I was in Berlin this week for a conference on the EU’s relationship with Africa in the context of the continent’s growing ties with external actors, many of whom Europe finds acutely worrying.
The conference eerily landed on the two-year anniversary of the October 7 attack in Israel. I was in Berlin two years ago as well. In the weeks after the attack, one could see how Western powers’ ...
Category: China-Australia
Australia, Papua New Guinea Delay Mutual Defense Treaty
Australia and Papua New Guinea will not sign a long-awaited mutual defense treaty as expected on Wednesday, the two countries said. The deal was set to see the two nations commit to defending each other from armed attacks as they face ...
Papua New Guinea, Australia Will Commit to Mutual Defense to Counter “Emerging Threats”
A new defense treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea commits to defending each other if they are attacked in the face of "emerging threats", a copy of the deal seen by AFP on Tuesday showed. The pact -- seen as ...
Australian Police Charge Chinese National With ‘Foreign Interference’
Australian police said Monday they had charged a Chinese national with "reckless foreign interference", accusing the woman of spying on a local Buddhist group for Beijing. Assistant police commissioner Stephen Nutt said the woman had been covertly gathering information on the ...
‘Dialogue’ Must Be at Heart of China, Australia Ties, PM Tells Xi
By Sam Davies with Steven Trask in Sydney "Dialogue" must be at the heart of ties between Canberra and Beijing, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday as he met President Xi Jinping in the Chinese capital. ...
Australia PM in China to Boost Trade Despite Regional Angst
By Peter Catterall Anthony Albanese arrived in Shanghai on Saturday to kick off his second visit to China as Australian prime minister, seeking to bolster recently stabilised trade ties even as geopolitical tensions remain high. ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
China Says Australian PM Albanese to Visit This Week
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will begin a six-day visit to China on Saturday, his office and Beijing said. China lifted a ban on Australian rock lobster in December, the last barrier in a broader, multibillion-dollar trade war that erupted under ...
Australia Says China Anxiety, Geography Driving Closer Indonesia Ties
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said Thursday that security anxiety over China was partly driving deepening ties with Indonesia in a region riven by rivalry between Beijing and Washington. His visit to meet counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin in Jakarta came weeks after ...
Chinese Ambassador Lashes Australian Plan to Buy Back Key Port
China's ambassador to Australia has condemned a push to block a Chinese company running a strategically important Australian shipping port, calling it "ethically questionable." The Landbridge group was granted a 99-year lease on the northern port of Darwin in 2015, a ...
Australia Rebuffs China’s Appeal to ‘Join Hands’ in Trade
Australia rebuffed China's appeal to "join hands" to defend trade on Thursday, as Beijing looks for partners to help it blunt U.S. tariffs now ratcheted up to 125 percent. Ambassador Xiao Qian urged Australia and other trading partners to "jointly respond ...
Australia to Buy Darwin Port Lease From Chinese Firm: PM
Australia plans to buy back control of its strategic northern port of Darwin from the current Chinese leaseholder, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday. China's Landbridge group was granted a 99-year lease on the port in 2015, a widely criticised decision ...
China Unapologetic After Live Firing Drills off Australian Coast
Beijing's ambassador to Canberra said Friday he would not apologize for surprise Chinese naval drills near Australia that forced dozens of commercial flights to change course. Some 49 flights were forced to divert last week when three Chinese warships announced live firing ...
Beijing Accuses Australia of ‘Hyping’ China Naval Live Fire Drills
Beijing on Sunday said Canberra had "deliberately hyped" recent Chinese naval exercises near the Australian coast and confirmed its forces had used live fire in an incident that rattled Australian policymakers. Authorities in Australia and close ally New Zealand have been ...