31 Jan 2022
China’s “common prosperity” is a Catch-22
A phenomenal housing glut in the Chinese market is eroding the country’s productivity and economic future.
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28 Jan 2022
Living with a feared China and Russian-built chaos
Giving way in the face of belligerence won’t make it stop – but nor does aggression portend doom and major war. -
27 Jan 2022
Will the EU step up to secure rules-based Indo-Pacific trade?
The rivalry with China is systemic and heft is needed to anchor market-orientated trade. -
25 Jan 2022
Solomon Islands: cops bearing gifts
Australia and China offer the archipelago nation a grab bag of policing options that often miss the mark. -
25 Jan 2022
China’s new reality
Forget geopolitics and military muscle flexing. Reality TV is where Beijing and Taipei can put aside their differences. -
24 Jan 2022
The D10 is dead, long live the … Network of Liberty?
Not explicitly focussing on a grouping of democracies is smart and includes more countries engaged in pushback on China. -
24 Jan 2022
Could minilateralism work in the South China Sea?
Jakarta’s ambitions for a maritime alliance with its ASEAN neighbours is the right response to intimidation from China. -
19 Jan 2022
Mongolia suffers under China’s zero Covid policy
Small and landlocked, the Central Asian nation struggles to balance its economy with essential public health measures. -
28 Dec 2021
China’s economic punishment – Best of The Interpreter 2021
Beijing sought to make Australia pay as a diplomatic freeze deepened. But the sanction didn’t entirely go to plan. -
23 Dec 2021
Myths that stir trouble in the South China Sea
A major shipping route, yes, but vital? False claims about the value of these waters only make diplomacy harder. -
17 Dec 2021
China, Australia, and the Internet of Things
Australia must learn to manage, rather than avoid, the dilemmas of a global reliance on Chinese digital networks. -
16 Dec 2021
Common prosperity meets the Belt and Road
Xi’s emphasis on the “real-economy” could also engender a qualitative shift in the types of investments Beijing makes. -
15 Dec 2021
Crisis stability as a priority in US-China relations
Arms control with China will look very different from arms control with Russia. -
14 Dec 2021
Lights! Camera! Action! A new Hollywood
China’s love of American cinema is pushing the limits on a film industry that is highly regulated by the state. -
9 Dec 2021
Europe is finally getting serious about China
The Global Gateway and Germany’s new government suggests trouble ahead for EU-China relations. -
7 Dec 2021
Taming the “grey zone”
It has become something of a catch-all phrase. But if everything is a grey zone tactic, to what extent is this helpful? -
3 Dec 2021
Twenty years of BRICS
As analysis by acronym, it has been a stunning success. But for reorganising global economic governance? -
3 Dec 2021
FOCAC: No mention of controversies while China sticks to a game plan
While largely business as usual, China’s major summit with African leaders did signal some important shifts. -
2 Dec 2021
Economic diplomacy: Free trade vs economic resilience
From Chinese iPhones to university classrooms, trade in services is being redefined. -
24 Nov 2021
Paul Keating may be the “Grand Appeaser”, but is he wrong?
The lessons of history are many and few are simple. Empty threats can be just as damaging to a country’s reputation. -
24 Nov 2021
India, China cop finger pointing in climate politics
It really depends on your perspective as to who deserves blame for a disappointing process in Glasgow. -
23 Nov 2021
Regulating unmanned underwater vehicles in Indonesian waters
Deep sea drones are revolutionising marine science. But the military potential makes transparency essential. -
17 Nov 2021
China’s digital currency: Next stop, Africa?
Beijing’s new electronic payment system has major implications for the global economy. -
16 Nov 2021
Cautiously optimistic: Chinese students keen to get back to Australia
A data analysis of internet sources from within mainland China shows positive sentiment towards education in Australia. -
15 Nov 2021
Is Australia relevant?
Neighbours in Southeast Asia may not be “forced to choose” but rather “left behind”. -
10 Nov 2021
China: rejecting rubbish
Far from trashing its reputation, Beijing did the world a favour by swinging the sword. -
9 Nov 2021
India’s answer to China’s ports in Sri Lanka
Adani’s multimillion-dollar investment in Colombo not only makes commercial sense, it’s a strategic game-changer, too. -
1 Nov 2021
Markets and resilience in the face of economic coercion
Calls for a “China plus” strategy rightfully draws business attention to the need to manage rising geoeconomic risks. -
29 Oct 2021
Just how serious is Xi about climate change?
China should have much to gain from a decarbonising global economy yet displays a confusing ambivalence to the question. -
29 Oct 2021
The legal case for defending Taiwan
If a narrow interpretation of international law saw China attack Taiwan, a League of Nations-style crisis would ensue. -
28 Oct 2021
China’s education diplomacy in Central Asia
Where Russian universities once schooled the elite, students are increasingly changing preference. -
27 Oct 2021
AUKUS? Quad? FOIP? A fragmented approach cannot counter China
Only a coherent policy for the Indo-Pacific will work. The West needs to offer a strong economic balance to Beijing. -
22 Oct 2021
China’s economic sanctions made Australia more confident
Greed hasn’t left Canberra cowering in the face of Beijing’s attempted punishment. -
21 Oct 2021
Economic diplomacy: Los Angeles port pips China as Christmas grinch
Amid an emerging global trade supply chain crisis, Australian economic policy advisers are more reserved about risks. -
21 Oct 2021
US-China: tiers of cohabitation
A new model of great power relations should begin with accepting the enduring need for coexistence. -
14 Oct 2021
Would a war over Taiwan be legal?
International law defines statehood and provides the rules of war, but ambiguities abound in the case of Taiwan. -
14 Oct 2021
AUKUS: Why Beijing didn’t go ballistic
China’s reaction was in words not deeds. Another high-profile case may have influenced its attitude. -
8 Oct 2021
China and the future of the Antarctic mining ban
The continent’s resources are frozen until at least 2048. But a carbon-zero shift could see them left on ice far longer. -
7 Oct 2021
Economic diplomacy: Japan’s new PM joins the (supply) chain gang
New research shows Australia may be an export diversification role model. -
6 Oct 2021
Chinese warplanes overhead Taiwan (or maybe not)
Multi-aircraft flights – some at night – signal a growing sophistication. But there are still limits. -
5 Oct 2021
In defence of AUKUS
This is not only about nuclear-powered submarines; it is about a strengthened US commitment to Australia. -
4 Oct 2021
Is China’s “age of ambition” over?
Xi Jinping tempers the expectations and aspirations of the country’s next generation. -
4 Oct 2021
The scope to negotiate with China on the CPTPP
It would be useful to have more cooperative economic ballast in relations, even as other things might deteriorate. -
30 Sep 2021
China’s declining Pacific aid presence
Beijing is becoming less generous. New data suggests 2018 was a high water mark for China’s aid to the region. -
28 Sep 2021
Australia’s real leverage in China’s CPTTP bid
Beijing has handed Canberra an unexpected bargaining chip. The question is how to best use it? -
23 Sep 2021
Economic diplomacy: After AUKUS in trade, aid and technology
Commercial links may be China’s response to the submarine deal. -
23 Sep 2021
Can the China model be accommodated in the CPTPP?
A rules-based trading system is the bare minimum that Beijing must agree to if it wants to talk accession. -
21 Sep 2021
AUKUS and the CPTPP: It’s all about China
Security deterrence is only one factor in the new and fast-moving geostrategic environment of the Indo-Pacific. -
17 Sep 2021
China – a lonely superpower
Despite many countries having issues with the West, China has few obvious alliance candidates. -
14 Sep 2021
Fears China will play games with the 2022 Winter Olympics
Beijing’s practice of arbitrary arrest and “hostage diplomacy” is prompting a backlash that may lead to a boycott.