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Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 18 hours ago
    • China
    • Defence & Security
    • Diplomacy
    • United States

    US-China: Rather than mutual understanding, strive for competition without conflict

    Sophie Wushuang Yi
    Military hotlines and exercise notifications could reduce escalation risks while acknowledging persistent misreading of intent.
  • 19 hours ago
    • China

    What year is it in China? Rethinking the timeline of a rising power

    Vincent So
    China’s international posture reflects not the confidence of a stable hegemon, but the impulses of a nationalist power in transition.
  • 17 Jun 2025
    • China
    • Russia
    • Global Issues
    • Sustainability
    • Technology
    • Middle East
    • United States

    Brave new interior world: The rise of self-enhancing states

    Roderick Parkes
    Power is shifting inward, not outward, with control and influence the currency of choice.
  • 13 Jun 2025
    • China
    • India

    China’s cartographic claims test fragile India rapprochement

    Ramita Iyer
    Despite four years of negotiations and recent agreements, territorial assertions continue to strain ties between the two powers.
  • 12 Jun 2025
    • China

    In remembering China’s Cultural Revolution, what you don’t know will hurt you

    Linda Jaivin
    Forgetting the trauma of Mao’s chaotic decade serves Xi’s stability agenda, but personal experience shapes his authoritarian methods.
  • 12 Jun 2025
    • China
    • Global Economy
    • United States

    China banks big wins as Trump withdraws from global aid game

    Robert Wihtol
    By abandoning climate finance and health initiatives, the United States is creating unprecedented opportunities for Chinese-led multilateral banks.
  • 11 Jun 2025
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • Diplomacy
    • Africa

    Taiwan’s Africa gambit

    Joseph Black
    In a world where power is defined by networks rather than borders, Taipei’s quiet diplomacy is making headway.
  • 10 Jun 2025
    • China
    • Climate change
    • Sustainability

    Beijing’s green mirage: How China drives environmental destruction abroad while claiming climate leadership at home

    Mohd. Yunus
    Massive commodity imports drive deforestation in Brazil and Indonesia even as domestic policies win international praise.
  • 6 Jun 2025
    • China
    • Diplomacy
    • United States

    What the US could lose by closing its universities to China

    Pete Millwood
    A chance to influence America’s most important competitor for one thing – but that’s only the start.
  • 4 Jun 2025
    • Aid & Development
    • China
    • Pacific Islands
    • Papua New Guinea

    How Papua New Guinea is rewriting Pacific education partnerships with China and more

    Bernard Yegiora
    District-led programs are driving a new demand for technical degrees and signalling a new agency in foreign relations.
  • 4 Jun 2025
    • China
    • Global Economy
    • Trade
    • United States

    Global trade: Why China can’t (and won’t) come to the rescue

    Henry Storey
    Those looking for relief from US tariffs will run up against China’s mercantilism and structurally weak demand.
  • 2 Jun 2025
    • Asia
    • Asean
    • China
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • United States

    No one’s world: The Global South is navigating a post-American order

    Alldo Fellix Januardy
    Global influence no longer flows solely from dominant capitals – and power itself is changing shape.
  • 27 May 2025
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • Australia
    • Australian trade, investment & economy
    • Trade

    The CPTPP dilemma: Economic merit versus geopolitical calculation

    Peter Varghese
    Trade arrangements work best when not hostage to security concerns.
  • 26 May 2025
    • China
    • Australian trade, investment & economy
    • Trade
    • Sustainability

    China’s rare earth advantage isn’t just about control

    Walter Colnaghi
    Domestic fixes are compounding global oversupply issues in an era of US-China rivalry and weaponised interdependence.
  • 16 May 2025
    • China
    • Russia

    Xi’s history lesson amid Putin’s party

    Michael Clarke
    An op-ed by the Chinese leader in a Russian newspaper tells a China-centred story of World War II which reveals his view of China's world role today.
  • 15 May 2025
    • China
    • Taiwan

    The Beiping model: How China could absorb Taiwan without a war

    Vincent So
    Victory can be achieved through the slow erosion of political cohesion, without triggering a Western military response.
  • 13 May 2025
    • China
    • Defence & Security

    Security with Chinese characteristics: How the Global Security Initiative reflects Beijing’s priorities at home

    William Matthews
    Three years after its proposal, a vision is emerging where some countries’ security interests are more legitimate than others.
  • 12 May 2025
    • China

    China’s “friendly neighbourhood diplomacy” has consequences for Australia

    Carolin Kautz
    The “Asian values” debate is back on the agenda while the Trump administration is MIA.
  • 8 May 2025
    • Bangladesh
    • China
    • Myanmar
    • United States

    Is the United States really planning a proxy war in Myanmar?

    Andrew Selth
    Despite reports to the contrary, the likelihood of any Western country joining the conflict is vanishingly small.
  • 6 May 2025
    • China
    • Diplomacy
    • United States

    An American abroad: How one influencer’s visit to China turned the tables

    Evan Freidin
    A US YouTuber shows how soft power is done.
  • 30 Apr 2025
    • China
    • India
    • Terrorism
    • Trade

    Tariffs and terrorism are derailing China-India rapprochement

    Chietigj Bajpaee
    And that’s where the 21st century contest will be felt most.
  • 30 Apr 2025
    • China
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Antarctica

    Australia-China: Port visits can manage tensions

    James Laurenceson , Xi Chen
    The Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia all have acute maritime disputes with China, but they continue to welcome naval visits. So why can't Australia?
  • 30 Apr 2025
    • China

    Explaining Xi’s PLA purges

    Michael Clarke , Jade Guan
    Rather than being challenged, China’s leader is wielding his power.
  • 29 Apr 2025
    • China
    • Global Economy

    China's yuan challenge: Navigating a US dollar-dominated global economy

    Fraser Howie
    Currency changes? The control-obsessed Chinese Communist Party isn’t going to hand over economic power any more than it would surrender political power.
  • 24 Apr 2025
    • China
    • Australia
    • Climate change
    • Sustainability
    • Technology

    If Australia is serious about becoming a renewable energy superpower, China must be part of the answer

    Caroline Wang
    A focus on risks shouldn’t blind us to the opportunities in the global green transition.
  • 23 Apr 2025
    • China
    • Australia
    • United States

    Australia’s knowledge dilemma

    Angela Lehmann
    While the United States devalues education and research, China is throwing everything at innovation.
  • 17 Apr 2025
    • China
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Intelligence and security
    • Maritime Security

    China’s “spy ship” that wasn’t off the coast of Australia

    Jennifer Parker
    Caught in a political storm, most claims about the mission of the Tan Suo Yi Hao don’t hold water.
  • 14 Apr 2025
    • China
    • Trade
    • United States

    What’s next in the US trade conflict?

    John Edwards
    A sense of economic déjà vu is driving the Trump administration in the dispute with China.
  • 11 Apr 2025
    • Aid & Development
    • China
    • Tonga

    Comparing Chinese and Australian aid in Tonga: Visibility, pageantry and performance

    Riley Duke
    A case study in being seen to deliver.
  • 7 Apr 2025
    • China
    • Trade
    • Technology
    • United States

    Electrifying geopolitics: Tesla vs BYD

    Mark Beeson
    The competition to change the world.
  • 4 Apr 2025
    • China
    • Taiwan

    What’s in a name? China tests Trump’s resolve on Taiwan

    Sophie Wushuang Yi
    Beijing is seeking to normalise pressure on Taipei and at the same time see just how transactional the United States has become.
  • 2 Apr 2025
    • China
    • United States

    A grand bargain between Trump and Xi?

    Ved Shinde
    Despite a focus on domestic imperatives, neither leader has lost sight of the higher goal of becoming numero uno.
  • 31 Mar 2025
    • Asia
    • China
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Technology

    Yes, some of China’s educated youth just asserted sovereignty over Australia

    Shijie Wang
    Online platforms reveal a fervent nationalism that has repercussions for the future of the region.
  • 27 Mar 2025
    • Aid & Development
    • China
    • Philippines

    The Philippines walks a tightrope with Chinese aid

    Alexandre Dayant , Grace Stanhope
    Pragmatism, not ideology, is driving development finance decisions.
  • 26 Mar 2025
    • China
    • Technology

    Cutting through the narrative: What China’s deep-sea cable-cutter really signals

    Cynthia Mehboob
    China’s deep-sea cable cutter isn’t about technology but theatre, less a weapon and more an effort to generate unease.
  • 25 Mar 2025
    • China
    • Vietnam
    • Global Economy
    • Trade
    • United States

    Made in Vietnam or a backdoor for Chinese exports?

    Roland Rajah , Ahmed Albayrak
    Fretting over “hidden” Chinese exports should not overshadow Vietnam’s helpful role in diversifying global supply chains.
  • 25 Mar 2025
    • China
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • AUKUS
    • Maritime Security

    Awful but lawful: China's Australia flotilla

    Thomas Shugart
    China wasn't making a legal point. This was a show of force.
  • 24 Mar 2025
    • China
    • India
    • United States

    Could India be the third wheel in a G2 world?

    Hervé Lemahieu
    Vignettes from Delhi’s annual geopolitics bazaar.
  • 21 Mar 2025
    • China
    • India

    As the world goes regional, India thinks global (perhaps to its detriment)

    Chietigj Bajpaee
    And for all the bluster, neither India nor China has filled the void in governance left by the US retreat from global leadership.
  • 19 Mar 2025
    • China
    • Myanmar

    China’s tightrope walk: Mediating in Myanmar

    Su Mon Thant
    Conflict along the border has spillover effects for China – and an increasingly evident geopolitical dimension.
  • 18 Mar 2025
    • Aid & Development
    • China
    • United States

    US aid cuts are a soft power surrender to China

    Riley Duke
    Even a static China will see its influence fill the vacuum left by US withdrawal.
  • 17 Mar 2025
    • China
    • Europe
    • European Union
    • United States

    Will Trump force Europe into China’s arms?

    Henry Storey
    It’s not clear that Beijing has much to give when it comes to resolving the most vexed issues in Sino-European relations.
  • 11 Mar 2025
    • China
    • Philippines
    • Intelligence and security

    Uncovering China’s spying game in the Philippines

    Don McLain Gill
    A string of arrests has been a wakeup call for Manila that the threat extends inside the water line.
  • 4 Mar 2025
    • China
    • Russia
    • United States

    Geopolitical fantasists: No, Trump won’t pull off a “reverse Nixon”

    Michael Clarke
    The character of international politics is vastly different, now to then.
  • 4 Mar 2025
    • China
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • International law

    China’ Australia flotilla: The live-fire loophole in the law of the sea

    Donald R Rothwell
    With countries each following their own procedures, a diplomatic initiative would be to work towards international agreement on the minimum notice required for live-fire exercises.
  • 4 Mar 2025
    • China
    • Hong Kong
    • Human rights
    • Sex and Gender
    • China's Government

    Feminism is still a dirty word in China

    Ciara Morris
    Organised feminist activism is nearly impossible in China in 2025, but Chinese women are still talking.
  • 3 Mar 2025
    • China
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security

    China's naval growth goes vertical

    David Vallance
    Australia needs to be prepared not just for the missile power of China's fleet today, but how it will look in a decade.
  • 25 Feb 2025
    • China
    • Technology
    • United States

    AI: China and the US go head-to-head

    Jean Dong , Christoph Nedopil
    As the superpowers vie for tech supremacy, Asia must play the usual juggling act.
  • 24 Feb 2025
    • China
    • China's Military
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia and Asia
    • Australia's Defence Challenges
    • Australian Defence Force
    • China-Australia Relations

    How should Australia respond to Chinese warships’ live fire?

    Sam Roggeveen
    Provocations such as the PLA’s weapons drills are the moments when Australia must channel its unique geographical power.
  • 14 Feb 2025
    • China
    • Pakistan

    Flight to nowhere: The curious New Gwadar International Airport

    Adnan Aamir
    A Chinese-funded white elephant relies on hope rather than reality.
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