22 hours ago
China's cyber forces are impressive, and growing
Beijing is harnessing civilian hackers and military units to build one of the world's most powerful cyber forces.
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2 days ago
The truth about Arctic "strategic competition"
The region is far less important, and less contested, than commonly claimed. -
2 days ago
The sidelining of human capital in Western industrial policy
American high school seniors can’t pass algebra. Meanwhile, China dominates the tech sector with homegrown knowledge capital. -
21 Jan 2026
Trump has swapped “productive hypocrisy” for crude exercises of power
Washington hasn’t changed its behaviour towards allies and adversaries – only its honesty about it. -
19 Jan 2026
Peace the Asian way?: China’s role in the Thailand-Cambodia conflict
The contrast between American and Chinese approaches to the border dispute is stark. -
19 Jan 2026
Yes, Vietnam really is winning the trade wars
Higher exports are delivering real gains, alongside rerouted Chinese production. -
19 Jan 2026
The decline of sanctions
A once useful policy instrument is being undermined by evasion and a crisis of legitimacy -
13 Jan 2026
The green mirage: China’s clean tech built on coal
Beijing’s green credentials rely on fossil fuel. The West prefers not to notice. -
8 Jan 2026
Beijing’s view of China–India relations
A visit to Beijing reveals faultlines in the China-India relationship, and a few stereotypes. -
7 Jan 2026
China vs America: Dan Wang and his sceptics
The critical reception to "Breakneck" and what it reveals about America and China. -
18 Dec 2025
When slogans and soundbites stand in for strategy
From Beijing to Washington, words only work if strategy and resources match promises. -
17 Dec 2025
A red banner year for the PLA
For observers of the Chinese military, 2025 has been a year like no other. -
17 Dec 2025
China’s dispute with India over Arunachal Pradesh
The detainment in Shanghai of an Indian citizen highlights Beijing’s fixation with controlling narratives of statehood. -
16 Dec 2025
Leveraging Taiwan: India’s strategic counterbalance to China
Record trade and closer ties with Taipei mark New Delhi’s shift from caution to assertiveness. -
11 Dec 2025
Solving the puzzle of China's defence spending
Can we accurately calculate China's defence spending now, and even a decade into the future? -
11 Dec 2025
Why the Ukraine war works in China’s favour
China has Russia cornered – reliant on Beijing for markets and energy exports and playing the role of junior partner. -
10 Dec 2025
China’s new media platform: Telling stories, shaping narratives
The Maritime Silk Road Media Cooperation Platform offers opportunities for media outlets from Indonesia – but also poses risks. -
10 Dec 2025
China raises the cost of Indonesia’s neutrality
Far from mere choreography, Beijing is shaping Jakarta’s growth agenda to suit its future core interests. -
5 Dec 2025
Fighting China’s subsidies means copying China’s economic model
Rather than just raising trade barriers, countries should predict where Chinese subsidies will move next to compete there. -
2 Dec 2025
Why xenophobia won't solve South Korea's China problem
A rise in anti-Chinese sentiment damages Seoul’s image and fails to address the real issues of defence and security. -
1 Dec 2025
How China views its economic relations with Indonesia
Economic dependence, not alliance, suits Beijing’s interests. -
27 Nov 2025
Critical minerals: Why fast-tracking undermines democratic legitimacy
With mineral projects taking years to move from exploration to production, Australia must hasten carefully. -
27 Nov 2025
From Kabul to Kyiv, Trump’s pattern is clear – negotiate with enemies, sideline allies
Australia and other partners must plainly see that America’s commitment to defending democracies is fading fast. -
25 Nov 2025
Southeast Asian manufacturing: No longer immune from geopolitics
The region’s industrial sector must adapt in a new climate of supply-chain weaponisation. -
17 Nov 2025
The paradox of US military retrenchment in the Asia-Pacific
A partial retreat in the region could backfire, flaming tensions and emboldening China’s aggression. -
14 Nov 2025
The US-China fentanyl deal will not stop America’s opioid crisis
Synthetic drug makers can adapt faster than governments regulate, rendering precursor bans at best short-term respite. -
13 Nov 2025
Where the Philippines might lead ASEAN
Will Manila shake off its “deputy sheriff” badge to become the anchor of a new coalition in Southeast Asia? -
12 Nov 2025
Will North Korea defend China in a Taiwan war?
Pyongyang’s contribution to Moscow’s war against Ukraine means a difficult question needs to be asked in the event shooting starts. -
31 Oct 2025
High waters, deep divisions in views of the South China Sea
One side’s freedom of navigation is the other’s territorial violation – and no code of conduct seems set to reconcile this. -
28 Oct 2025
Is the India–China détente real?
Existential differences and longstanding distrust make the current normalisation of relations deeply unstable. -
21 Oct 2025
What Trump told Albanese about Taiwan matters more than AUKUS
False confidence can breed dangerous assumptions in any US stand-off with China. -
21 Oct 2025
What a chipmaker in the Netherlands can tell Australia about its commercial relations with China
Commercial disputes with China can escalate quickly – and apparently stable ties can be quickly upended. -
17 Oct 2025
China’s innovation fixation
The coming plenum will reveal Xi’s economic agenda as security project, not growth program. -
17 Oct 2025
Signal failure for China’s railway diplomacy in Southeast Asia
As Indonesia renegotiates railway debt with China, other Southeast Asian nations face a cautionary tale about mega-projects. -
17 Oct 2025
Trump wants our rare earths minerals, but we should keep selling to China too
With almost “the whole periodic table” on offer, Australia should avoid choosing sides in the US–China minerals tussle. -
15 Oct 2025
Rare earth showdown: Why the West must learn to pick winners – and partners
Albanese must convince Trump that only allied cooperation can break China's rare earth chokehold. -
13 Oct 2025
Why the US–Japan–South Korea trilateral agreement must evolve
History shows us that an adaptive coalition built on trust and interoperability can trump formal alliances. -
8 Oct 2025
Pakistan’s Pasni port pitch to Washington can reshape regional rivalries with China and India
Minerals over missiles – at least, that’s the message Islamabad is sending. -
6 Oct 2025
The great omission: A clarifying statement on North Korea’s nukes
A quiet but seismic shift in Beijing’s language reveals a new reality: China now treats a nuclear North Korea as a practical reality. -
3 Oct 2025
America’s EV plan needs Southeast Asia more than it admits
Unless the US wants to pay more and wait longer, it should secure trusted capacity from non-Chinese supply chains. -
1 Oct 2025
Manila’s lonely island at the centre of Taiwan contingency planning
At the Philippines’ northernmost point, troops guard waters that could determine Taiwan’s fate. -
1 Oct 2025
How Trump’s $14 billion TikTok tug-of-war affects Asia
With Western nations cracking down on the wildly popular app, does Beijing have its sights set on the developing markets? -
29 Sep 2025
Afghanistan must tread a narrow path to stability
Denial and extremism have plagued the Taliban’s return. Will they let history repeat itself or can they reform? -
22 Sep 2025
China’s Victory Day parade: A tale of two audiences
Beijing’s military showcase revealed the challenge of projecting strength abroad while maintaining confidence at home. -
22 Sep 2025
Complacent nation: Australia and the Asian Century
Decades of ambition have left us with a nation still unable to speak the language of our neighbours. -
18 Sep 2025
Nepal’s generational revolt catches China and India in the middle
Political upheaval in Kathmandu tests the limits of great power influence in South Asia. -
18 Sep 2025
US-China rare earth talks: Trading predictability for time
Transparency in rare earth licensing could tame market volatility. -
12 Sep 2025
Taiwan's diplomacy doesn't have to come from the government
City-to-city agreements are creating small but powerful connections for Taiwan in ways its national officials cannot. -
11 Sep 2025
Northern Myanmar: The latest stop in Trump’s rare earths escapade
The likelihood of Chinese buy-in on US–Myanmar mining deals is remote. -
10 Sep 2025
The South China Sea’s next legal frontier: Ships without sailors
Unmanned warships blur legal boundaries as technology outpaces international law in contested maritime zones.