Australian politicians, in the reasonable pursuit of fleet efficiency, have approved Chinese-made EVs for ministerial use. According to a Sky News commentator, however, these cars are not merely transport, they are “rolling microphones”. In fact, they are the vehicles that will keep moving when the next fuel shock arrives. (more…)
Category: China
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Why poverty still exists in China after its historic gains
China’s poverty reduction has eliminated mass destitution, but uneven development, ageing and market pressures are shaping a more complex and ongoing challenge. (more…)
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Australia risks weakening itself by overcorrecting on China
Australia’s economic relationship with China remains strong, but growing restrictions on investment and research risk undermining long-term economic and national security. (more…)
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Australian media’s ‘China threat’ narrative is a never-ending story
Australia’s framing of China as a security threat remains deeply embedded – and is being reshaped to fit new geopolitical developments. (more…)
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Is Trump actually helping? Message from the Editor
Wouldn’t it be ironic if Donald Trump made us see sense. (more…)
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The return of great power relations: limits to middle power diplomacy – Part 4
As part of the Foreign Policy Rethink series, Geoff Raby sets out how middle powers can navigate a world of competing orders – and why a more independent, cooperative strategy is needed. (more…)
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The return of great power relations: Xi Jinping’s global dream – Part 3
In the third part of his piece for the Foreign Policy Rethink series, Geoff Raby examines how middle powers can navigate a world of competing great powers – and why Australia’s current approach is becoming more vulnerable.
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The return of great power relations: a world of bounded orders – Part 2
In the second part of his piece for the Foreign Policy Rethink series, Geoff Raby examines how China is constructing a competing global order and reshaping the institutions that underpin international relations. (more…)
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New detection tech could make AUKUS submarines obsolete
Chinese researchers have developed a new gravity-based detector that could be used to find submarines and render the proposed AUKUS submarine redundant. (more…)
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Plan B: insulating ourselves from the US
P&I today begins a major new series – rethinking Australia’s foreign policy. The United States is becoming more erratic and less reliable, and Australia must respond by insulating itself – strengthening regional ties, rethinking defence settings, and reducing strategic dependence, according to John Menadue.
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How China really works – rules from above, reality from below
The Chinese Government is often described as ruling with an iron fist, but the way rules and policy are interpreted on the ground can be quite different.
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China doubles down on state-led tech – and delays reform
China’s latest Five-Year Plan doubles down on state-led investment in high-tech sectors, strengthening national power while sidelining structural reform and consumption-led growth. (more…)
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China’s response to war is strategy, not opportunism
As war disrupts the Middle East, China is focused on stability and long-term strategy – but much of the commentary in Australia continues to misread its intentions.
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How to take down a US F-35 over Iran? Chinese engineer’s tutorial goes viral
Technically skilled Chinese civilians are sharing open-source military analysis online, targeting US power in Iran’s war. (more…)
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Why the west keeps misreading China’s strategy
Western analysis often assumes China operates like the United States. That misreading obscures a more transactional, less entangled approach to global partnerships.
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A new museum every 1.5 days: what’s driving China’s massive cultural expansion
China’s rapid expansion of museums and galleries reflects a coordinated strategy to shape national identity, manage historical narratives and project cultural influence at home and abroad.
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Why China is always misunderstood and misrepresented
By insisting on the superiority of its own standards of judgment and experience, western dominance distorts the realities of other societies. (more…)
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Why delaying the Trump-Xi Summit could anchor global stability
The postponement of a US–China summit reflects domestic constraints and shifting global leverage – not just competing priorities – and may open space for recalibration with China.
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Sanctioned Rubio to take part in Trump’s China trip
The US secretary of state, previously sanctioned by Beijing, is expected to accompany Donald Trump on a visit to China as both sides prepare for high-level talks. (more…)
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China’s tech ambitions, Nepal’s political upheaval and the BTS comeback – Asian Media Report
Five-year-plan stresses AI, Xi-Trump summit still on track, K-pop sensation’s global comeback, landslide win in Nepal elections, security risks self-radicalise online, and Manila drops Nobel laureate charges. (more…)
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If China is Iran’s ‘most powerful ally,’ then Australia must be China’s
A media analysis asks why China hasn’t defended Iran. But the real puzzle is why anyone assumes Beijing has a military obligation to do so. (more…)
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China waits and watches as the US fights all its tigers at once
The US–Israeli war with Iran has shattered Washington’s hope of concentrating its power on containing China. Instead, the United States is entangled in multiple conflicts while Beijing gains strategic time. (more…)
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Message from the Editor
When I stared in newspapers it was often said that today’s paper is tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapper. It is a relief to know that some are not so casual about the press. John Menadue and Paul Keating both have long memories, and mark a special anniversary today. It is exactly three years to the day since The Age and SMH ran a series called ‘Red Alert – warning war with China would come within three years, making that deadline today.
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Three years on, where is the China war we were warned of?
Three years after dire warnings that Australia must prepare for war with China, no such conflict has eventuated. Instead, the United States has continued its long pattern of military interventions. (more…)
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Herald, Age news abuse shamefully exposed
Three years ago today, the editorial leadership of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age wilfully and dangerously misled the communities of Sydney and Melbourne into believing that at or by today, 7 March 2026, Australia would face the prospect of a direct attack by China and its military on the mainland of Australia.
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Happy Chinese New Year? Fine for Howard, treason for Albanese
Mocking a prime minister for wishing Chinese Australians a happy new year says less about foreign policy than about how national identity is being weaponised in domestic politics. (more…)
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Modi in Israel, Tokyo’s shift on arms, and Duterte at The Hague – Asian Media Report
India and Israel deepen ties, Japan edges towards lethal arms exports, Duterte faces crimes-against-humanity charges, Indonesia weighs its Gaza role, Bangladesh confronts rule-of-law reform, and China’s unofficial K-pop ban shows signs of strain. (more…)
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Shen Yun and Falun Gong – belief, propaganda and division
The evacuation of the Prime Minister over a threat linked to a Shen Yun tour has drawn attention to the Falun Gong movement and its political evolution. (more…)
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How a nuclear test that never happened became news
A US allegation that China conducted a secret nuclear test was widely reported despite clear evidence to the contrary, highlighting how security claims are too often treated as facts before they are proven. (more…)
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Starlink, China and the governance of low Earth orbit
China’s massive satellite filings highlight how low Earth orbit has already been transformed by industrial-scale deployment – and how existing governance is struggling to keep pace.
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