Riley Duke

Research Fellow, Pacific Aid Map
Areas of expertise

Pacific Islands aid and development, development finance, sovereign debt, China’s foreign assistance and overseas lending

Riley Duke
Biography
Publications
News and media

Riley Duke is a Research Fellow and co-author of the Lowy Institute Pacific Aid Map. His research interests include aid and development policy in the Pacific, development finance, sovereign debt, China’s foreign assistance, and Chinese state lending. His commentary and analysis have featured in Australian and international news outlets, including Australian Financial Review, The Guardian, Reuters, Al Jazeera, The Washington Post, and Nikkei.

Prior to joining the Institute in 2022, Riley worked as an intern at the Institute for Economics and Peace and was a recipient of a scholarship position for the Think Pacific internship program. He holds a Master of International Relations from the University of Sydney, with a specialisation in Country Risk Assessment.

Peak repayment: China’s global lending
Special Feature
Peak repayment: China’s global lending
Soaring debt repayments and a sharp reduction in lending have transformed China’s role in developing country finances from capital provider to debt collector. 
US aid cuts are a soft power surrender to China
US aid cuts are a soft power surrender to China
Even a static China will see its influence fill the vacuum left by US withdrawal.
UK aid cut: Implications for an increasingly lonely Australia
UK aid cut: Implications for an increasingly lonely Australia
Starmer’s announcement is another demonstration of a narrowing perception of global security.
Trump's America First risks ceding more ground to China in Pacific
Commentary
Trump's America First risks ceding more ground to China in Pacific
Originally published on Nikkei Asia
Vanuatu: The challenge to build back
Vanuatu: The challenge to build back
A crippling earthquake will test Vanuatu’s already fragile political and economic system.
China’s Pacific aid is rebounding and recalibrated
China’s Pacific aid is rebounding and recalibrated
Minor increases in spending and a surge in new deals signal renewed Chinese aid ambition in the region.
Pacific Aid Map 2024 - Key Findings Report
Report
Pacific Aid Map 2024 - Key Findings Report
The annual Pacific Aid Map — launched by the Lowy Institute in 2018 — is a comprehensive database tracking official development finance (ODF) flows in the Pacific Islands region…
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