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
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International relations

Quad drills: Australia to join India, US and Japan at Malabar

Four countries eye defense cooperation in Indian and Pacific oceans, irking China

20 October 2020
A cotton farm in Narrabri, Australia: China purchased 63% of Australia's cotton exports in the year through June.
Commodities

Australia's cotton falls prey to diplomatic row with China

Growers eye shift to Vietnam and Bangladesh as biggest buyer shuns Canberra

17 October 2020
Facebook is enhancing the encryption capabilities of its Messenger and Whatsapp services.
Technology

Five Eyes and Japan call for Facebook backdoor to monitor crime

Security alliance worries encrypted messaging apps can be used by bad actors

11 October 2020
CEO Melanie Perkins released software application Canva in 2013. (Photos courtesy of Canva)
Startups

Australian unicorn Canva seeks further global expansion

Graphic design software provider opens office in US and considers M&A

11 October 2020
Japan, the largest consumer of liquefied natural gas, hopes to keep funds flowing to gas field development projects.
Energy

Japan strives to lessen LNG supply chain's environmental burden

Partnership with Australia and ASEAN nations comes amid divestment trend

10 October 2020
Is the COVID-19 pandemic likely to alter the direction of the world and humanity?
Opinion

Which nations will emerge the strongest from COVID-19?

Liberal democracies must rise to protect the multilateral rules-based order

10 October 2020
The chief diplomats of the Quad group of nations gathered in Tokyo on Oct. 6. (Pool photo/Mainichi Shimbun)
International relations

Quad ministers agree to meet once a year

US, Japan, India and Australia reaffirm 'shared goal' of open Indo-Pacific

6 October 2020
From left, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The top diplomats will meet in Tokyo on Oct. 6 for "Quad" talks. (Source photos AP, U.S. Navy)
Comment

Suga builds on Abe's legacy with Quad diplomacy

Quasi-alliances with India and Australia provide Japan firmer footing to take on China

6 October 2020
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks in Dubrovnik, Croatia on Friday as part of his six-day trip to Southern Europe. He will visit Tokyo from Tuesday. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, Pool)
International relations

Pompeo heads to Tokyo for Quad talks as Trump stays hospitalized

Huawei, COVID-19 and supply chains to be included in security dialogue

5 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
A woman rides a bicycle past a stock board showing Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo on Friday. The benchmark dropped sharply after U.S. President Donald Trump announced he tested positive for the coronavirus.
Markets

Trump's COVID infection sends shock waves through Asian markets

Investors worried over presidential election uncertainties as US futures drop

2 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
Rohingya refugees rest after the boat carrying them landed in Lhokseumawe, Aceh province, Indonesia, on Sep. 7: this is sadly nothing new.
Opinion

Rohingya are being left to die at sea. Does anyone care?

Asia's governments must put politics aside to protect the lives of desperate people

16 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
A protest in Perth following Rio Tinto's destruction of two ancient rock shelters. Shareholders also voiced concern over the mining giant's actions.
Commodities

Australia miners fear further blast fallout after Rio CEO's exit

Resource companies expect more curbs after destruction of ancient Juukan cave

11 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
Julian Assange leaves Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Jan 13: the Assange case is about freedom of speech.
Opinion

Why Julian Assange must go free

Canberra's commitment to US efforts to contain China make an ideal bargaining chip

7 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
U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital is expected to complete its takeover of Virgin Australia by Oct. 31. 
Transportation

Virgin Australia creditors approve $2.6bn sale to Bain

Deal wipes out existing shareholders, including Singapore Airlines and HNA

4 September 2020
James Asquith, record-setting globe-trotter and founder of travel startup Holiday Swap, moves trough yet another airport in August. The pandemic, he says, might force people to "reassess why they travel, where they go, and why.” 
Life

Globe-trotter looks beyond pandemic era

Travel ‘addict’ forges ahead while others see a shuttered world

4 September 2020
A Fortescue mine in Western Australia's Pilbara region: Aboriginal sites with sacred texts and rock art stand in the way of the company's expansion plans.
Society

After Rio Tinto row, Aboriginal Australians turn to next fight

Advocates urge legislation to protect other sacred sites in danger of demolition

3 September 2020
Panning for gold in a fast-running stream in Nundle, Australia. (Geoff Hiscock)
Life

The Australian gold rush that never ended

Fossicking for the next 'flash in the pan' as the pandemic pushes up prices

2 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