Jason Oxenham, Lukas Coch, Evan Vucci/AAP, composite by The Conversation
While the US is still primarily focused on countering Chinese influence in the region, Australia is making a real impact with its Pacific Engagement Visa.
Composite/Samuel Rillstone, Darren England/AAP, Peter Hermes Furian/Shutterstock
In a crowded region, it’s hard to know who is doing what, and where. Effective statecraft, though, is not always measured by quantity over quality.
China’s President Xi Jinping meets Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in Beijing on June 14, 2023.
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Beijing’s tone on the Middle East crisis has shifted since Hamas’s initial attack, becoming increasingly pro-Palestinian.
Different African countries have distinct surveillance profiles.
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At a time of increasing unease about the checks and balances for the use of AI, some African countries are spending more on harmful surveillance of their citizens.
An Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard next to a police barricade outside the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi, India, in September 2023.
(AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
India is far from posing a threat to American power the way China is now. But if the West elevates India at China’s expense, it will eventually have to contend with Indian challenges.
Taliban leaders were invited to a symbolic meeting in Beijing. Here they gather to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of the Taliban leader Mohammad Omar.
AP/Alamy
Beijing is happy to partner up with religious-led nations if it is in its strategic interests.
Noel Shorter
Now in their 70s and 80s, the team recalls being labelled as communists in Australia after their trip. But what mattered most to them was friendship.
Yuri Gripas/AAP
Wednesday’s September-quarter figures, showing inflation is still uncomfortably high, set off speculation about whether the Reserve Bank will increase interest rates again
EPA-EFE/Sergey Guneev/Sputnik/Kremlin pool
The forum made it clear that Russia is increasingly becoming a client state for China.
People shout slogans during a protest in Jakarta against plans to evict 7,500 residents from Rempang island to make way for a Chinese-owned glass factory as part of an ‘Ecocity’ development.
EPA-EFE/MAST IRHAM
The international quest for green energy is reliant on ‘sacrificial zones’ in developing countries.
A newly commissioned air-conditioned first class coach in Ebute-Meta, Lagos, Nigeria.
Olukayode Jaiyeola/NurPhoto via Getty Images
More efforts are needed to restore railways in Nigeria. It was a mainstay of the country’s economy in years gone by.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Could the vote affect the way the world views Australia and potentially have an impact on Australia’s international relations?
Presidents Xi and Putin met in Moscow in March 2023, and are due to meet again in Beijing.
The Kremlin Moscow via DPA/Alamy
Vladimir Putin’s expected meeting with President Xi in Beijing is likely to cement China’s position as the most power partner.
Luanda, the capital of Angola.
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African economic growth is central to what happens in this century to both global poverty and global inequality.
Sirachai Arunrugstichai/GettyImages
A new ocean treaty could redirect the unsustainable fishing practices that were happening on the high seas to coastal African nations.
A soldier holds Taiwan’s national flag during military drills.
AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying
There are treaties and agreements and organizations, but, ultimately, other countries get to define who else is or isn’t a country.
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Youth unemployment is a complex issue but even more so in China as a result of government policy and society’s expectations.
Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/AAP
The Biden Administration’s signature climate legislation is unleashing a wave of clean energy investment, along with some opportunities and risks for countries like Australia.
In China, single women as young as 27 are considered ‘leftover.’
Maciej Toporowicz/Monument via Getty Images
Their desire to pursue marriage abroad not only reveals their longing for a better life but also reveals the pervasive gender, age and class inequalities that continue to plague modern-day China.
Sarah Yenesel/EPA
A ‘no’ result in the vote could compromise Australia’s moral authority when it seeks to advocate or pressure other states on human rights issues.