Country: Australia
WEEK IN REVIEW: United States to Increase Its Military Force Presence in Northern Australia
The United States announced it will increase its military force presence in northern Australia in response to "China's dangerous and coercive actions" in the Asia-Pacific region. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday the Pentagon will step up troop rotations that will also include the deployment of added ...
Why Détente Between China and Australia Could Be a Problem for Some Developing Countries
Anthony Albanese is the first Australian Prime Minister in six years to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and from the looks of their brief meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali on Tuesday, there's a glimmer of optimism that the strained ...
Chinese PM Li Heads Home From Cambodia After Another Round of Diplomatic Speed Dating
Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang wrapped up a six-day visit to Cambodia on Sunday at the conclusion of a pair of regional summits where he also held a number of sideline bilaterals with both Asian and Pacific leaders: ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Canada To Become Newest Member of the U.S.-Led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF)
Canada will become the newest member of the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a loose group of Asia-Pacific countries ostensibly aimed at countering China. Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said the move is part of a new Canadian initiative to "deepen engagement with the U.S.” in the Asia-Pacific region. ...
China Isn’t Spending Anywhere Near as Much on Aid to Pacific Island Countries as Many Think
New research reveals that Chinese aid spending in Pacific Island Countries (PIC) is now at the lowest level in 14 years, challenging the widely held perception that Beijing is showering the region with money in a bid to boost its influence. ...
Top Australian Official to Visit Ghana Amid Bitter Sino-Aussie Mining Controversy
Australia's Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts will travel to Ghana later this month to personally intervene in a rapidly escalating three-way controversy involving the Ghanaian government and a pair of mining companies from Australia and China. Last week, the ...
Metals Dispute Reveals Gulf Between U.S. Companies and Leaders on China
Amid the tensions and sniping surrounding the U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit to Taiwan, it’s revealing how the country’s corporations and officials seem to be pulling in different directions on China. U.S. officials frame China as Voldemort’s less charming cousin. ...
Solomon Islands PM Assures Australia It Remains “Security Partner of Choice”
Manasseh Sogavare, the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, moved to calm Australian fears about his country's new security pact with China. In an interview with The Guardian, Sogavare said there will never be a ...
China’s Frenetic Diplomatic Push at the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Bali
Coverage of the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting in Bali was dominated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's high-profile exit from the meeting and the first encounter since October between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. But ...
Solomon Islands Assure Australia on Chinese Base, Leaves Some Wiggle Room
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare of the Solomon Islands assured Australia’s visiting Foreign Minister Penny Wong that China won’t be allowed to build a permanent military base there. Wong told journalists: “I welcomed Prime Minister Sogavare’s ...