Asia
Commentary
Protests in China are nothing new, but these are different
Originally published in The Sydney Morning Herald.
Kevin Rudd on Jiang Zemin, steward of China’s rise
Jiang Zemin will be seen as a major figure in modern Chinese history. This is because he became the political vehicle through which Deng Xiaoping’s reform program of the 1980s…
Anwar’s victory not the only Malaysian shockwave
Malaysia’s fundamentalist Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) stunned the country when it won the most seats in parliament at last month’s election, ousting big name politicians…
Supporting the kind of region we want
When most people think of Siem Reap in Cambodia, they think of the historic temples of Angkor Wat, which sit just outside the city bounds. They don’t think of it as the focal…
Australia–India: “Hands Across the Water”
When India’s External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar addressed the Lowy Institute in Sydney last month, it was significant for two reasons. It was his second trip to Australia…
Getting the narrative right: China’s media reach in Indonesia
As China’s President Xi Jinping arrived in Bali a fortnight ago to attend the G20 summit, Indonesian public network Televisi Republik Indonesia began airing “Classics Quoted by Xi…
Commentary
The chips are down for China
Forget Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Covid or war in Taiwan. A package of US export restrictions is set to kneecap China. Originally published in The Australian.
Commentary
Why “Covid zero” is now the biggest China threat
China is stuck in the lockdown mentality because it initially worked. It’s now strangling the economy and beginning to trigger serious unrest. Originally published in the…
Worth a thousand words: what Kim Jong‑un’s daughter photo tells
North Korea’s leader has publicly revealed the existence of one of his children for the first time. But the big announcement didn’t come in the form of a statement or a…
India’s military: a tech leap risks a nuclear chasm
Propelled by the Himalayan face-off with China, India’s military machine has been rapidly incorporating a range of new equipment to defend its borders. The bigger drive is to…