Australia

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles speaks to Nikkei Asia in Tokyo on June 14. (Photo by Manami Yamada)
Interview

China's military expansion is 'opaque': Australia defense minister

Marles warns buildup is the biggest since WWII; concerned about Solomon deal

14 June 2022
The Aussie dollar has fallen in value against its American counterpart despite a surprisingly large interest rate rise by the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Market Spotlight

Australian dollar: the currency that can't catch a break

U.S. rate rises and China growth fears overshadow booming commodities prices

13 June 2022
A Chinese Coast Guard ship attempts to block a Filipino fishing boat by spraying water off Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea in October 2016: Hybrid threats gain their advantage in Indo-Pacific.
Opinion

Indo-Pacific needs to establish a center for countering hybrid threats

New types of aggression and competition are being used to weaken regional security

11 June 2022
Companies are developing carbon capture and storage facilities in Darwin in northern Australia. (Photo by Shaana McNaught)
Climate Change

JERA, Tokyo Gas, INPEX to join carbon capture project in Australia

Japan energy majors to pour up to $748m into plant led by Santos

9 June 2022
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, and Samoa Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa attend a signing ceremony sealing agreements between the two countries in Samoa on May 28.
Indo-Pacific

China's Pacific island-hopping reveals new front line of geopolitics

Foreign Minister Wang Yi's 7-nation tour challenges traditional partnerships

8 June 2022
While Anthony Albanese sought to enlist Indonesia in a new Indo-Pacific security arrangement, Joko Widodo insisted on maintaining neutrality toward China on June 6 in Bogor, on the outskirts of Jakarta. (Screenshot from Indonesian Presidential Palace's official YouTube channel)
International relations

Australia's Albanese pledges $480m for ASEAN, Indonesia

New prime minister solicits Jakarta's support for Pacific campaign

6 June 2022
Rio Tinto's iron ore business brings in around 60% of the miner's revenues. 
Commodities

Rio Tinto exec says price volatility is unlikely to settle down

Steel and mineral demand to stay strong as globe transitions to clean energy

4 June 2022
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, left, meets with Tongan King Tupou VI in Nuku'alofa on Friday. (Australian Department of Foreign Affairs via AP)
Indo-Pacific

Australia runs diplomatic Pacific island blitz in China's wake

Foreign minister travels to three islands in less than two weeks in office

4 June 2022
Then Australia's opposition leader Anthony Albanese, right, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo meet at Parliament House in Canberra on February 10, 2020. (File photo by Getty Images) 
International relations

Australia's Albanese fulfills diplomatic pledge with Indonesia trip

New leader will discuss AUKUS pact with Jokowi in Monday meeting

3 June 2022
Australia's new cabinet was sworn in on June 1 with a record number of women in ministerial roles and the country's first-ever Muslim ministers.
Politics

New Australian government includes record 13 female ministers

Albanese tweets of 'overflow of talent,' including Muslim and Indigenous women

1 June 2022
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi waves from his car as he arrives in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, on May 31. Wang and a 20-strong delegation are on an eight-nation Pacific islands tour.
The Nikkei View

Quad should help Pacific islands and halt China's military advance

Tug of war for influence intensifies in strategically vital region

1 June 2022
Anthony Albanese addresses Labor colleagues during a party caucus in Canberra on May 31: Strategically-minded people are once again in charge of Australian foreign relations.
Opinion

Historic alliance beckons if Greens can work with Australia's Albanese

Failure to make common cause would set the country back another decade

1 June 2022
Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo addresses Nikkei's Future of Asia conference on May 27. (Photo by Tomoki Mera)
The Future of Asia 2022

Indonesia's Jokowi urges quick rollout of China-backed trade bloc

At Nikkei forum, Hun Sen defends succession plan and denies China 'debt trap'

27 May 2022
Indonesian President Joko Widodo says that "Indonesia wants to make sure that the G-20 will serve as a catalyst for global economic recovery." (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)
The Future of Asia 2022

Indonesia's Jokowi aims to host successful G-20 despite Russia issue

President urges 'immediate' implementation of China-backed trade bloc

27 May 2022
Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says Australia's new Labor government will be more proactive in helping island nations take care of their needs. He spoke with Nikkei on May 27.
The Future of Asia 2022

Australia to deploy 'more active presence' in South Pacific: Rudd

Former PM believes Canberra will assist island states amid Solomon Islands-China pact

27 May 2022
Anthony Albanese, pictured in Sydney on May 21, should not expect a political honeymoon.
Opinion

Australia's new leader must battle lost decade risks

The Lucky Country's economy is in dire need of a reboot

26 May 2022
Nikkei partnered with the Financial Times and research provider Statista to conduct its first Asia-Pacific Climate Leaders survey.
Climate Change

Asia-Pacific climate leaders: Which companies cut emissions?

Nikkei-FT-Statista survey finds India behind Australia, Japan in carbon race

26 May 2022
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, attends a signing ceremony with Solomon Islands counterpart Jeremiah Manele in 2019.
Indo-Pacific

China gets jump on Australia's new government with Pacific tour

Wang leads Beijing's battle for influence in Solomons and other island nations

26 May 2022
Wheat is loaded onto a bulk carrier at the port of Geelong in Victoria, Australia. Exporters are being thwarted by limited loading capacity at ports and high shipping costs.
Commodities

Australia's record wheat harvest is no fix for the global food crisis

Logistical challenges hold back exports as concerns grow over next year's crop

25 May 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden, center, used his recent trip to Asia to show that the Indo-Pacific region is a top priority for his administration. He met South Korea's Yoon Suk-yeol, Australia's Anthony Albanese, Japan's Fumio Kishida and India's Narendra Modi. (Nikkei montage/Reuters)
Biden's Asia policy

Was Biden's Taiwan statement scripted? 5 takeaways from his Asia trip

Quad summit, new trade framework underscore region's importance to U.S.

25 May 2022
Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida and Narendra Modi at the Prime Minister's Office of Japan in Tokyo on May 24: The Quad's moment of truth has arrived.
Opinion

Biden's empty Taiwan rhetoric reveals Quad's core weakness

Group will have to move fast if it is to maintain status quo in the Indo-Pacific

25 May 2022
Australian Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese addresses supporters after incumbent Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader Scott Morrison conceded defeat in the country's general election, in Sydney on May 21.
The Nikkei View

New Australian government must continue crucial efforts to deter China

Economic and security cooperation among democratic allies is critical to ensuring stability in Indo-Pacific

25 May 2022
Fumio Kishida reviews an honor guard at the Ground Self-Defense Force Camp Asaka in November 2021: Japan lacks a stringent security clearance system and effective legislative oversight.
Opinion

Japan needs to manage its Five Eyes expectations

Pros and cons associated with joining the Anglo intelligence sharing alliance

25 May 2022
From left, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, U.S. President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrive at the Quad leaders summit on May 24.
Indo-Pacific

Quad slams coercive attempts to alter status quo in Indo-Pacific

But joint statement avoids pointing finger at Russia for Ukraine crisis

24 May 2022
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks during the Quad leaders' summit in Tokyo on May 24.
International relations

Australia's Albanese grabs torch on climate change in Quad debut

New PM calls issue 'main' Pacific challenge, striking different tone from Morrison

24 May 2022