The China and East 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

Commentary

Get behind Southeast Asia with clear policy against China bullies

Originally published in The Australian.

Research Notes

China's Deep State: The Communist Party and the Coronavirus

China's political system was instrumental both in plunging the country into the COVID-19 crisis and aiding its recovery, but its pandemic management has not…

Commentary

Don’t panic — Xi doesn’t hold all the aces in the great game of trade

Originally published in The Sunday Times.

Commentary

China has only itself to blame for Australia's move on Hong Kong

The Australian government and its partners had no choice but to recognise the new reality in the territory and offer some of its citizens a way out. Originally published in The…

Commentary

National security law cannot erase Hong Kong's political awakening

Demosisto may have disbanded and Nathan Law fled but struggle will continue for generations. Originally published in the Nikkei Asian Review.

Commentary

Beijing crackdown will squeeze business

Investors will make a grave mistake by ignoring how much China's new national security law will change Hong Kong. Originally published in the Australian Financial Review.

Policy Briefs

Emerging from COVID: Policy Responses to the Pandemic

Lowy Institute experts provide policy recommendations for Australia to address issues that are critical to our nation's — and the world's — successful emergence from the pandemic.

Commentary

With an ailing domestic economy, can China still pursue its global plans?

Soaring unemployment and a struggling economy must be tackled before its leaders can return to threats and bluster. Originally published in The Guardian.

Analyses

The World After COVID

How will the COVID-19 pandemic change the world? Lowy Institute experts provide their analysis.

Policy Briefs

Taiwan Flashpoint: What Australia Can Do to Stop the Coming Taiwan Crisis

Australian diplomacy could ease rising tensions across the Taiwan Strait, if Australian policymakers rediscovered an appetite for involvement in the flashpoint.