Technology
The modern sharing of Pacific “public goods”
The Covid-19 crisis has made the importance of data sharing more urgent than ever. For the island nations of the Pacific, ensuring a ready flow of information to support decision…
How extremist messaging co-opts emergency events
Australia experienced two major emergency events in 2020 – the summer bushfires followed shortly after by the coronavirus pandemic. Throughout these events, social media…
China’s online meddling goes beyond the Great Firewall
Last week, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian posted on Twitter a fake image which portrayed an Australian soldier with a bloody knife next to a child holding a lamb…
The case for going all-in on renewables
Current perceptions of renewables have been driven by the need to address climate change, a narrow view that overlooks benefits such as reducing our reliance on imported energy…
We’ve been trolled – expect more of it, because it worked
With a wicked and now infamous tweet, Australia has joined India, the US, Canada, and the Pope on a list of those China’s “wolf warrior” diplomat in chief Zhao Lijian has…
After Christchurch: Mapping online right-wing extremists
When Australian man Brenton Tarrant conducted a mass-shooting terror attack last year at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, guns were not his only weapon. Before commencing…
Gauge-changing train is no game changer for China
Railways are a natural pillar of overland transport for China’s Belt and Road Initiative, given their large capacity. But there is an obstacle to getting direct services…
Biden’s clean energy plan versus China’s green tech dominance
A man who has earned a reputation for compromise and dealmaking over his half-century in Washington, Joe Biden has also won the presidency by presenting himself as a national…
Pakistan gets on the TikTok ban wagon
Pakistan has become the second South Asian nation after India to ban Chinese video-sharing app TikTok.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority on 9 October banned TikTok…
The many trails of Ant Group
When the last of the big four state-owned Chinese banks listed a decade ago, one could be forgiven for thinking that the age of mega Chinese financial listings was over. After all…