China
Taking the Confucius Institutes at face value
In recent years, the deepening of Australia’s engagement with China (our most important trade partner) has exacerbated concerns over the motivations and consequences of its…
The new development banks: Paradigm shift or poor imitation?
2014 marked the 70th anniversary of the Bretton Woods conference, and it was a turning point for the global financial architecture. In July that year, the BRICS countries – Brazil…
China-US trade war: For all the bark, not much bite
It is now nearly 17 months since the Trump administration began collecting 25% tariffs on the first tranche of Chinese imports to the US – time enough to evaluate the economic…
Book review: China, the US, and the big break
Book review: Paul Blustein: Schism: China, America, and the Fracturing of the Global Trading System (CIGI Press, 2019)
Paul Blustein has produced an enviable bookshelf of…
Shifting alliances in the Gulf a boon to China
In the wake of escalating US-Iran tensions in the Persian Gulf, the geopolitical realities of the Asian region are rapidly changing. New strategic alliances are being formed as…
Trade war: From a phase one deal to perpetual peace
After a roller-coaster ride spanning 18 months, the trade war between the United States and China is finally showing signs of abatement, with the two sides confirming that they…
SCO-style economic cooperation: Treading slowly
Over its 18-year existence, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has mostly been in the spotlight as a forum for security cooperation, starting with the 2001 Convention that branded…
Chart of the week: Australia’s “fear and greed” with China
When then–Prime Minister Tony Abbott was asked by Angela Merkel about Australia’s relations with China, he summed it up, perhaps tongue-in-cheek, in two words: “Fear and greed”…
Signs of a deal between US and China, and a rethink
It is not yet agreed, may yet fail, and is anyway unlikely to settle matters, but the impending “phase one” trade deal could be a useful ceasefire in the US economic war with…
Beijing’s cryptic blockchain gambit
China is going berserk for blockchain these days, and doing so with oh-so-very Chinese characteristics.
The recent hype is certainly not without cause. After years of cautious…