No easy fix for Australia’s supply-chain dependence on China

Despite China’s trade war against Australia, our dependence on Chinese supplies is so broad that finding alternative suppliers remains a major challenge.

Government funding won’t stop manufacturing’s decline

The federal government sees the revival of Australian manufacturing as a matter of economic sovereignty, yet the annual national accounts highlight the enormity of the task it confronts.

More than ore

Despite current political tensions, Australia’s non-traditional exports to China, including the now-threatened shipments of wine, have enjoyed runaway success since the China–Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) was concluded in 2015.

Don’t underestimate Australia-US trade relations

The idea that Australia faces a tension between its security alliance with the United States and its economic relationship with China overlooks the importance of its economic relationship with the United States.

How Covid-19 infected global trade

The head of the WTO, Robert Azevedo, abruptly announced his resignation on 14 May. He didn’t explain his reason, but as the guardian of the global trade rules, it could well have been despair.

COVID-19, like Spanish flu, will hit poor nations the hardest

Horror videos posted on social media last week underline the extreme vulnerability of emerging nations to the novel coronavirus.

Estimating the economic impact of coronavirus

Just as the course of the virus is uncertain, so too is its likely economic impact; predictions vary wildly and it’s difficult to trace the effects of previous epidemics.

World Bank in the dock over corruption

The World Bank is being accused of suppressing a study which showed that a great deal of aid to the poorest countries is stolen by corrupt officials and salted away in foreign bank accounts.

Free trade isn’t dead yet

Conflict over trade dominated the economic headlines in 2019, so it’s heartening that the year ended with significant progress on three trade agreements.

Putin bounces back

How does a country with an economy the size of Spain, corruption on a par with Papua New Guinea and life expectancy below Libya still cast a shadow over Europe?

Australia’s booming trade with China will shape strategic policy

Diplomatic relations may have been strained, but Australia’s trade relationship with China is growing ever closer. The latest trade report shows that China was the destination for a record 40% of Australia’s exports in June.

Sowing the seeds of a new debt crisis in the developing world

The World Bank has sounded a warning about China’s lending to low-income countries. The gains for participants in the BRI are in danger of being undone by unsustainable debts.