Politics

Trilateral coast guard exercises between Japan, the Philippines and the U.S. in June: Countries with shared interests should coordinate for efficient capacity building.
Opinion

Southeast Asia's partners must coordinate maritime security support

Programs are boosting regional capacity, but overlap distracts from missions

13 June 2023
Australia is aiming to lure tech sector skills with a proposed immigration policy review. © AAP
Politics

Australia to overhaul immigration policy, joining race for talent

As migrant nation tries to lure highly skilled professionals, SMEs grow worried

12 June 2023
Andrew Yates, CEO of KPMG Australia, testifies in Canberra on June 7 at a Senate hearing related to the PwC tax scandal. (AAP)
Opinion

Australia is finally waking up to the 'Big Con'

Hearings on PwC's leakage of tax plans have uncovered shocking web of conflicts

11 June 2023
Royal Australian Navy replenishment vessel HMAS Starwart and submarine tender USS Frank Cable are moored at HMAS Stirling Navy Base in Perth. The Australian base is expected to become a key maintenance hub under the AUKUS pact.
Indo-Pacific

Quad needs more muscle to live up to potential: think tank

Share ports and shipyards for refueling, rearming and repairs, USSC says

7 June 2023
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, left, shakes hands with Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi on June 4. (Photo by Yuji Nitta)
International relations

Australia and Vietnam solidify ties with Albanese visit

Leaders look forward to upgrading bilateral relationship 'as soon as possible'

5 June 2023
The defense chiefs from Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the U.S. met on the sidelines of the conference. (Photo by Ryo Nakamura)
Indo-Pacific

Philippines to step up ties with U.S.-Japan-Australia coalition

New defense arrangement includes cooperation in South China Sea

3 June 2023
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gives the keynote address for the 20th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
Indo-Pacific

No U.S.-China talks risks 'devastating' outcomes: Australian PM

Albanese calls for dialogue between the two powers in Shangri-La keynote address

2 June 2023
New Zealand Defense Minister Andrew Little tells Nikkei his country has an interest in eventually cooperating with the U.S., U.K. and Australia in technologies that might lead to breaking encryptions. (Photo by Rurika Imahashi)
Indo-Pacific

New Zealand interested in AUKUS cooperation in non-nuclear tech

Defense chief says country eyeing cybersecurity, AI, quantum computing

2 June 2023
Australia's foreign policy moved from a "pragmatic" position of not choosing sides to effectively going all-in with the American view that China is a threat.
Opinion

Australia's defense review can't take the place of security strategy

Potential impact of ambitious arms programs undefined

22 May 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold a Quad meeting on the sidelines of the G-7 summit on May 20.
G-7 in Japan

Quad agrees to bolster submarine cables in 47-minute summit

4 leaders squeeze in meeting between G-7 sessions and dinner on Saturday

21 May 2023
China closed its doors to Australian timber imports in 2020 amid growing tensions over COVID-19.
Trade

China resumes imports of Australian timber in sign of thaw

Uncertainties remain over Beijing's restrictions on barley, wine and more

19 May 2023
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets with U.S. President Joe Biden in San Diego on March 13.
Indo-Pacific

Quad meeting in Australia canceled as U.S. politics pull Biden home

White House faces 'damage control' as debt talks also nix president's trip to PNG

17 May 2023
Joe Biden still plans to depart on Wednesday for a Group of Seven leaders summit in Hiroshima, Japan. He plans to return to the U.S. on Sunday after the summit. 
Indo-Pacific

Biden cancels Quad visit to Australia to focus on debt limit talks

Historic Papua New Guinea trip also off the table in diplomatic setback

17 May 2023
A Lockheed Martin missile is showcased at a U.S. Army expo in Huntsville, Alabama in March: While America still leads in many areas of technological innovation, it is not the sole source of cutting-edge advances.
Opinion

U.S. technology controls fail to account for Pacific allies

Shift from outdated mindset needed to support collective regional security

15 May 2023
The Virginia-class USS North Dakota is seen in this photo provided by the U.S. Navy. The United States intends to sell Australia three Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines in the early 2030s.
Politics

Australia expands defense budget ahead of submarines purchase

Canberra lifts nuclear ambitions in light of China's growing heft in Indo-Pacific

9 May 2023
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong addresses the National Press Club in Canberra on April 17.
International relations

Australia seeks to rebalance ties with China after three-year freeze

Foreign minister says Canberra must 'lower the heat' on potential Taiwan conflict

23 April 2023
From left, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in San Diego, California on March 13.
Opinion

AUKUS is a bad deal for Australia

Despite great cost, Canberra runs real risk of never getting its submarines

20 April 2023
With her trip to New Caledonia and Tuvalu, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong will have visited every member of the Pacific Islands Forum.
International relations

Australia foreign minister visits Pacific islands with eye on China

Climate, post-COVID economic recovery on agenda in New Caledonia and Tuvalu

20 April 2023
The Australian parliament passed legislation on March 30 to force the nation's biggest greenhouse gas polluters to reduce their emissions or pay for carbon credits. 
Climate Change

Albanese's emissions bill seeks to end Australia's 'climate wars'

Law seen as necessary, but industry groups unlikely to give in just yet

9 April 2023
The HMAS Stirling naval base in Western Australia will be expanded and is planned to serve as a central hub for AUKUS submarines.
Indo-Pacific

AUKUS front: Japan's top admiral visits Australian submarine base

Navy chief Sakai seeks deeper collaboration with nuclear-powered fleet

5 April 2023
Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, left, has accused Rupert Murdoch's media empire of undermining democracy. (Source photos by Reuters and EPA/Jiji)
Media & Entertainment

Turnbull takes on Murdoch's Australian media empire

Former prime minister is calling for rigorous inquiry into News Corp

2 April 2023
Container ships at the Port of Felixstowe in England. CPTPP members have agreed on Britain's entry into the grouping.
Trade

U.K. accepted as 12th member of CPTPP trade bloc

Group aims to finalize first nonfounding member's accession in July

31 March 2023
Anthony Albanese, left, with Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak at U.S. Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego on March 13: The SSN-AUKUS program is set to constitute the backbone of the submarine force of both Australia and the U.K.
Opinion

AUKUS and GCAP set new Indo-Pacific security template

Technology cooperation more than a response to China's military modernization

28 March 2023
The U.S. plans to sell Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia under the plan announced March 13. (Photo by US Navy via Reuters)
Indo-Pacific

U.S. guards undersea superiority with Australia-U.K. nuclear sub deal

Washington advances distributed forces as short-term deterrence against China

15 March 2023
From left, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, U.S. President Joe Biden, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak deliver remarks on the AUKUS partnership at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, California on March 13.
Indo-Pacific

AUKUS submarine deal seen as decades-long gamble for Australia

Cost, personnel and politics are risks in developing nuclear-powered fleet: analysts

14 March 2023