Politics

The Malaysian Health Minister will table an amendment to the Tobacco Act, which is part of the Generational End Game policy, aiming to restrict tobacco products to people born after 2007.
Your Week in Asia

Malaysian tobacco ban bill, Singapore GDP, New Zealand election

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

8 October 2023
A "No to the Voice" rally in Melbourne on Sept. 23: The tone of the "Yes" campaign has been a big reason for its unpopularity. (Sipa via AP Images)
Opinion

Australia's 'Voice' campaign has failed to quiet doubts

Proponents' tone has rubbed many voters the wrong way

8 October 2023
The amount of space debris that is orbiting the earth has become a liability for satellites in operation.
Aerospace & Defense Industries

Japan-Australia team tapping lasers to find peanut-sized space debris

EX-Fusion and EOS to test tech that can detect objects as small as 3 cm

7 October 2023
Japan sees Australia as an important partner for helping promote trade and investment with Pacific island nations. (Photo by Hirofumi Yamamoto)
International relations

Japan partners with Australia on Pacific island investment push

Market research cooperation aims to help companies win infrastructure, finance deals

7 October 2023
French defense minister Sebastien Lecornu plans to meet with Pacific counterparts in December.
Indo-Pacific

France to host defense meeting with Pacific island nations

Paris seeks to increase engagement in region as U.S.-China alternative

5 October 2023
Christopher Luxon, leader of the New Zealand National Party, casts his vote in Auckland on Oct. 2.
Opinion

Election unlikely to end New Zealanders' restlessness

Many policy areas escape debate in lackluster campaign

5 October 2023
Japanese delegations visited Canada in September to sign a memorandum on building an EV supply chain. (Japanese government photo)
Technology

Japan courts Canada, Australia for China-free EV supply chain

Nation battles South Korea to secure key minerals outside control of Beijing

4 October 2023
Australian and U.S. army troops prepare for a flight on an Australian MRH90 during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023 in Queensland on July 21. (AAP/Australian Department of Defence)
Defense

Australia redeploys troops to north in bid to deter China

Nation to concentrate long-range strike capabilities in the south

29 September 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden, center, poses with Pacific island leaders at the White House in September 2022.
International relations

Marshall Islands set to renew security compact with U.S.

Washington ramps up engagement with Pacific islands with eye on Beijing

29 September 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden introduces Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown during a summit with Pacific Island nation leaders at the White House on Sept. 25.
Indo-Pacific

U.S. recognizes Cook Islands and Niue amid China's Pacific inroads

Solomon Islands PM Sogavare skips Biden-led summit as Beijing ties deepen

26 September 2023
In a few weeks, Australia votes on whether to amend its founding document to boost rights of communities who have inhabited the land for 65,000 years.
Asia Insight

Australia Indigenous 'Voice' vote sees hope collide with division

Oct. 14 referendum to decide on recognizing Indigenous peoples in constitution

26 September 2023
Palau has asked the U.S. to deploy Patriot surface-to-air missile defense systems like these in eastern Romania on the Pacific island. (Inquam Photos/George Calin via Reuters)
Defense

U.S. weighs stationing Patriot air defense systems in Palau

Island's president calls for 'peace through strength' as China tensions mount

25 September 2023
Landing craft, like this one departing from an amphibious assault ship, can be used to transport troops and equipment to shore even in areas without ports.
Indo-Pacific

U.S. Army, Japan, Australia expand logistics cooperation

First drill between Army, Japan's GSDF focuses on keeping islets supplied

18 September 2023
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is trying to shore up public support ahead of a general election on Oct. 14.
Politics

New Zealand's ruling Labour Party sinks in polls ahead of election

Soaring prices leave voters struggling to pay rent and avoiding doctor visits

16 September 2023
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, right, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., left, appear at the Malacanang Palace in Manila on Sept. 8.
International relations

Australia, Philippines beef up ties amid South China Sea tensions

Annual defense minister meeting planned as Prime Minister Albanese visits Manila

8 September 2023
Deep-sea mining generally refers to extraction activities at depths greater than 200 meters. 
Indo-Pacific

Deep-sea mining key domain for power politics: analyst

Smaller states establishing outsized leverage in the Indian Ocean

6 September 2023
A lithium-processing plant near Bunbury, Australia. The country looks to attract investment in mineral-processing facilities to supply the electric-vehicle industry.
Supply Chain

Australia looks to EV boom to transform economy

Lithium-rich nation seeks to become key link in battery supply chain

27 August 2023
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong tells Vietnamese college students in Ho Chi Minh City that both countries want to "not be encroached upon or be unable to [prosper] because of a greater power" on Aug. 23. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
International relations

Australia to upgrade Vietnam ties, foreign minister says

Penny Wong touts shared interest in protecting nations 'regardless of size'

24 August 2023
While global leaders make the trek to Port Moresby to court PNG's leader, rising debt, inflation and sluggish growth could derail Prime Minister James Marape's plan to make his country the world's "richest Black Christian nation."
Asia Insight

Papua New Guinea's Marape: Pacific power broker or PM in peril?

Amid U.S.-China balancing act, PNG leader faces mounting pressure at home

22 August 2023
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attends an AUKUS press conference in San Diego in March. He defended the pact at a meeting of his Labor Party on Aug. 18.
Politics

Australia's Albanese stares down party rebellion over AUKUS

Labor opponents of nuclear submarine program vow to fight on

18 August 2023
Workers load grain at a port in Izmail, Ukraine, on April 26, before Russia pulled out of the Black Sea shipment deal.
Interview

Russia grain deal exit hurting 345m vulnerable people: WFP chief

Cindy McCain warns of climate risks to food supplies during Pacific visit

16 August 2023
Japan's Self-Defense Forces take part in a new year joint military drill among Japan, the U.S., Britain and Australia at Narashino exercise field in Funabashi, east of Tokyo, on Jan. 8.
Indo-Pacific

U.S. cements 'game-changing' defense ties with Australia, Japan

Pentagon welcomes new security pact as allies plan fighter training this month

16 August 2023
Iron ore imported from Australia, Brazil and other countries is unloaded at a port in Taicang, in China's Jiangsu province. (Costfoto/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Commodities

China bankrolls Africa railroad to cut Australia iron-ore reliance

Costly infrastructure in Guinea will unlock world's largest untapped source

14 August 2023
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, left, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang meet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in June. (Pool via Reuters)
Opinion

New Zealand's new prime minister is making nice with China

Chris Hipkins will be more reluctant to engage with U.S.-led security initiatives

9 August 2023
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has warned of encroachments on international norms.
Indo-Pacific

Australia revamps Pacific island foreign aid to focus on climate

Canberra zeroes in on pressing issue to undercut Chinese influence in the region

9 August 2023