Short posts from our experts on what they regard as the most important international policy issue of this campaign. Jack Georgieff is a research associate with the Lowy Institute's International Security program.
Clearly the most important issue in the current campaign is how to simultaneously deepen Australia's bilateral relations with China and the US.
Prime Minister Gillard's leadership on this in the 43rd parliament should be applauded. What direction will a re-elected Rudd Government or newly minted Abbott Government take on these bilateral relationships? The notion of a 'choice' between the two has been dispelled (for the moment) at a policy level. But either Rudd or Abbott could change this. Watch for clues in today's Lowy Institute foreign policy debate and on the campaign trail.