Asia
Chart of the week: Global trade through a US-China lens
Who dominates global trade? It is well recognised that China has become the world’s largest trading nation. Less appreciated is the effect this has had in displacing the United…
India and Australia, newfound friends?
Scott Morrison is due to make his first trip to India as Australian Prime Minister next month, with stops expected in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. He has announced that he will…
Analyses
China’s Economic Choices
China’s economic growth has fallen to its slowest rate since 1990, and this deceleration looks set to continue unless China implements the kinds of deep reforms behind the…
Vietnam’s 2020 strategy: a year of diplomatic force-multipliers
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s raising of the ASEAN gavel last month signalled not only Vietnam’s commencement as chair of the regional grouping, but also the start…
India’s Citizenship Amendment Bill: A descent into theocracy
It’s a testament to India’s founding fathers that the country is home to more than 200 million Muslims, and it has been a source of pride for many Indians that the country’s…
Pacifying Australia-China relations
Australia and China cooperating in the Pacific Islands? At first glance it seems absurd.
Australia-China relations are hardly warm and glowing right now. Just in the last few…
In Australia’s China “debate”, there is no monopoly on morality
The China “debate” in Australia has entered a new phase. Some are calling, with varying degrees of explicitness, for Australia to adopt a long-term, confrontational posture…
Afghan peace is elusive but not impossible
The need for a negotiated withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan has increased in urgency after the Washington Post this week published an explosive article outlining the …
Aung San Suu Kyi: Why defend the indefensible?
This week, the world was treated to an extraordinary sight. Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner once hailed as “the bravest and most moral person in the world ... the…
Strength in numbers in the eastern Indian Ocean
India is the most capable resident power in the Indian Ocean, but its expanding military footprint is uneven and reliant on partnerships with likeminded states.
India’s military…