Asia
Commentary
China is steadily building an alternative world order
Originally published in the Australian Financial Review on 29 September 2023.
Geopolitics and the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway
The long-delayed, China-backed Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway opened to the public on 2 October, with the journey of its first bullet train bringing to a conclusion the…
An election loophole could tarnish Jokowi’s legacy
Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has enjoyed consistently high approval ratings, better even than India’s popular Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In recent months, Jokowi…
Commentary
China-Australia thaw reveals limits of Beijing's economic coercion
Originally published in Nikkei Asia, 25 October 2023.
History repeats: A new (old) economic corridor emerges
The newly announced India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) seeks to reimagine the natural connectivity of eras past. Historic trading links between the Indian…
Not only the dragon: Understanding Southeast Asia’s complex security landscape
It is a cliché to identify China as Southeast Asia’s primary security concern. But it is understandable given the media’s focus on the overlapping maritime claims and tensions in…
As the world looks elsewhere, China stirs trouble in the South China Sea
China is again making mischief in the South China Sea, although this time while wars rage in Gaza and the Ukraine. The precise timing of its actions in the South China Sea…
Beijing’s interest in the Middle Corridor
Reports of Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s recent visit to China and his meeting with President Xi Jinping suggest that Beijing remains interested in the…
History and domestic dynamics: How ASEAN members see the Hamas-Israeli conflict
In the days since Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on 7 October, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has not made a formal statement about the crisis. This…
India’s G20 set new agendas
The G20 leadership baton will soon pass from India to Brazil with momentum on issues involving the environment, human security, equality and equity. India’s G20 presidency was…