Asia
Economic diplomacy brief: security costs, Japanese investment, and Chinese business relations
Guns and money
The Productivity Commission has a welcome tradition of stepping into contentious areas of public policy, from disability insurance to climate change, just when the…
Beyond scandal: Facebook and Indonesian politics
In social media-loving Indonesia, Facebook is big business. As one of the biggest markets for the platform, it’s little surprise that Indonesia was the third most affected country…
Australia’s Chinese ballistic missile problem
Late last year in Australia, there was sudden interest shown in ballistic missile defence (BMD). Although the driver was North Korea’s missile testing, the real issue is China.
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Attack of the Twitter bots
One evening recently, over a glass of wine at an art opening, a friend who works in the cultural sector told me an interesting piece of news about my Twitter account.
“Do you…
Kim Jong-un made Donald Trump an offer he couldn’t refuse
US President Donald Trump’s decision to accept an offer to meet with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has elicited deep scepticism from many foreign policy experts and former high…
North Korea’s nuclear test freeze: practical as much as political
The weekend announcement of a freeze on North Korean nuclear and missile tests appears stunning. The political implications are profound, yet the decision is also influenced by…
The Beijing way of trade punishment
On 18 April, The Australian newspaper reported that Chinese students had “defied” warnings from their government about safety in Australia and enrolled in…
Australian warships challenged in South China Sea
How should we react to news reports that China challenged Australian warships in the course of transiting the South China Sea, on their way from Subic Bay in the Philippines…
Will China’s new aid agency be effective?
China has a new International Development Cooperation Agency (IDCA). The IDCA will respond directly to the State Council and integrate the aid functions of the Ministries of…
The Rohingya question: determining who to hold to account
Ever since the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, ethnic minority groups, human rights advocates, and others have argued that Myanmar’s armed forces, or Tatmadaw, should be held…