Asia
Russia’s Asia diplomacy
Russia’s long-serving Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov shuttled between Beijing, New Delhi and Islamabad in recent weeks, putting on a diplomatic display that could be described as…
Will the Five Eyes stare down China’s economic coercion?
Next month brings the inauspicious one-year anniversary of China ramping up a campaign of trade punishment against Australia. Wine, barley, beef, lobster and coal have all been…
Has China given up on state-owned enterprise reform?
Outside observers have all but given up hope that China will engage in meaningful state-owned enterprise (SOE) reform. There is a pervasive sense that rather than shrinking SOEs,…
Thailand’s sweeping associations law courts disaster
For decades, Thailand has served as the primary regional hub for UN agencies and programs, international humanitarian organisations and advocacy groups. In comparison to their…
The Quad’s uneasy place in Southeast Asia
Last month, the leaders of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue – the United States, Japan, India and Australia – met for the first time. Promising to strive for a region…
Serbia’s vaccine diplomacy: Balancing China and the West
There is a country in Europe whose citizens can freely choose which Covid-19 vaccine they wish to receive, whether the Western-made Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca, China’s…
With Olympic snub, North Korea returns to isolation
North Korean sports officials announced last week that the country would not be sending athletes to the Tokyo Olympics due to Covid-19 concerns. The brief statement, buried at the…
Dili floods a costly consequence of poor urban planning
Heavy rains from 29 March to 4 April caused floods and landslides in many parts of Timor-Leste, claiming more than 40 lives, displacing thousands of people and destroying critical…
Commentary
Australia is failing to recognise an urgent need: recruiting more Chinese-Australians into public service
Originally published in The Conversation.
The Quad (finally) delivers: Can it be sustained?
On 19 March, the leaders of four important democracies of the Indo-Pacific region – the United States, Japan, Australia and India – held (virtually) their first-ever “Quad Summit…