neighbours to join the latest…
Taiwan: Far from lost in translation, Macron said exactly what he meant
Taiwan: Far from lost in translation, Macron said exactly what he meant
Returning from a trip to Beijing, President Emmanuel Macron gave an interview this week to journalists from Politico and French newspaper Les Echos. His words, especially when…
Australia’s delicate dance with the United States and China
Australia’s delicate dance with the United States and China
US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is a precise and disciplined speaker, minimalist in her articulation of the Biden administration’s wide-ranging policy towards its…
What does China want in Ukraine?
What does China want in Ukraine?
Strategic clarity arises in a crisis. When the world is relatively stable, the strategic calculations of the major powers are deliberately couched and clouded. Conflicts clear our…