As flygskam fever erupts, why not ration frequent flyers to save a global cost of travel on the flimsiest of pretexts?

Australia seems set to end this year about twice as dependent on China for its two-way trade than on the United States.

Women are rarely seen in Pacific Island judiciaries, but the tide is starting to turn.

This year’s gathering will hear new, old, and recycled ideas, but the ones that make a difference may not make the news.

Two recent cases show how rising intolerance and intimidation has a legal cost for minorities in the archipelago nation.

A survey finds surprising results when Australians are asked to consider Chinese aid in the Pacific.

A rude challenge awaits Canberra’s cosy assumptions about the Antarctic Treaty System and its ongoing relevance.

As tensions rise, this highpoint of multilateralism in the past offers comfort to the present in knowing rules apply.

The UK has made a premature break with what should be a collective response to a crisis in Europe’s near-abroad.

Perpetual conflicts put Aung San Suu Kyi’s peace plan – and political future – on shaky ground.

A racist advert on the state broadcaster has again thrust tensions about Singapore society into the limelight.

In a battle of wills in the region, Australia and Indonesia now find the island nations have a measure of leverage.

The Morrison government’s Pacific “Step Up” will stumble before it starts unless global warming is taken seriously.

The hope might rest with Imran Khan, but for all the warm words, Pakistan can do only so much to influence the Taliban.

Beijing should pay legitimate intellectual property charges yet the system is an imperfect way to reward innovation.

Politics more than military necessity will decide if Australia backs Trump’s push for a Persian Gulf security force.

Outbursts of patriotic consumer outrage has become an increasing risk for foreign businesses in China.

Threat perceptions dominate, as expected in a defence statement – but with wider goals to reshape security architecture.

Could trade talks with China be split from broader diplomacy in order to escape a security dilemma?

A June attack in Sulu could be a rediscovery of an almost forgotten cultural practice rather than ISIS mimicry.

From tracking development data to the visit of PNG’s PM, stories and links from across the Pacific islands region.

If not quite a return to the Cold War, there are operational consequences to China’s increasing naval capabilities.

The new PM has big ambition to write a new chapter for the country but not to put himself at the centre of every deal.

Finding a voice amid the diplomatic clamour in Washington can sometimes benefit from the help of friends.