US President Barack Obama speaks at the US-Africa leaders summit. The number of US programs and initiatives on the continent has grown exponentially.
EPA
Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to Kenya is a clear sign American military and economic involvement in Africa will continue to rise amid growing Chinese influence.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has thrown his support behind coal mining, arguing coal is ‘good for humanity’.
Dan Peled/AAP
With the possible exception of North Korea, there aren’t too many countries that don’t like to think of themselves as “good international citizens”. For states such as Australia, it’s ostensibly one of…
More than just a cyber “whodunnit.”
Lee Jae Won/Reuters
Many questions remain about the hack on government employee data but the US has to treat the data theft as a high-level diplomatic incident.
Batteries can cut carbon emissions, but mining the metals and other resources needed to make them can be a dirty business.
Jon Seb Barber/Wikimedia Commons
The advent of battery storage heralds an even deeper embrace of electric cars and renewable energy. But amid the green tech revolution, we should be wary of creating new pollution problems.
China’s construction of new islands in the South China Sea has attracted a great deal of entirely predictable criticism and controversy. Surely no-one connected with this decision can be surprised at this…
China’s RMB has been deemed “no longer undervalued” by the International Monetary Fund. This is a milestone for the Chinese government, which is keen to bolster domestic consumption and make the RMB a…
Defence department secretary Dennis Richardson has described Australia’s relationship with the US and Chinas as friends with both, allies with one.
AAP/Lukas Coch
Regional changes will eventually raise questions about whether Australia’s defence needs can be met with a spending level of 2% of GDP, Defence Department secretary Dennis Richardson has said.
John Kerry talks trade with workers at Boeing
POOL New/ Reuters
Washington is in the midst of a heated debate over President Obama’s proposed Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement. It certainly has created some unorthodox political bedfellows. The president is…
As China realises the unpriced costs of coal power, such as air pollution, coal production is starting to fall.
Gustavo M/Flickr
The US is considering using warships and helicopters to pressure China into scaling back construction in the Spratly islands. But why is there one rule for China, and another for other nations?
Much to talk about: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang chat during a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
EPA/Kenzaburo Fukuhara
India wants closer engagement with its neighbours as it aspires to become a global manufacturing hub. Narendra Modi’s visits to China, Mongolia and South Korea are all about promoting this agenda.
Hong Kong: a showcase for Asian urban development.
CarolSpears/Wikimedia Commons
Nobel Laureates met recently in Hong Kong to sign a memorandum calling for cities to help guard against climate change. As the most creative places on the planet, big cities are the perfect place to meet this challenge.
Bag it up. Is airport security at risk?
Hernán Piñera
When reports surface that a drugs syndicate might control an airport’s baggage handlers, it’s time to look at the pressure points for what is a precarious job – and a serious security threat.
Despite the emphasis on a mutually beneficial economic relationship, political and security concerns have the power to undermine cooperation between China and India.
A submarine missile-launching capacity brings the threat closer to the shores of the target country.
Flickr/Marion Doss
North Korea does not yet have the capacity to launch a nuclear missile from a submarine. Its recent test, however, suggests it is making progress to a game-changing second-strike capability.