November 2024
SE Asian defence chiefs in security talks with US, China
The closed-door talks put US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun in the same room a day after a snub at ASEAN.
- Jintamas Saksornchai
Prabowo pledges co-operation with Trump
Washington sees Indonesia, the most populous country in South-East Asia, as an important partner in a region where its rival Beijing has deep trade and investment ties.
- Stanley Widianto and Jeff Mason
October 2024
Albanese to press China on trade
The Association of South-East Asian Nations leaders’ summit will take place in Vientiane, Laos this week, the latest international push by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
- Tom McIlroy
A year later, for many Australian Jews it’s still October 7
A year after the Hamas massacre in Israel, many Australian Jews feel they are still there, as they navigate a world that often seems upside-down.
- Fiona Buffini
Leaders depart UN empty-handed, facing wider Middle East war
There was no expectation of major breakthroughs at the annual gathering of presidents, premiers and other leaders. There rarely is. But this year was especially grim.
- Edith Lederer and Jennifer Peltz
May 2024
Has Julie Bishop taken on an impossible task?
The military is losing ground in Myanmar. What follows could be a failed state – and Australia’s former foreign minister will be right in the thick of it.
- Emma Connors
April 2024
- Opinion
- World elections
India’s global power ambitions come down to economic reform
Without reform, India will continue to be marked by the paradox that characterises China – having a large economic mass that does not translate into high levels of distributed prosperity.
- Ashley Tellis
World Bank warns of slowing growth across Asia amid China slump
The drag is partly due to the expected deceleration in the world’s second-largest economy, whose expansion is forecast to slow to 4.5 per cent this year.
- Claire Jiao
March 2024
When the minister met the ‘mischievous’: What Wong said to Curran
Foreign Minister Penny Wong parried with James Curran at The Australian Financial Review Business Summit this week. This is an edited transcript of that discussion.
- Analysis
- ASEAN
Sense of urgency as Australia finds its true international identity
There is a meaning to be extracted from the ASEAN summit for Australia’s international identity.
- James Curran
- Analysis
- ASEAN
South-East Asia signals it won’t be picked off by China
A tick of approval from one of Asia’s most respected statesmen for AUKUS was just one positive sign from the ASEAN summit.
- James Curran
February 2024
No detention orders sought for freed immigration detainees
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said applications were under way by the government, but any orders had to meet a high legal threshold.
- Tom McIlroy
November 2023
What Henry Kissinger told the Financial Review in 1995
The diplomatic powerhouse has died at age 100. Here is an extract from a 1995 speech in Sydney.
- Henry Kissinger
Nicholas Moore on how to get in early on the next big growth story
Former Macquarie CEO Nicholas Moore proposes an atypical use of large-scale government financing facilities and political risk insurance to encourage corporate investment in SE Asia.
- Updated
- Jennifer Hewett
September 2023
- Analysis
- ASEAN
Biden’s summit no-show adds to ASEAN’s relevance crisis
The absence of the US president, who typically attends, magnifies the already sombre backdrop of the 10-state bloc’s traditional show of unity and group handshakes.
- Niniek Karmini and Edna Tarigan
August 2023
- Opinion
- Rare earths
Why speculative investors dominate in rare earths debate
Australia is racing to bypass China in the hunt for the rare earths that are critical to the global economy and to national security. But the West is far behind.
- Updated
- Jennifer Hewett
April 2023
Chile’s lithium move adds to automaker supply chain uncertainty
While start-ups are working on sodium ion batteries that could eventually provide a cheaper alternative for EVs, the auto industry will be entirely dependent on lithium for its batteries for many years to come.
- Nick Carey
February 2023
- Exclusive
- Big four
Westpac’s fraught Hong Kong exit latest drama for Aussie banks in Asia
The Hong Kong regulator has made getting out a trial for Westpac, as Australian banks try to reduce their presence in Asia.
- Emma Connors and Michael Smith
Australia slaps fresh sanctions on Myanmar, Iran
The Albanese government targets top military officers as it unleashes travel bans and asset freezes on the Myanmar junta and Iran’s hardline regime.
- Hans van Leeuwen
January 2023
- Opinion
- Political unrest
Local resistance, not foreigners, key to Myanmar’s future
Longstanding hesitation about entanglement in a wider war will discourage foreign players from taking more aggressive, interventionist approaches.
- Nicholas Farrelly