Politics

Australian Actress Shareena Clanton addresses the crowd in a moving speech at Australia Day Protest in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 26, 2017.
Politics

National day debate galvanizes Australians

Should Australia Day be called 'Invasion Day?'

25 January 2018
Japanese Trade Minister Toshimitsu Motegi speaks during the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade initiative talks in Tokyo on Jan. 22. The 11 countries reached an agreement Jan. 23 to move ahead without the participation of the U.S.
Economy

TPP 11 set to sign accord in March, without US

Earlier holdout Canada now part of deal on free trade zone spanning Pacific

23 January 2018
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speak to reporters after their summit in Tokyo on Thursday.
International relations

Japan, Australia agree to keep pressure on North Korea

Abe bolstering defense cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region

19 January 2018
Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump, Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrive for the group photo session at the APEC Summit in Danang, Vietnam on Nov. 11, 2017. (Photo courtesy of APEC Secretariat)
International relations

APEC summit outlook clouded by new host's problems

Caught between China and the bloc, PNG's domestic issues dominate

17 January 2018
New Zealand is growing concerned about Chinese influence through trade and immigration.
Politics

China sends chills through South Pacific politics

Suspicion over New Zealand MP stokes fears of widespread meddling

30 December 2017
Former Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt in the water at Portsea, a suburb of Melbourne, in 1966
Politics

A missing PM 50 years ago still affects Australian-Chinese relations today

Harold Holt's disappearance remains a mystery, and a symbol of changing regional power dynamics

28 December 2017
Xiang Xiang plays in a tree as she is introduced to the media at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo on Dec. 18. (Photo by Maho Obata)
Politics

Panda diplomacy grows with China's ambitions

Public needs to look beyond the furry animal's cuteness and see what's really at play, experts say

27 December 2017
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop delivers her opening remarks during a ministerial meeting of Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Manila on Aug. 6.
Economy

Australia seeks 80% free trade coverage by 2020

Foreign minister backs 'all options' on North Korea, including force

26 December 2017
The deckhouse of the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System. Japan plans to deploy two of the systems to counter the growing threat from North Korea.
Economy

Rising Asia tensions push Japan's defense budget to record high

No end in sight for spending as Pyongyang and Beijing continue to flex military muscle

22 December 2017
Bitcoin has almost topped $20,000. The cryptocurrency's meteoric rise this year has Asian central bankers worried.
Economy

Asian central bankers on high alert over bitcoin frenzy

BOJ's Kuroda warns of the crypto's 'undoubtedly abnormal' rise

21 December 2017
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, right, is delighted at the passage of the same-sex marriage bill on Dec.7 in the lower house of the Australian parliament.
Business

Same-sex marriage law in Australia has wedding sector in a swoon

New law will encourage gays to marry in-country while luring those from abroad

20 December 2017
A protester holds a sign as he participates in a demonstration against the Indian mining company Adani's planned Carmichael coal mine project in northeast Australia, at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Oct. 7.
Business

Giant Australian coal mine faces new hurdle as Adani deal collapses

Cancellation of $1.5bn outsourcing plan raises doubts about project's future

19 December 2017
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks to reporters at Parliament House in Canberra on Dec. 5.
Politics

Australia-China mistrust steals spotlight in Sydney by-election

PM's future in balance amid talk of covert meddling and 'racial paranoia'

15 December 2017
A Taiwan Coast Guard officer stands guard under a Taiwanese flag in Pengjia Islet, north of Taiwan.
Politics

Taiwan eyes 'important role' in alternative Asian sphere of influence

Mainland affairs minister intrigued by Trump references to 'Indo-Pacific'

13 December 2017
Australia's Sen. Sam Dastyari attends question time in the Senate chamber at Parliament House in Canberra on Dec. 4.
Politics

Prominent Australian senator resigns over China links

Government moves to block foreign political money as China looms larger

12 December 2017
British Prime Minister Theresa May, right, and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi in November 2016
Opinion

Brexit Britain's troubled quest to 'Asianize' the Commonwealth

London is struggling to find partners, even in India, where it has focused diplomatic efforts

6 December 2017
India's Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles, mounted on a truck, pass by during a full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India, on Jan. 23, 2006.
Politics

Missile test furthers India's push for Indian Ocean supremacy

New Delhi draws line at Strait of Malacca as China tests the waters

1 December 2017
Barnaby Joyce, right, speaks at Parliament House in Canberra on Aug. 17 when he was still deputy prime minister.
Politics

Citizenship ruling causes delayed chaos Down Under

Mainstream politicians run afoul of Australia's century-old constitution

30 November 2017
Barnaby Joyce, right, speaks at Parliament House in Canberra on Aug. 17 when he was still deputy prime minister.
Politics

Citizenship ruling sparks delayed chaos Down Under

Mainstream politicians run afoul of Australia's century-old constitution

30 November 2017
The planned missile is seen being equipped on the cutting-edge F-35 stealth fighter used by Japan's Air Self-Defense Force. (Courtesy of ASDF)
International relations

Japan and UK to collaborate on missile development

Tokyo's first non-US partnership would develop an air-to-air weapon

24 November 2017
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop shake hands at the end of a June 5 press conference in Sydney (© Reuters)
Politics

Australia hedges bets on US in foreign-policy balancing act

China's rise prompts new outlook from longtime Washington ally

24 November 2017
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, right, in Auckland, New Zealand, with then New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English in March
Politics

China's BRI -- swimming with the whale

Small countries can profit from Beijing's projects as New Zealand shows

24 November 2017
A protester mocks Australian One Nation party leader Pauline Hanson during a rally in support of refugees in Melbourne, Australia.
Politics

Populist party gathers momentum in Australian state election

Rising anti-establishment sentiment may fuel ultra-nationalist agenda

16 November 2017
A Japanese rocket launch: The country aims to send up a new emissions-monitoring satellite next fiscal year.
Politics

Japanese satellite to beam down emissions data for emerging Asia

Tokyo vows to help Southeast Asia and Pacific islands in the climate fight

16 November 2017
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte chairs a meeting on the RCEP trade deal in Manila on Nov. 14.
Economy

After delay, RCEP leaders resolve to wrap up pact in 2018

Duterte stresses Asia-Pacific framework is not just another trade deal

14 November 2017