Chinese communism at 100

China’s communist party celebrated its centenary with gaudy celebrations of its iron grip on power and increasing belligerence abroad, financed by its ditching of disastrous Marxist economics over the last 35 years.

Turning the page on China

This weekend’s G7 leaders’ summit in Cornwall could mark a turning point in the free world’s response to China, replacing a bilateral economic approach with a united strategic vision.

Stepping up the step-up

The time is right for Australia to imagine a bigger, better Pacific step-up and be even more frank with our Pacific partners regarding the need to preserve our collective sovereignty and boost our security at a time of growing strategic competition.

China’s actions, not Australia’s words, are the problem

Naming the problem is a prerequisite to finding a solution and so a ‘country agnostic’ approach to the causes of regional insecurity is not credible and distorts public debate.

Closing Australia’s China policy gaps

The policy shift that has been underway since 2015 recognises that Australia’s previous policy can’t work in a world where China is asserting its power so overtly in ways that bring security and strategic differences into the foreground.

Head in the clouds

Australia’s peak intelligence agency, the Office of National Intelligence, is beginning an essential, radical and rapid shift into cloud applications and services.

Reducing Australia’s trade dependence on China

China’s use of trade bans to place political pressure on Australia means we must find alternative trading partners for a host of products, including iron ore and clean energy.

China’s twitter propaganda backfires

China’s increasingly crude economic and misinformation campaign against Australia is only strengthening our resolve to resist such bullying.

Beyond the wire

How could 39 alleged unlawful killings of Afghan people by members of Australia’s special forces have occurred over years while no officer in command of those soldiers knew about or had reasonable grounds to suspect the crimes?

The boom is bust

Whether it’s the gold rush of the 1850s, the mining booms of the early 2000s, or the China market boom of the past six years, Australians never like to admit the good times are over, but we’ve got a pretty good record of finding new sources of prosperity.

Who wins the US election matters to Australia, but not as much as we think

A Biden win would reverse the tendency for the US to treat allies as adversaries—or free riders (except when they are)—but a Biden presidency would also be consumed by a focus on rebuilding and healing a divided America.

A political divide, not moral equivalence

Let’s not have our tails twisted by Beijing-created narratives characterising how we operate as in any way a mirror of, or an excuse for, the actions of the CCP’s own nasty security apparatus.