Politics

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, center, who has announced an upcoming ban on single-use plastic bags, works with schoolchildren on a beach cleanup in Wellington on Aug. 10.
Environment

Asian economies join the anti-plastic crusade

Growing concerns about microparticles in the oceans prompt action

17 August 2018
Home prices have risen sharply in recent years the capital city of Wellington and other parts of New Zealand.
Politics

New Zealand bans foreigners buying homes as prices surge

Prime minister fulfills campaign pledge that held back TPP approval

16 August 2018
Tonga's King Tupou VI, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in March.
International relations

Tonga to ask China to write off $100m in debt

Prime minister calls on South Pacific neighbors to sign petition

16 August 2018
The Peace Ark sails southeast of Hawaii in July 2014. On its current cruise, the vessel has been providing medical services to Pacific islanders, but critics worry about Beijing's underlying motives.
International relations

Chinese hospital ship cruises the South Pacific to spread influence

Australia and New Zealand worry about Beijing's growing 'soft power' in the region

9 August 2018
ASEAN economies are increasingly concerned over "collateral damage" from the U.S.-China trade war. (Photo by Mayuko Tani)
Trade war

ASEAN urges partners to speed up RCEP talks amid US-China trade war

Ministers call for 'swift' conclusion, but obstacles remain to deal by year-end

3 August 2018
China's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative to create a new Silk Road has triggered concern among other key countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
International relations

Indo-Pacific initiatives gain currency despite gaps over China

Key players Japan and Australia grapple with response to Belt and Road

1 August 2018
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s Coalition government came away empty-handed in five by-election contests on July 28, and now faces an uphill battle for re-election in a national poll due by May 2019.
Politics

Australian prime minister's economic plans take by-election hit

Losses dent Turnbull's hopes for another term as head of Coalition government

30 July 2018
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop poses for photos with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the 2018 Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations in Palo Alto, California, on July 23. 
International relations

US bolsters security ties with Indo-Pacific regional powers

Pompeo and Mattis hold 2-plus-2 meetings with Australia and India

26 July 2018
© Illustration by Luis Mendo
Asia Insight

Australia becomes Exhibit A for countering China's influence

As Canberra weighs blocking Huawei's 5G bid, other governments watch and learn

24 July 2018
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks at the Commonwealth Parliament Offices in Sydney on July 19.
Politics

Australian Prime Minister and Labor rival face by-election test

Liberal-led Coalition looks to gain seats despite trailing in polls

23 July 2018
Immigrants, largely from Asia and Europe, have been a key driving force behind the Australian economy for years. (Photo by Fumi Matsumoto)
Politics

Turnbull's 'Australians first' policy dents immigration

Foreign arrivals blamed for urban congestion and regional unemployment

18 July 2018
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, meets New Zealand's Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters in Beijing on May 25. 
International relations

New Zealand ends China honeymoon over security concerns

New defense policy no longer calls Beijing an 'important strategic partner'

13 July 2018
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern discussed economic and security issues in a meeting in Sydney in March.
International relations

Australia and New Zealand eye new Pacific security framework

Closer ties with island neighbors seen as a bulwark against rising China

13 July 2018
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's diplomatic outreach extends not only to the U.S. and China but also to Southeast Asia. (Getty Images)
Asia Insight

India's new 'Modi doctrine' straddles the US-China divide

PM abruptly changes diplomatic tack to shape the Indo-Pacific order

10 July 2018
Bags of rice are unloaded at a port in Jakarta. Though a consensus has been reached on just two of the RCEP's 18 sections, many ASEAN members prioritize reaching any deal for the trade pact.
International relations

RCEP trade pact members seek year-end deal despite differences

16 Asia-Pacific countries hope for agreement to combat US protectionism

2 July 2018
Australia and the U.S. are becoming wary of Chinese communications equipment makers like Huawei.
International relations

Huawei was biggest sponsor of trips by Australian politicians

National security concerns hang over Chinese telecom equipment maker

27 June 2018
Huawei may become a victim of rising tensions between Australia and China.
Business

Huawei scrambles to remain a player in Australia's 5G rollout

Security concerns are causing Canberra to rethink the role of Chinese telecom giant

20 June 2018
Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, right, stands with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on March 24, 2017. 
Politics

Australia's spy law revamp irks China

Bill targets foreign meddling in politics but sparks civil rights fears

20 June 2018
In the South Pacific, ordinary citizens have been expected to remain on the sidelines of decision-making, but Facebook is changing that, much to the consternation of the political elite.
Politics

Pacific nations out to limit Facebook political chatter

Papua New Guinea and Samoa propose blocks on the social network

19 June 2018
Sydney's Dulwich Hill light rail line has received growing ridership since opening in 1997. (Photo by Fumi Matsumoto)
Business trends

Australia's urban boom breathes new life into light rail

Asia-Pacific seen as biggest railway market as traffic jams cause headaches

3 June 2018
From left, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne meet in Singapore on June 2.
North Korea Crisis

US, Japan and Australia stress unity on North Korea nuclear issue

Defense chiefs also look to continue monitoring covert trade at sea

2 June 2018
© Nikkei photo illustration
31 May 2018
China's Landbridge Group signed a 99-year lease for the strategically important Darwin Port in Australia's Northern Territory in 2015, sparking concerns about Chinese influence over national interests.
International relations

China pulls back from Australian investment as relations sour

Canberra's infrastructure security push may lower the tally further

30 May 2018
Austrialians eat three times more beef than Japanese. Exporters in Japan are hoping the scrapping of an import ban in Austrialia will lift sales.
29 May 2018
© Nikkei photo illustration
Asia Insight

China-Australia friction intensifies deep in the South Pacific

Tug of war over submarine internet cables carries high security stakes

29 May 2018