Asia
The world needs a new plan to deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan
For millions of war-weary Afghans, the only source of basic healthcare and education for years has been a particular European aid organisation. And now the de facto Taliban…
Economic diplomacy: Japan’s message in a gas bottle
New emissions
When Japan’s ambassador Shingo Yamagami left Australia earlier than scheduled in April, the Albanese government probably hoped it would get a break from his…
Why China tripled its heavy truck shipments to Central Asia: Unravelling the influence of Russia’s war in Ukraine
Trade data shows Central Asia’s imports from China are up sharply, as the region is progressively integrated into a Beijing-Moscow economic axis.
Central Asia is increasingly a…
Has history left Aung San Suu Kyi behind?
It has been suggested recently that Myanmar’s imprisoned State Counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been left behind by history and is no longer relevant to the outcome of the civil…
It might be plastic fantastic, but Barbie lends cartoonish credibility to China’s nine-dash line
To think that even before Hollywood actors and writers went out on strike, the year had already produced one of the biggest film controversies – Barbie stumbling across China’s …
The emergence of “collective strategic ambiguity” on Taiwan
Since terminating its formal alliance with Taiwan in 1979, the United States has adhered to a policy known as “strategic ambiguity”. The Taiwan Relations Act, which Congress…
Despite the excitement, India’s South China Sea policy remains unchanged
An India-Philippines joint statement last month has caused a stir. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s Foreign Minister, and his Filipino counterpart, Enrique Manalo, issued a…
Australia and Southeast Asia: Driving EV collaboration across borders
“All countries deserve to process their natural resources, all countries deserve to make their people prosperous, and other countries must respect this right.” These words from…
For Indonesia’s haunting past, Jokowi’s resolution is non-judicial
The civilian witness held a pressurised kerosene lamp. He stood just a step back from the edge of the mass grave, two meters deep. Thirty-one men, purported members and companions…
Putin is Xi’s useful idiot
Almost from the moment Russia invaded Ukraine, analysts have debated China’s role in the conflict. The fact that Xi Jinping met Vladimir Putin in Beijing only a few weeks earlier…