Amidst the spat with Beijing over safety of its troops on Sierra Madre at the Second Thomas Shoal, the Philippines is becoming increasingly stretched. Pooling all available resources to deal with one of the worst oil spills in many years in Manila Bay could mean playing down conflict with Beijing. The dispute over the Second Continue reading »
Asia
Following the 7 October Hamas outrage Australia has been suffering an outburst of race and religious hate. Lawyer Jillian Segal has been made a “special envoy” to counter antisemitism. A similar appointment is expected to confront Islamophobia and challenge the alleged linkage of Muslims with extremism and terror. Indonesia has more citizens following Islam than Continue reading »
Beijing is projecting an image of China as a crisis deal-maker with peace as its priority, as Asian media are reporting this week. China has been active in recent days, taking the first steps towards seeing talks replace battles. It has turned its attention to Ukraine, Palestine and the main South China Sea flashpoint. It Continue reading »
“An almost daily occurrence. At least eight schools hit in the last 10 days, including six @UNRWA schools. The war robbed the girls and boys in #Gaza of their childhood & education. Schools must never be used for fighting or military purposes by any party to the conflict. Schools are not a target. The blatant Continue reading »
The title question deserves a cynic’s response: Only when the country next door becomes a military dictatorship and mates with China. Then we might wake up. Continue reading »
The Australia China Joint Communique of December 1972 is the foundational document underpinning bilateral relations ever since. It is not a long document, and at a cursory glance appears quite simple. Recently, however, some commentators have questioned its language and suggested it is ambiguous, particularly concerning our government’s position on the status of Taiwan. A Continue reading »
It has been said, ‘the barbarians are at the gates,’ but with NATO they have already stormed the citadel, and having done so they now want to spread their madness to Asia. Why would Asia, a continent without war for 45 years want to have anything to do with a war-mongering organisation like NATO, one Continue reading »
Something very dangerous happened when the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) held its meeting in Brussels. In its communique after the meeting on June 14, 2021, it identified China as a “systemic challenge” to areas “relevant to Alliance security”. A repost from July 4, 2021 The implicit message was clear: Nato would like to expand its Continue reading »
A robust, well-functioning media ecosystem across the Pacific is an essential pillar of democracy and vital to good governance. If Australia is genuine about partnering with the region, it must advocate for the role of public interest media and why citizens should demand and support it. The media plays a crucial role in the Pacific Continue reading »
In Southeast Asia, hedging is a pragmatic policy that maintains options and mitigates risks. While some ASEAN states, like the Philippines, are aligning more closely with the United States, most are pursuing a more inclusive and selective approach to partnerships, ensuring concurrent engagement with China and the United States. This approach is more desirable in Continue reading »