Programs & Projects

The North Asia Program

The China and East Asia Program

The China and East Asia Program conducts research on the politics and foreign policy of China and its immediate neighbours in Northeast Asia: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and the Korean peninsula. The program is renowned for its particular focus on China’s domestic politics and how this helps to shape its external behaviour. From 2020, the Institute’s extensive research on Southeast Asia – including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Myanmar – is now incorporated in a dedicated Southeast Asia Program. Each Program also commissions work by other scholars on the broader region. To complement their written research, Lowy Institute experts hold a robust series of dialogues and events on the politics of the region, independently and in partnership with other organisations.

Photo: Jung Yeon-Je-Pool/Getty Images

Experts
Latest publications
News and media
Xi's tech crackdown preserves socialism with Chinese characteristics
Commentary
Xi's tech crackdown preserves socialism with Chinese characteristics
Protecting foreign investors has never been a top priority. Originally published in Nikkei Asia Review   Richard McGregor
China’s looming succession crisis
Commentary
China’s looming succession crisis
What will happen when Xi is gone? Originally published in Foreign Affairs.
Biden and Xi talk of a clash of civilisations. But the real shared goal is dominance
Commentary
Biden and Xi talk of a clash of civilisations. But the real shared goal is dominance
The US president has challenged the idea that the ‘east is rising, the west declining’. Instead, he insists that America’s day is far from done. Originally published by The…
Canberra clueless to China’s flexible diplomacy
Commentary
Canberra clueless to China’s flexible diplomacy
Australia insists on viewing Beijing in black and white. But that’s ill-matched with China’s expertise in the grey zone. Originally published in The Australian Financial Review.
Reading the Xi leaves: what’s next for the Chinese President
Commentary
Reading the Xi leaves: what’s next for the Chinese President
If Xi Jinping had followed the rules, he would be stepping down next year. The longer he stays in office without an anointed successor, the greater the risk of a power struggle…
After Xi: Future Scenarios for Leadership Succession in Post-Xi Jinping Era
Analyses
After Xi: Future Scenarios for Leadership Succession in Post-Xi Jinping Era
A Joint Report of the CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies and the Lowy Institute
China’s Guinea mine is about security, not economics
Commentary
China’s Guinea mine is about security, not economics
Beijing’s investment in a greenfield project in Guinea is intended not so much to slash prices for Chinese steelmakers, but to guarantee the supply of a vital resource by…
Harness collective clout of allies to counter China’s power
Commentary
Harness collective clout of allies to counter China’s power
Unless like-minded nations bind together to push back in unison, Beijing will keep singling out countries for punishment at little cost to its interest. Originally published in…
Xi Jinping’s Strength is China’s Weakness
Commentary
Xi Jinping’s Strength is China’s Weakness
Unlike any other Chinese leader since 1949, he has no identifiable rivals and no likely successors. Originally published in The New York Times.
US election: Trump's China policy is here to stay, no matter who wins
Commentary
US election: Trump's China policy is here to stay, no matter who wins
Allies see America as tougher, but weaker. Originally published in Nikkei Asia.
The Australian Financial Review
9 November 2023
ABC Melbourne Radio 774
7 November 2023
BFM Malaysia
7 November 2023
ABC RN Breakfast
6 November 2023
ABC’s Weekend Breakfast
5 November 2023
The Saturday Paper
4 November 2023
Australian Financial Review
3 November 2023
Australian Financial Review
3 November 2023
Capital Brief
2 November 2023