Skip to main content
The Interpreter

Interpreter - Menu Links

  • Articles
  • Debates
  • Contributors
  • About

Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 25 Jan 2023
    • China
    • Australia
    • Energy
    • Resource security
    • Technology

    Lithium, lightest metal on earth, carries heavy geopolitical weight

    Marina Yue Zhang
    Instead of a source of great tech power competition, lithium should be key to a collective fight against climate change.
  • 23 Jan 2023
    • China
    • Chinese Trade
    • Australia
    • Australia's Trade
    • Trade
    • WTO

    How will China’s punitive trade restrictions against Australia end?

    Justin Brown
    Good vibes could turn into a solution – but if China demands a quid pro quo, reaching agreement will be complex.
  • 13 Jan 2023
    • China
    • Australia
    • Australian immigration
    • Migration

    Undue suspicion of Chinese Australian scientists slows progress

    Yun Jiang
    Clear guidance is needed how national security is assessed in research and what are the boundaries of collaboration.
  • 10 Jan 2023
    • China
    • Review

    Avenging the century of humiliation, one artefact at a time

    Mercedes Page
    The looting of Beijing’s “Garden of Eternal Brightness” by European armies in 1860 lingers in tales of the diaspora.
  • 3 Jan 2023
    • China

    CCP: Who makes up the party

    Richard McGregor
    Demography is destiny, as is said – and the numbers in China make for a compelling story.
  • 30 Dec 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan

    How to Interpret 2022: A Taiwan crisis

    Daniel Flitton
    One of Asia’s flashpoints again tested regional relations, as well as analysts.
  • 29 Dec 2022
    • China
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Global Issues
    • United States
    • Review

    Pop culture politics: How to Interpret 2022

    Daniel Flitton
    “Soft power” or reputation risk, the cross-over of popular entertainment and global politics is never far from the news.
  • 27 Dec 2022
    • China
    • Australia
    • Pacific Islands
    • Solomon Islands

    How to Interpret 2022: Solomon Islands strikes a deal

    Clare Caldwell
    Honiara’s foreign policy caused ripples across the region, as we round up highlights of the year from The Interpreter.
  • 19 Dec 2022
    • China
    • Middle East
    • Saudi Arabia

    China’s catch-up game in the Middle East

    Rodger Shanahan
    For all the promises and praise, there is little prospect of displacing deep ties between the Gulf nations and the West.
  • 16 Dec 2022
    • China
    • Australia
    • Review

    Beyond binary choices in Australia China relations

    Jennifer Hsu
    Trade partner or security threat? Might we escape the trap of over securitisation with more diversity in leadership?
  • 14 Dec 2022
    • China
    • Middle East
    • Saudi Arabia

    A step-up for China’s involvement in the Middle East

    Dave Sharma
    Beijing will not soon supplant Washington as a dominant security partner ­– but the Arab world sees a chance for leverage.
  • 5 Dec 2022
    • China
    • China-India Relations
    • India
    • India's Navy
    • Indonesia
    • Australia and Asia
    • Australian Navy

    Islands of opportunity: Australia and India’s chance to collaborate

    Radhey Tambi
    The Indian Ocean region is too large for any one country to manage but cooperation on island territories would help.
  • 2 Dec 2022
    • China

    Kevin Rudd on Jiang Zemin, steward of China’s rise

    Kevin Rudd
    Jiang offered rare colour as a leader who saw a “strategic opportunity” for China in engaging with the world.
  • 29 Nov 2022
    • China
    • Indonesia

    Getting the narrative right: China’s media reach in Indonesia

    Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat
    Beijing is weaving its story into hearts and minds in the region via influence campaigns that could impact democracy.
  • 16 Nov 2022
    • China
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy

    “Big differences to manage”: Albanese and Xi put a value on diplomacy

    Melissa Conley Tyler
    The government can say Australia didn’t have to give up interests or values to restart dialogue.
  • 15 Nov 2022
    • Asean
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Trade

    Putting food at the heart of China-Indonesia relations

    Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat
    Beijing sees Indonesia as a major contributor to its food security and this has found receptive ears in Jakarta.
  • 10 Nov 2022
    • China
    • India
    • United States

    Nationalist propaganda at a screen near you

    Evan Freidin
    Recent cinematic offerings from the United States, China and India are straight out of the central casting handbook.
  • 9 Nov 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • China
    • Pacific Islands

    An explanation for the decline of China’s aid in the Pacific

    Jia Deng
    A drop in Chinese funding may be a sign of belt tightening in an effort to tackle Beijing’s own domestic debt problem.
  • 8 Nov 2022
    • Bangladesh
    • China
    • India
    • Myanmar

    How China, India and Bangladesh could be drawn into Myanmar’s conflict

    David Brewster
    Rakhine state has become a de facto battleground for the competing interests of Beijing, Delhi and Dhaka.
  • 3 Nov 2022
    • China
    • European Union
    • Germany

    Make or break: Scholz’ Beijing business

    Dominique Fraser
    What happens in Europe won’t stay in Europe. Rifts on China risk common understanding with partners, Australia included.
  • 27 Oct 2022
    • China

    Even now, standing supreme, Xi has limits to his power

    Thi Mai Anh Nguyen
    The very loyalists that have facilitated Xi’s rise could yet provide a constraint to his ambition.
  • 24 Oct 2022
    • China
    • Australia
    • Technology
    • United States

    Where the chips fall: in containing China, the US can leave Australia out

    James Laurenceson
    Australia’s interest won’t be served by supporting US efforts to build a high fence around China’s technology industry.
  • 21 Oct 2022
    • China
    • Australia
    • Pacific Islands

    Waiting for the thaw: the Pacific hopeful on Australia-China reset

    Shailendra Bahadur Singh
    The island countries stand to benefit from any improvement in relations between two big development partners.
  • 20 Oct 2022
    • China

    China: Xi, the Party, and the endless struggle

    Jennifer Hsu
    The latest national congress declares ambition for the people central to all reforms – with the Party’s guiding hand.
  • 17 Oct 2022
    • China
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    Could China save the world?

    Mark Beeson
    It is difficult to imagine Xi Jinping brokering peace in Ukraine, but if China wants to be respected, this is a chance.
  • 14 Oct 2022
    • China
    • Environment
    • Sustainability

    Can China build a “community” for shared oceans?

    Cherry Hitkari
    Amiable talk about safeguarding partners and protecting marine environment hasn’t allayed suspicions.
  • 13 Oct 2022
    • China
    • Australia
    • Review

    Found in translation: Australia and China’s shared history

    Angela Lehmann
    A memoir on collective historical baggage has much to teach about the evolution and maturation of both nations.
  • 12 Oct 2022
    • China
    • China's Economy
    • China's Government

    Xi Jinping: when enough is too much

    Hamish McDonald
    Worried about the rise of China? Maybe you should be rooting for another five-year term from the supreme leader.
  • 3 Oct 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • China
    • Timor-Leste
    • Australia

    Greater Sunrise: Can Timor-Leste play the “China card”?

    Teesta Prakash , Jack Sato
    Beijing is a minor player in development finance for Dili – but it’s a different story with state-owned enterprises.
  • 29 Sep 2022
    • China
    • China's Economy
    • Climate change
    • Environment
    • Sustainability

    Water scarcity challenges China’s development model

    Henry Storey
    With its industry and agriculture reliant on diminishing H2O, a crisis looms for the world’s most populous country.
  • 26 Sep 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • United States

    Taiwan: Biden risks talking himself into a war he cannot win

    Hugh White
    The military balance is shifting China’s way, and half-abandoning a policy of strategic ambiguity won’t change that.
  • 20 Sep 2022
    • Central Asia
    • China
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    The war in Ukraine is pushing Central Asia away from Russia

    Bermet Talant
    Russia’s loss has been China’s gain.
  • 20 Sep 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • The Biden Presidency
    • United States

    What does Biden mean on Taiwan?

    Robert Ayson
    When Washington doesn’t speak with one voice, its powers of strategic ambiguity are slowly chipped away.
  • 19 Sep 2022
    • China
    • Russia

    China’s ungainly balancing act with Russia

    Michael Clarke
    The promise is a “no limits” friendship. But there are evident boundaries, all the same.
  • 9 Sep 2022
    • Asean
    • China
    • Southeast Asia
    • United States

    US-China rivalry in Southeast Asia need not be a zero-sum game

    Thi Mai Anh Nguyen
    The big powers should pay more attention to the cooperative instincts of regional partners.
  • 9 Sep 2022
    • Central Asia
    • China
    • India
    • Russia

    The SCO: an illiberal club of growing global significance

    Nick Bisley
    A likely face-to-face meeting between Putin, Xi and Modi will be an uncomfortable sight for Quad partners.
  • 9 Sep 2022
    • China
    • Human rights
    • United Nations

    Beijing three-step: China denies, deflects and dissembles on Xinjiang

    Michael Clarke
    The UN human rights report has exposed China’s hollow propaganda claims – but won’t stop them.
  • 6 Sep 2022
    • China
    • North Korea
    • Russia
    • Review

    China, Russia and North Korea: the wars that never end

    Mateo Szlapek-Sewillo
    A new book explores pride and defiance as weapons of history in the world’s socialist and autocratic bloc.
  • 2 Sep 2022
    • China
    • Human rights
    • United Nations

    A tragedy in Xinjiang, a tragedy for the UN

    Mercedes Page
    A long-delayed report finding human rights abuses – though damning – is a sign of China’s level of influence at the United Nations.
  • 24 Aug 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • United States

    What are the prospects for stability across the Taiwan Strait?

    Jade Guan
    A democratic Taiwan has considerable agency and capacity to affect the dynamics of power in East Asia.
  • 19 Aug 2022
    • China
    • China's Government
    • China's Military
    • Taiwan
    • United States

    The social media spectacle of China’s Taiwan military exercises

    Manya Koetse
    The whole world’s a stage when it comes to promoting the power behind the “one China” narrative.
  • 19 Aug 2022
    • China
    • India
    • Sri Lanka

    China is losing ground in Sri Lanka

    Rupert Stone
    Beijing is blamed unfairly for its role in the island’s crisis ­– but its response has hardly enhanced China’s influence.
  • 17 Aug 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • Defence & Security

    Why can’t Beijing renounce force against Taiwan?

    Jade Guan
    History, nationalism, the Party, deterrence and the military make for a heady mix.
  • 16 Aug 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan

    China’s Taiwan policy in the “new era”

    Cherry Hitkari
    Beijing’s latest white paper on Taiwan is a marked shift in tone from the more accommodating versions past.
  • 16 Aug 2022
    • China
    • Philippines
    • Taiwan
    • United States

    What the Philippines has at stake in Taiwan

    Susannah Patton
    Strategic choices by Manila will matter to Washington and Beijing.
  • 11 Aug 2022
    • China
    • India
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    India and Russia: friends for a reason, friends for a season

    Aarti Betigeri
    Delhi plays a delicate balancing act between self-interest and historical friendship. And it’s all about oil and gas.
  • 9 Aug 2022
    • China
    • China's Government
    • China's Military
    • Taiwan
    • United States

    When serious, careful US management of China–Taiwan policies … isn’t

    John Culver
    The status quo in the Strait has changed. But is anyone really tuning in as the drama unfolds?
  • 2 Aug 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • United States

    Will Pelosi’s trip trigger the next Taiwan crisis?

    Adam Lockyer
    The speaker has a long history of standing against Beijing. But Asia’s balance of military power has changed.
  • 1 Aug 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • China
    • Chinese Foreign Aid
    • United Nations

    Unpacking China’s Global Development Initiative

    Mercedes Page
    Red flags should be flying about Beijing’s latest challenge to the international development agenda.
  • 28 Jul 2022
    • China
    • Australia
    • Trade
    • Pacific Islands

    Economic diplomacy: The Pacific reset needs real commercial investment

    Greg Earl
    The language of geopolitics is trickling down to unexpected corners of the economy with wide-ranging long-term impact.
Pagination
  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • Current page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • Page 6
  • Page 7
  • Page 8
  • Page 9
  • …
  • Next page ››

Stay informed with the latest commentary and analysis on international events from experts at the Lowy Institute and around the world.

Register

The Interpreter features in-depth analysis & expert commentary on the latest international events, published daily by the Lowy Institute

© Copyright 2023 Lowy Institute

  • Debates
  • Contributors
  • Articles
  • About
  • Comments Policy
  • My Bookmarks
  • Terms of Use
  • Site map
  • My Admin
  • Log In