This Month
Trump just gave China a free kick to tilt Asia in its favour
Poor South-East Asian and Pacific nations are among the hardest hit by US tariffs, handing an advantage to Beijing in the race for regional influence.
March
China ‘presents’ top military, cybersecurity threat to US
Beijing is using “whole of government” efforts including military, economic and influence operations to assert itself, the American intelligence community said.
Is Taiwan next? China keenly watches Trump dump Ukraine
The US president’s dramatic meltdown with Volodymyr Zelensky raises urgent questions about whether America would support the island if Beijing invaded.
Albanese is as misinformed on the US alliance as live-fire drills
The petulant demand of tribute to the Trump empire and his transactional ethos surely now challenges the agreed balance sheet between Australia and America.
February
Australia seeks insurance for Trump’s ‘America First’ and China’s rise
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the global security outlook is “increasingly fragile” and authoritarianism is spreading.
Emboldened China signs Pacific mining deal amid Tasman naval drills
A minerals exploration deal between the superpower and the Cook Islands is Beijing’s latest push for influence in a region historically aligned to the West.
‘Unprecedented’: Chinese warships seen 150 nautical miles from Sydney
Australian defence ships are monitoring the ships, which have sailed down the east coast in a big move from China to project power in the Pacific.
Here’s why Australia-Canada ties matter more than ever
Challenges abound as the Trump administration aims to rewrite global trade rules.
January
Canberra should help us help the Pacific, for everyone’s gain
The government should not think businesses can be coerced into operating in the region but remove disincentives, writes TechnologyOne chief executive Ed Chung.
Quad could get surveillance role under Trump: Wong
Foreign Minister Penny Wong met other members of the Quad security dialogue in Washington, including US Security of State Marco Rubio.
Trump, Xi hold telephone call on TikTok, trade, Taiwan
The US president-elect called the chat a “a very good one” and the Chinese leader said that relations can be mutually beneficial.
Can Chinese chips beat Taiwan in the global tech race?
SMIC’s stock rally shows – at least to mainland investors – that China can build a self-sufficient semiconductor ecosystem. But the reality could be different.
Business tapped to foil Chinese influence in the Pacific
The Albanese government is reminding Australian companies that keeping their social licence means operating beyond the nation’s borders.
Seven truths on why Taiwan always will be China’s
Some Australian media recently provided a platform for false Taiwanese views about the one-China policy. Here are the reasons they are wrong.
The new, very dangerous Chinese warplane that isn’t a stealth fighter
The mysterious airborne early warning and control aircraft could give the Asian nation a huge advantage in any military action against Taiwan.
December 2024
How CBA’s $3 fee gambit nearly blew up the bank’s political capital
Bankers inside Commonwealth Bank’s retail division figured a small branch cash withdrawal charge was innocuous. They were wrong.
NRL team confirmed for PNG in $600m deal that comes with a catch
The deal, bankrolled by taxpayers, will collapse if the Pacific country signs a security agreement with China. Anthony Albanese argues it’s an investment in Australia’s security.
Albanese blocks China with $140m Nauru deal
The new treaty with the Pacific nation gives Australia a veto over security, banking and teleco agreements – and comes with a $140m price tag.
Prabowo’s first overseas visit was a shambles
The Indonesian president was so charmed by Xi Jinping that he agreed to a Chinese draft of a joint statement that gave away his nation’s longstanding positions.
PNG allocates $150m for NRL team by 2028
About $A37.5 million will be provided by the national government, half of which will be allocated to grassroots and community.