Debate over China too often treats growing military power and authoritarian rule as proof of hostile intent. Australia should prepare for risk without assuming the conclusion in advance. (more…)
Category: China
-
The China I was taught to fear – and the China I met
Australia should be able to scrutinise China without turning a government, a civilisation and a people into a single threatening enemy. (more…)
-
Help us tell the real China story
When I represented universities, I often appeared at parliamentary inquiries. All were instructive, but there was one in late 2020 that taught me how entrenched anti-China prejudice is in Australia. (more…)
-
For a new generation, the future looks like China
A generational shift is reshaping global perceptions of modernity, as young people increasingly look to China – rather than the West – for a vision of the future. (more…)
-
Australia should work with China, not try to contain it
China’s growing power is reshaping the region. Australia should respond with diplomacy and stronger economic ties rather than military confrontation it cannot hope to win. (more…)
-
Australia must rebuild its Asian language capability
Australia’s Asian-language capability has declined for decades, weakening our ability to understand and engage with our neighbours. Labor’s new language program may make a difference. (more…)
-
Smuggled smokes and the benefits of cooperation with China
A joint crackdown on tobacco smuggling shows what Australia and China can achieve through practical cooperation – and why a relationship dominated by security fears comes at a cost.
-
Trump is making China look better to the world
Across much of the world, attitudes towards China are improving as views of the United States deteriorate, with trust in American leadership, reliability and respect for freedoms all taking a hit. (more…)
-
China’s EV success was built on more than government intervention
China’s rise as the world’s leading electric vehicle producer offers an interesting case study in industrial policy. Its experience shows how competition between government agencies, local governments and private capital can drive experimentation and innovation, while also creating challenges for governments seeking to support emerging industries. (more…)
-
The growth of Chinese soft power, and the decline of America’s
Global opinion is shifting towards China as its technology, manufacturing and development record strengthen its appeal, while decades of war and political turmoil erode America’s standing.
-
Chinese Australians a largely silent constituency in the AUKUS Debate
In this abridged submission to the public inquiry into AUKUS, Wanning Sun warns that the pact’s securitisation of China is discouraging Chinese Australians from political participation and constraining academic freedom. (more…)
-
America is fencing out Chinese robots – and may be fencing itself in
Washington says its restrictions on Chinese robots are about security. But shielding US manufacturers from their strongest competitors may leave Chinese firms to gain the scale, data and global markets that determine who ultimately wins. (more…)
-
China’s man in Canberra – a hard act to follow?
Xiao Qian’s term as China’s ambassador saw the Australia-China relationship move from deep freeze to cautious stability, though many tensions remain unresolved. (more…)
-
Has China won the South China Sea?
The weakly supported anniversary statement on the Hague ruling showed how isolated the US and Australia have become on the South China Sea, with ASEAN preferring diplomacy over confrontation. (more…)
-
China is remaking globalisation on its own terms
China’s push for technological self-reliance does not signal a retreat from globalisation, but a strategy to remain globally integrated while reducing strategic vulnerability.
-
Australia should not copy America’s China research retreat
Australia’s most influential STEM research increasingly depends on collaboration with China, yet excessive security settings risk pushing universities and researchers away from work that serves the public good. (more…)
-
China and Australia cooperation: is it too much to ask?
Australia and China can rebuild trust through practical confidence-building measures and cooperative projects, especially in the Pacific, where shared interests are urgent. (more…)
-
From the haka in Rotorua to dragon boats in Guangdong, respect moves both ways
A Chinese travel program following encounters with Māori culture shows how ritual, food, performance and shared participation can deepen curiosity and cross-cultural understanding.
(more…) -
China rises as trust in Trump’s America falls
New Pew Research Centre data shows China is now seen in a more positive light than the US in most of 37 countries surveyed and more people, overall, now say they have confidence in Xi rather than Trump. (more…)
-
Australia’s China panic keeps colliding with reality
Despite years of China-threat rhetoric, Australia’s trade, infrastructure and consumer markets remain deeply shaped by practical engagement with China.
-
Europe talks tough on China but lacks a plan
Europe is alarmed by Chinese overcapacity, deindustrialisation and US pressure, but remains divided over how to turn tough China rhetoric into policy. (more…)
-
A new multi-nodal world is taking shape
In remarks delivered to Chinese participants in the Cambridge Executive Leadership Program, Chas Freeman argues that 500 years of Euro-Atlantic dominance has come to an end.
(more…) -
Who restrains power when power refuses restraint? – Message from the Editor
Across this week’s pieces on P&I, the same question keeps appearing: who or what restrains power when the powerful decide restraint is optional? (more…)
-
How big is the wolf? China in the Pacific
China’s Pacific missile test deserves scrutiny, but it should be understood in the context of decades of naval development and deterrence, not treated as proof of an imminent threat.
-
Australia’s new architecture in the Pacific should include China
Vulnerable Pacific Island states should have the freedom to keep their options open rather than being locked into collective defence alliances that are erroneously based on containing China. (more…)
-
The Iran lesson: why the US will lose a war with China
The US war on Iran exposed weaknesses in American power. Asia-Pacific allies should rethink defence settings built around US dominance and confrontation with China. (more…)
-
China’s rise demands a more serious Australian debate
Australia is right to protest China’s missile testing, but moral indignation and selective outrage are no substitute for a serious strategy on China’s growing power.
-
Diversifying the critical minerals supply chain
Reducing dependence on China in the world’s critical mineral supply chain doesn’t require building a separate market. The trading system must find a balance between defence interests and the push for decarbonisation. (more…)
-
What “regime change” in the US means for Australia’s engagement in Asia
US foreign policy under Trump calls for bipartisan reaffirmation of Australian values and national interests. (more…)
-
China’s inheritance tax problem has a property solution
China’s vast private wealth makes inheritance tax increasingly hard to avoid. Greater security over residential land-use rights could help break the political deadlock. (more…)