Economy

Scott Morrison during Question Time in the House of Representatives on Oct 8: his government's record has been anything but patient or consistent.
Opinion

Scott Morrison's China policies are selling Australia short

Canberra ignoring the real conundrum at the heart of its relationship with Beijing

28 October 2020
Grain harvesting in the state of Victoria: China's 80% tariff on Australian barley has hit the industry hard.
Trade

China trade pressure sends Australia 'wake-up call' to diversify

From Indonesia to India, exporters face a battle to make up for lost business

26 October 2020
Melbourne residents relax in socially distanced groups on Oct. 3, after a slight easing of the city's tight coronavirus lockdown.
Economy

Weary Australians look to Tuesday's budget for more COVID relief

Slew of welfare measures expected to push deficit above record AU$200bn

5 October 2020
China in May slapped a prohibitive 80% tariff on barley imports from Australia, one of the world's main exporters of the grain.
Commodities

Australian barley hits 3-year low amid friction with Beijing

Exports to China nosedive, triggered by conflict over origin of pandemic

3 October 2020
Windmill turbines in Bac Lieu province, Vietnam: the pace of growth in alternative energies could easily end up lagging the decline in oil and gas production.
Opinion

Asia's real energy crisis will hit the day it stops looking for oil

Alternative energy nowhere near being able to replace traditional fossil fuels

2 October 2020
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech in Noumea, New Caledonia on May 5, 2018. 
Politics

New Caledonia set for vote on ending 167 years of French rule

China watching Sunday's independence poll on increasingly strategic island

1 October 2020
Kaikoura Seafood BBQ which is usually full of international tourists in Kaikoura, pictured on June 10: hospitality business is not coming back anytime soon.
Opinion

New Zealand slump a red alert for world economy

Canary in the coal mine of Asian trade on worst trajectory since Great Depression

21 September 2020
Modi would have to undertake major regulatory reform as well the coterie of business cronies he has proved so willing to protect. (Handout photo from India's Press Information Bureau)
Opinion

Modi's supply chain fantasies will not save India's failing economy

Delhi ill-prepared for Japan's Supply Chain Resilience Initiative to rival China

15 September 2020
Technicians of State Grid Corp. of China check power transmission facilities in Zhoushan on Aug. 16: trust is all-important.
Opinion

Asia taps alternative energy sources as China fears grow

Energy security debate now focused on who will control electricity supply future

9 September 2020
Commonwealth flags in London: Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. share a common language and democratic norms, though this does not guarantee smooth sailing toward closer ties.
International relations

'CANZUK' alliance idea makes waves with Indo-Pacific in flux

Assertive China and unpredictable US revive calls for tight-knit 'Anglosphere'

4 September 2020
Ships at Tokyo's Oi container wharf. Japan wants to combine its supply chain cooperation with ASEAN and the new initiative with India and Australia.
Trade

Japan, India and Australia aim to steer supply chains around China

Three nations call on Asian neighbors to join 'free and fair' initiative

1 September 2020
A couple outside their home in New South Wales in January: A state inquiry found that climate change was "clearly" a factor in last season's devastating fires.
Asia Insight

As fire season looms, Australia fears recurring nightmare

Climate change spurs race for new strategy: 'We have to be better'

1 September 2020
Narendra Modi, center, and other leaders shake hands at the third RCEP summit in Bangkok in November 2019: hope of India's return has not entirely faded.
Opinion

India's return to RCEP is in everyone's interests

New Delhi concerned over opening its markets but should recognize strategic gains

26 August 2020
India pulled out of the RCEP negotiations over concerns that the pact would hurt the South Asian country's domestic producers. (Nikkei montage/source photos by Reuters and Rie Ishii)
Trade

Talks on Asian trade megadeal RCEP resume in COVID shadow

India likely to remain absent as Vietnam leads push for year-end agreement

26 August 2020
A bottle of Australian wine at a bar in Beijing: China accounts for about 40% of Australia's wine exports.
International relations

China locks onto Australian farm imports as relations fray

Tensions have escalated since Canberra's push for coronavirus probe

24 August 2020
A truck hauls coal out of Pakistan's Tharparkar region, the world's seventh largest coal deposit. 
International relations

China pivots to old ally Pakistan for coal after Australia spat

Thar field designed for domestic power but might increase Beijing's options

19 August 2020
A rare earth mine in China's Inner Mongolia. China is said to control 90% of heavy rare earth minerals.
Commodities

US-Australia bid for 'China free' rare earth faces challenges

Mining the minerals is seen as akin to buying a whole cow for the sirloin

18 August 2020
Rio Tinto chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques, pictured in June 2016, admitted that he did not know the cultural significance of the site before his company blew it up. 
Opinion

Rio Tinto chief must resign after Aboriginal site demolition

Pension funds should divest after mining giant destroyed culturally significant caves

15 August 2020
An iron ore mine in Western Australia. The country exports the bulk of its iron ore to China.
Trade

Australia's soaring exports to China at risk in diplomatic rift

Trade to suffer unless Canberra eases criticism: Communist Party-backed paper

7 August 2020
Singapore's contact tracing app TraceTogether: the government struggles to get even 25% of citizens to download the app. (Photo by Kentaro Iwamoto)
Opinion

Failed COVID-19 tracing apps must be abandoned to restore public trust

Asia has led the way with surveillance technology, but citizens remain unconvinced

31 July 2020
More Hong Kong citizens are applying for Thailand's long-term residency program. (Source photo by Akira Kodaka and Reuters) 
Economy

Thai residency visa draws Hong Kongers after China security law

Kingdom poised to compete with UK and Australia to attract territory's emigrants

17 July 2020
Since Chinese tourists contribute about A$12 billion to Australia's  economy each year, Beijing wants Canberra to pay a price for biting the hand that feeds it.
Opinion

China's economic bullying will never work

Beijing has threatened Australia, Japan and others with tariffs and tourism cuts

8 July 2020
The symbol of the Islamic State terrorist group on a smartphone: when it comes to extremist content online, time is of the essence.
Opinion

Tech companies continue evading accountability for violent content

Governments must step in to stop platforms allowing pro-terrorist material

5 July 2020
Female workers use their mobile phones during a break in Sydney on Mar. 18: women in Australia are paid 14% less than men on average.
Opinion

Australia's coronavirus response will not help women back into work

Government has directed money to male-dominated industries

2 July 2020
China is Australia's largest trade partner, accounting for 26% of its exchange with the world, with Australian exports to China valued at a record AU$153 billion last year.
Trade

China plays hardball on trade as Australia tensions escalate

Beijing punishes Canberra with tariffs and bans for COVID-19 inquiry push

16 June 2020