Programs & Projects

The North Asia Program

The China and East Asia Program

The China and East Asia Program conducts research on the politics and foreign policy of China and its immediate neighbours in Northeast Asia: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and the Korean peninsula. The program is renowned for its particular focus on China’s domestic politics and how this helps to shape its external behaviour. From 2020, the Institute’s extensive research on Southeast Asia – including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Myanmar – is now incorporated in a dedicated Southeast Asia Program. Each Program also commissions work by other scholars on the broader region. To complement their written research, Lowy Institute experts hold a robust series of dialogues and events on the politics of the region, independently and in partnership with other organisations.

Photo: Jung Yeon-Je-Pool/Getty Images

Experts
Latest publications
News and media
Beijing’s Arctic goals are not to be feared
Commentary
Beijing’s Arctic goals are not to be feared
In an opinion piece in the Financial Times, Linda Jakobson, Program Director East Asia, writes that China’s motives in the Arctic are perfectly comprehensible; they…
Yudhoyono's hypocrisy in U-turn on death penalty
Commentary
Yudhoyono's hypocrisy in U-turn on death penalty
In an opinion piece in the South China Morning Post, Lowy Institute Research Fellow Dr Dave McRae says Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's human rights record…
Observations of Chinese investment in Australia
Speeches
Observations of Chinese investment in Australia
Last night, the inaugural Lowy Institute-Rio Tinto China Fellow, Professor Zha Daojiong of Peking University, gave a lively presentation on Chinese investment in Australia…
Dilema Hukuman Mati (Death penalty dilemma)
Commentary
Dilema Hukuman Mati (Death penalty dilemma)
Lowy Institute Research Fellow Dr Dave McRae, in an opinion piece for Indonesian daily Kompas, outlines three reasons why executions are not the solution to narcotics crime. He…
How involved is Xi Jinping in the Diaoyu crisis?
Commentary
How involved is Xi Jinping in the Diaoyu crisis?
Linda Jakobson, Program Director East Asia, published an article in The Diplomat on the tense stand-off between Beijing and Tokyo over the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands,…
Staying the executioners' guns?
Journal Articles
Staying the executioners' guns?
In a new piece for Inside Indonesia, Lowy Institute Research Fellow Dr Dave McRae outlines signs that Indonesia may move towards abolition of the death penalty, and examines how…
China's foreign policy dilemma
Analyses
China's foreign policy dilemma
Therefore Chinese foreign policy can be expected to be reactive. This may have serious consequences because of the potentially explosive nature of two of China's most pressing…
Anaemic ascent: why China currency is far from going global
Analyses
Anaemic ascent: why China currency is far from going global
China’s currency is on the rise. Buoyed by the economy’s outperformance and global trade impact, policy steps over the past few years have thrust the renminbi onto the global…
Extract from 'The China choice: why America should share power'
Analyses
Extract from 'The China choice: why America should share power'
This is an extract from The China choice: why America should share power by Hugh White, published by Black Inc. The China choice will be released on Monday 6 August, RRP $29.99,…
Australia - China ties: in search of political trust
Policy Briefs
Australia - China ties: in search of political trust
Australia's political relationship with China is far less developed than its economic relationship. This is detrimental to Australia's interests because China is not merely an…