Next year’s contenders for non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council have much to offer, and perhaps much to gain.

President Rodrigo Duterte has chosen to woo Beijing, in spite of widespread public objection.

Coalition ships and aircraft may escort ships through the strait but legally they cannot patrol in or over the strait.

After a controversial vaccine ban, the government struggles to contain the epidemic.

The visit by Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Marape signalled a new chapter in a historical relationship.

Countries banding together in a multilateral response to great-power competition seems to be on the way up.

Scott Morrison backed the Iran nuclear deal to reinforce “the rules-based international system”, only to be Trumped.

News stories from across the aid and development sector

Australia will back the US and join a maritime force in the Persian Gulf, but with no rush to deploy – which is telling.

It’s not only the complications of international politics here, but the commercial desire to keep platforms “social”.

The trade in territory is not without precedent and the growing power contest over the Arctic is little appreciated.

Tech transfers allow emerging economies to leapfrog a development stage but may not guarantee competitive advantage.

Will Tokyo’s tough stance against recent rulings in Seoul deter claims from other Asian countries?

What does development look like, two decades after starting over?

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.