Don’t back down

Throughout history, sovereignty has depended by borders, alliances and military power. In an increasingly interconnected world, it may depend just as much on preserving the practical freedom to govern.

China’s broken dream

Minxin Pei’s new book lifts the lid on China’s great democratic leap backward under Xi Jinping, revealing why the country’s embrace of capitalism has given rise to hard authoritarianism, mass surveillance, and one-man rule instead of greater democracy as many in the West had foolishly hoped.

The next China is still China

In their new book “The Next China is Still China” Joe Ngai and Nick Leung discuss but then dismiss the idea that another country could soon replace China as the engine of global growth.

Don’t let China isolate Taiwan

Beijing wants international governments and institutions to see engagement with Taiwan as a source of trouble to avoid but the world’s democracies should do the opposite and make routine engagement with Taiwan more resilient and harder for Beijing to disrupt.

The long arm of Chinese law

In another step to extend its dominance abroad, China’s communist party has enacted legislation which can deem the work produced by journalists, think tank analysts, academics and others in Australia unlawful.

Use it or lose it

China’s outrageous claims and bullying conduct in the South China Sea haven’t been constrained by international rules, dispute mechanisms or normative declarations, so its time allied navies asserted their rights to maritime navigation.

The grey invasion

China is increasing its “grey-zone” bullying of Taiwan through its coast guard, civilian vessels and commercial shipping networks to rehearse control over Taiwan’s maritime approaches as its preparations for a full-scale invasion ramp up.

Joseph Xi

Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was notorious for his repeated purges of army officers, given his fear of rivals to his absolute rule, and China’s absolute leader is descending down the same dark path into petty paranoia and brutal vengeance.

Stand up, Australia

While the United States under Donald Trump has emerged as a greater threat to Western unity and territory than China in recent months, Australia must still find some backbone in standing up to its nearest regional challenger.

Engineering the future

The most productive countries – from the Roman Empire to the British Empire and the USA – tend to dominate the world and a new book outlines how that mantle has passed onto China, whose increasing political and military power is a direct consequence of its overwhelming manufacturing and engineering capacity.

Is China a superpower?

China’s economic power, military modernisation and aggressive foreign policy towards Taiwan and the Asia-Pacific may not be enough to grant it super power status, according to a new book by historian Frank Dikotter.

Chinese sea power

China’s announcement of a new aircraft carrier is part of a rapid naval modernisation and expansion programme aimed to establish dominance in the oceans of the Asia-Pacific.