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
China: No country for old men?
China: No country for old men?
On 18 October the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party will kick off, and the new makeup of the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) will be revealed. The…
Quick comment: Milton Osborne on Cambodia’s crackdown
Quick comment: Milton Osborne on Cambodia’s crackdown
In the middle of the night on Saturday, hundreds of police surrounded Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha's house. Despite his parliamentary immunity, they arrested him and took…
'Aung San Suu Kyi makes things worse for Rohingya'
Commentary
'Aung San Suu Kyi makes things worse for Rohingya'
Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald (Photo: Getty Images/Pool) Aaron L Connelly
Jokowi's panicky politics
Commentary
Jokowi's panicky politics
Originally published in Foreign Affairs.Matthew Busch
Southeast Asian perspectives on US–China competition
Reports
Southeast Asian perspectives on US–China competition
Southeast Asians inhabit a region increasingly shaped by competition between the United States and China. This joint Lowy Institute–Council on Foreign Relations Report seeks to…
A Chinese threat to Australian openness
Commentary
A Chinese threat to Australian openness
Originally published in the New York Times (Photo: Flickr/Mark爱生活) Merriden Varrall
How China views the plight of refugees
How China views the plight of refugees
With assistance from Zixin Wang, an intern with the Lowy Institute's East Asia Program. Following World Refugee Day on 20 June, Chinese netizens have been heatedly debating…
Australians' views of China: we need to go deeper than 'fear and greed'
Commentary
Australians' views of China: we need to go deeper than 'fear and greed'
Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald.Merriden Varrall
How China’s media framed the Hong Kong handover anniversary
How China’s media framed the Hong Kong handover anniversary
Last weekend marked the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from the UK to China, with Xi Jinping making his first trip to Hong Kong as President to hail the occasion. On…
What Otto Warmbier's Death Means for Policymakers
Commentary
What Otto Warmbier's Death Means for Policymakers
Originally published in the Diplomat. Frances Kitt
Spiegel International
20 October 2022
Daily Mail
23 October 2022
DPA Germany
23 October 2022
Agence France-Presse
23 October 2022
The Australian Financial Review
23 October 2022
The Australian
14 October 2022
The Christian Science Monitor
14 October 2022
The Times
17 October 2022
ABC The World Today
17 October 2022