Australia

Rupert Murdoch, pictured in September 2017: his news media became an extremely influential force that Australia had not previously experienced.
Opinion

Why Rupert Murdoch is under heavy fire in his native land

Behind the battle roiling Australia's political and media landscapes

29 December 2020
The Crown Sydney, which was still under construction in October, is now the tallest building in Australia's biggest city. (Courtesy Crown Resorts) 
Travel & Leisure

Crown opens $1.7bn Sydney casino hotel -- without gamblers

Regulatory inquiry blocks start of gaming, Chinese high rollers absent anyway

28 December 2020
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman gets a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in Riyadh on Dec. 25.(Saudi Royal Court via Reuters)
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Dec. 20 to Dec. 26, Saudi crown prince takes COVID-19 vaccine

Sinovac vaccine below 90% efficacy in Brazil; Total global cases near 80m

26 December 2020
Exchange students arrive at Darwin International Airport in late November. (Photo courtesy of Charles Darwin University)
Education

Study-abroad hub Australia wants students back -- in small doses

First batch of 63 international students arrive under pilot program

23 December 2020
Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison, pictured on Dec. 11: many countries are watching how his forthright approach to China plays out.
Opinion

Australia pays painful economic price for its China criticism

Business leaders jittery after Canberra's call for COVID inquiry

22 December 2020
Australia has "irritated" Beijing and caused it to "lose face," according to Canberra's former ambassador, who also says the spat shows "economic coercion is an important part of [China's] statecraft."
Interview

Ex-envoy to China says Australian 'no strategy' diplomacy misfires

Geoff Raby blames Canberra defense establishment for riling top trade partner

18 December 2020
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, left, and her new foreign minister, Nanaia Mahuta, face an increasingly challenging diplomatic landscape.
International relations

Australia-China divide forces New Zealand to 'straddle two worlds'

New foreign minister cuts her teeth as tensions -- and pressure to speak up -- build

14 December 2020
Kawasaki Heavy's vessel for transporting liquefied hydrogen. There is a plan to produce hydrogen from low-grade coal in Australia, liquefy it and ship it to Japan. (Photo courtesy of Kawasaki Heavy Industries)
Energy

$36bn Australian renewables hub to produce hydrogen for export

Canberra sees clean energy opportunity as countries aim for zero emissions

12 December 2020
Australian military personnel stand guard during the Remembrance Day Service in Sydney.
Politics

Australia bolsters defenses against a growingly assertive China

Canberra cracks down on foreign deals and inks US arms project amid rising tensions

11 December 2020
Many investors are focusing on logistics tech startups as the pandemic shows no signs of abating and delivery companies are stretched thin.
DealStreetAsia

Australian logistics startup raises $22m for Asian expansion

Shippit eyes overseas markets with product, tech and talent upgrades

9 December 2020
Scott Morrison has had to reassure Chinese Australians that the falling out with China does not mean he does not love them.
Opinion

Australia loves China's money. What about its people?

Growing fears that Canberra has bungled ties with a vital trading partner

9 December 2020
A lithium mine operated by SQM in Chile. Tianqi Lithium has been under pressure from a heavy debt load since acquiring a minority stake in SQM two years ago. (Photo by Nozomu Ogawa)
China debt crunch

China's struggling Tianqi Lithium to get $1.4bn from Australian deal

Company sells almost half its stake in world's largest mine for EV material

9 December 2020
Australian wines are displayed in Shanghai in November: Beijing's "anti-dumping" duties on the bottles are just one issue in a relationship that has turned increasingly frosty over the past year.
International relations

China-Australia clash: How it started and how it's going

As 'accumulation of mistrust' boils over, experts see plenty of blame to go around

9 December 2020
Biden has suggested three agenda items for his summit: fighting corruption, anti-authoritarianism, and human rights.
Opinion

Asia's wise heads are wrong to dismiss Biden's big idea

President-elect's democracy push is worth considering

9 December 2020
Australia will become the first country to require Facebook and Google to pay for news content provided by media companies.
9 December 2020
A passenger arrives from New Zealand after the Trans-Tasman travel bubble opened. Travelers outside the bubble are still largely banned.
Economy

Businesses push back on Australia and New Zealand travel bans

With low infection rates, companies say entry limits are too strict

8 December 2020
Chinese students in Sydney in June: The Chinese Australian community is caught between the two quarreling governments, while some fear the spat will dissuade international students from returning to Australia after COVID-19.
International relations

Chinese Australians feel heat from worsening diplomatic friction

As some chafe at questions of loyalty, others welcome scrutiny of Beijing

7 December 2020
The Quad ministerial meeting in Tokyo on Oct. 6: becoming an alliance with reciprocal obligations is much further down the line.
6 December 2020
A worker prepares imported iron ore for transport at a port in China's Jiangsu Province in 2019.
Economy

China helps fuel Australian economic recovery despite trade feud

Hunger for iron ore offsets Beijing's clampdown on other commodities for now

4 December 2020
Qantas has announced job cuts totaling 8,500 since June to deal with the financial fallout from the pandemic.
Transportation

Qantas says vaccine to be mandatory for international flyers

Australian carrier warns of 60% revenue drop as travel restrictions continue

4 December 2020
A seasonal worker harvests grapes at an Australian vineyard. The country's wine exporters fear the impact of onerous Chinese tariffs.
Business trends

Chinese tariffs leave Australian winemakers high and dry

Industry faces huge losses in biggest export market as Beijing row escalates

2 December 2020
Scott Morrison appears unlikely to change course.
Opinion

Australia's climate change denial will inflame China tensions

Beijing will punish Canberra for its stubborn refusal to take action

2 December 2020
Climate activists display banners in front of the Sydney Opera House as part of a "Fund Our Future Not Gas" rally in late September.
Environment

Australia climate wars flare as China and others make carbon vows

Asian net-zero goals, Biden's rise and domestic divisions pressure Morrison

1 December 2020
Sensorem caters mostly to government, construction, utility companies and research and development agencies. (Photo courtesy of Aerodyne)
DealStreetAsia

Malaysia's Aerodyne takes stake in Australian drone inspector

Wide-ranging startup banks on Sensorem for boost in mining and other sectors

26 November 2020
Suga and Morrison should tell Beijing thanks but no thanks.
Opinion

China should not be allowed anywhere near the TPP

The only way Beijing enters Pacific trade deal is by watering it down to mediocrity

26 November 2020