In 1971, then-Opposition Leader Gough Whitlam made a significant trip to China. Now, with tensions between the two countries showing no signs of abating, it may be time to look to his example.
A report from top energy analysts warns that to meet the Paris climate agreement goals, investment in new unabated coal plant projects should stop now.
Over half of the 50 nations in the International Federation of Journalists survey said coverage of China had become more positive in their national media since the onset of the pandemic.
Sang celebrates self-deprecation and negative emotions, its followers catapulted the unlikely and unenthusiastic singer to the finale of a Chinese boy band show.
The move is designed to demonstrate to the Australian public, the Chinese leadership, and Australia’s allies that Canberra is holding firm in its ‘push back’ against Beijing.
The Chinese president has used a major address to reassert China’s role as a rising superpower and its willingness to be front and centre on major global issues, including climate change.
It would be useful for China’s big tech firms to toe the party line. But the once mutually-beneficial relationship between these companies and the government is becoming increasingly strained.
The new US administration has talked about setting up an alliance of democracies. For the time being, the project seems vague. Yet such an alliance is necessary.
Rights-based pressure on China over its treatment of Uyghurs is necessary, but other nations could also present best practices for the ethical treatment of racialized minorities in their own countries.
A scholar of global relations says China seems worried about its future. Meanwhile, the US and Europe still treat China as a threat. The clash of world views could be destabilizing.
As China’s influence and economic strength grows, it is unlikely to give middle powers like Australia more latitude to manage their relations with both Beijing and Washington.
The October launch of the “EU-US Dialogue on China” shows that the two shores of the Atlantic have come to recognise the importance of coordination and cooperation when facing up to Xi Jinping.