In this podcast, senior fellow from the Lowy Institute and expert on Asia Richard McGregor joins The Conversation to canvass the prime minister's coming trip to China.
The US Ambassador to Australia post remains vacant after Admiral Harry Harris was reassigned to South Korea. But the diminished role of ambassadors means this is not cause for alarm.
Hangga Fathana, Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) Yogyakarta
It was Paul Keating himself who first raised the idea of a security agreement between Indonesia and Australia in June 1994 to Indonesian President Soeharto.
The closest idea to an actual plan in the white paper seems to be to double-down on the US relationship, and trust that the Trump administration is a blip.
Speaking with: Professor Bates Gill on Australia’s changing relationship with China
The Conversation, CC BY-ND36,5 MB(download)
William Isdale speaks with Bates Gill on the importance of Australia's relationship with China and how best to navigate the sometimes complex alliance.
What vastly complicates Western policy in Syria is how to sanction Assad on one hand and deal with Islamic State on the other, without the country unravelling completely.
The usual procedures for extradition between countries with substantial and complex bilateral relations – like those that Australia and China have – will now not be available.
Now, more than at any time in our history, Australia needs a relationship with China ‘comparable with that which we have, or seek, with other major powers’.
The US alliance will remain the cornerstone of Australian security, but regional partnerships will become more important and exploitable - sentimental ties aside.
After the extraordinary attention accorded to the visit to Australia by the leader of a country whose economic importance to us is limited – if prospective – it might not be a bad idea to put all this…
Australian and American leaders over the years have, from time to time, disagreed or said things to cause embarrassment. But, for the most part, such disagreements have been kept out of the limelight.
US presidents over the past 25 years have had varying views of the alliance with Australia. While none have questioned its value, commitment has not been even across the board.
The annual Conference of Australian and Indonesian Youth (CAUSINDY) to be held in Bali this week is an initiative that can help change negative attitudes towards Indonesia.