Asia
ASEAN and Myanmar: No sign of progress
The United Nations emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths has warned in recent months that Myanmar faces a worsening humanitarian crisis, including mass displacement and a…
China’s “common prosperity” is a Catch-22
The events of the latter half of 2021 show that Beijing is willing to tolerate significant economic pain to deleverage its property sector. For the Chinese Communist Party, the…
Living with a feared China and Russian-built chaos
To Western eyes, China’s wolf-warrior foreign affairs policy and Russia’s extravagant threats over Ukraine can appear cryptic. These seem designed not to make friends but rather…
Will the EU step up to secure rules-based Indo-Pacific trade?
On 16 September 2021 China lodged an application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This immediately kicked-off a debate…
Indonesia standing between great powers
China recently upped its game against Indonesia in the South China Sea. It lodged an unprecedented protest over exploratory off-shore drilling for natural gas in waters known as…
Solomon Islands: cops bearing gifts
The pre-Christmas announcement that Solomon Islands’ government was going to accept China’s offer of six police advisers and a swag of emergency riot equipment generated…
China’s new reality
When it comes to the realm of soft power and cultural diplomacy, China’s efforts are often seen as either lacklustre or counterintuitive. Dwarfed by the cultural juggernauts of…
Timor-Leste: comebacks and contests ahead of presidential elections
After two years marked by Covid-19 and floods, Timor-Leste is now gearing up for presidential elections on 19 March. A runoff round for the top two candidates will be held on 19…
The D10 is dead, long live the … Network of Liberty?
After meeting Australian counterparts in the morning, Britain’s Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss delivered an address to the Lowy Institute on Friday which outlined how the…
Could minilateralism work in the South China Sea?
Tensions with China over the South China Sea have prompted Indonesia to invite maritime security officials from five ASEAN member states – Brunei, the Philippines, Malaysia,…