Politics

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Indo-Pacific

Quad vows to work with ASEAN and Europe in first Biden-era meeting

Foreign ministers commit to free and open Indo-Pacific with eye on China

19 February 2021
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will speak with counterparts from Japan, India and Australia Thursday. (Photo courtesy of the State Department)
Indo-Pacific

Blinken to meet 'Quad' partners Japan, India and Australia on Thursday

Foreign ministers to discuss free and open Indo-Pacific in first meeting in Biden era

18 February 2021
Cheng Lei, a Chinese-born Australian journalist for CGTN, the international branch of China Central Television, attends a public event in Beijing on Aug. 12. Cheng has been formally arrested in China on suspicion of illegally supplying state secrets overseas, Australia's foreign minister says.
Politics

China officially arrests Australian TV anchor Cheng Lei

Canberra calls for 'basic standards of justice' for anchorwoman

8 February 2021
A helicopter launches during flight operations aboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the South China Sea.
International relations

Quad group prepares 1st meeting of leaders to keep China in check

US, Japan, Australia and India to discuss cooperation for 'free and open Indo-Pacific'

7 February 2021
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Asia Insight

Europe pivots to Indo-Pacific with 'multipolar' ambitions

ASEAN and other players welcome hedge against US-China rivalry

2 February 2021
Pro-Trump protesters enter to the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Jan. 6.
Comment

Fears of extreme violence in US haunt world as Biden debuts

America could become epicenter of far-right extremism: experts

22 January 2021
Joe Biden stands with his nominees for his national security team on Nov. 24, 2020: the incoming Biden administration might be surprised to discover that U.S. alliances are in good shape.
Opinion

Biden will inherit healthy Indo-Pacific alliances

New president won't have to work too hard to repair US partnerships

10 January 2021
Huawei Marine has submitted a bid to lay the cable, which would improve telecommunications links to Micronesia and other Pacific island nations. (Photo by Matt Kieffer)
International relations

Chinese bids on Pacific cable raise alarm in US and Australia

Washington fears infrastructure will be used for spying by Beijing

3 January 2021
China's aggressive and insulting diplomacy has united public opinion in Australia.
Opinion

We Australians face China's bullying insults with honor

Beijing has shown the world exactly what sort of great power it would be

30 December 2020
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
An Australian soldier in training: A report on alleged war crimes by Australian forces in Afghanistan is expected to lead to prosecutions.
Politics

Analysis: War crimes allegations stain Australia's reputation

'Disgraceful' conduct raises disturbing question of why brass failed to act earlier

23 November 2020
Rupert Murdoch's position is all about accumulating and exercising political power.
Opinion

Why I'm taking on Rupert Murdoch

Media campaign to deny climate change is harmful

22 November 2020