Australia

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese walks into the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on 16 October 2023. (David Gray/AFP)

Australia-China relations have stabilised, thanks to efforts from both sides

As Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese heads to China this weekend, Australia-China relations appear to have improved from their fractious state just a year and a half ago. But it’s too soon to bring out the champagne, says University of Sydney academic Yuan Jingdong.
This handout photograph taken on 11 October 2023 and released by Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade shows Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (left) and Australian journalist Cheng Lei upon her arrival at the airport in Melbourne, Australia. (Sarah Hodges/Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)/AFP)

China-Australia relations warm up again, but will it last?

The recent release of Chinese Australian news anchor Cheng Lei and the lifting of tariffs on key Australian exports into China are signalling a detente in China-Australia relations. But given the impact of external geopolitical issues and China-US relations on China-Australia bilateral relations, will the warming relations and resumption of exchanges and trade stay the course? Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk looks into the issue.
Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee Wang Yi (left) attends a Friends of BRICS (a grouping of the world economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) meeting in Johannesburg on 24 July 2023. (Elmond Jiyane/GCIS/AFP)

Will China’s measured stance continue under reappointed Foreign Minister Wang Yi?

Former Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who had a meteoric rise and just as swift a fall, was thought to have adopted a more measured tone in China’s foreign policy. Are fears of a return to wolf warrior diplomacy under Wang Yi unfounded? Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Edwin Ong assesses the situation.
US President Joe Biden (centre), British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (right) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (left) hold a press conference during the AUKUS summit on 13 March 2023, at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego California. (Jim Watson/AFP)

If at first you don’t succeed: Australia woos the Indo-Pacific on AUKUS

Australia made extensive diplomatic overtures to Asia prior to its March update about the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine arrangement with the UK and the US, note researchers Blake Herzinger and Alice Nason. Canberra appears to have gained some traction in the region, but it should not rest on its laurels.
Fiji's new prime minister and People's Alliance Party leader Sitiveni Rabuka (centre) leaves after the first sittings of the newly elected parliament in Fiji's capital city Suva on 24 December 2022. (Leon Lord/AFP)

Fiji an important regional power broker as great power politics intensifies in the Pacific

The recent elections in Fiji resulted in the first democratic transition since 2014 after three opposition parties narrowly voted for a pro–Western coalition government with Sitiveni Rabuka as the new prime minister. The election outcome also has geopolitical implications considering the growing US-China confrontation in the Pacific and the renewed US re-engagement in the South Pacific with a focus on Fiji.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrives at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport ahead of G20 Summit, Bali, Indonesia, 14 November 2022. (Fikri Yusuf/G20 Media Center/Handout via Reuters)

Australia far more wary of China than SEA nations despite thawing relations

Susannah Patton, director of the Southeast Asia Program at Lowy Institute, reflects on the thaw in Australia-China relations, surmising that the resumption of dialogue may mean Australia is no longer a regional outlier. But unchanging imperatives may see Australia’s continued investment in capabilities for the regional deterrence of China, which may worry some in Southeast Asia.
Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese walk together to their one-on-one meeting at Fraser's Restaurant on 22 October 2022 in Perth, Australia. (Stefan Gosatti/Pool via Reuters)

Japan-Australia relations moves up a notch with China in mind

Japanese academic Shin Kawashima assesses the joint statement and joint declaration issued by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently, observing a strengthening of relations amid common interests.
Samoa Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa (left) and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare (right) listen to the opening remarks of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Suva on 12 July 2022. (William West/AFP)

ASEAN needs to watch the US-China strategic competition in the Pacific

Beijing’s recent moves to establish security cooperation with Pacific island states have riled the US and Australia. Among the places that China has made moves is the Solomon Islands, where Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US security advisor Kurt Campbell have each visited within the past three months. ASEAN needs to closely watch the ongoing great power competition there to draw lessons for its own security.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong with the ASEAN Committee of Permanent Representatives at the ASEAN Secretariat, 6 June 2022. (Twitter/@SenatorWong)

'Hard yakka' ahead for Australia and ASEAN relations

Australia has made significant inroads in its engagement with ASEAN. But Canberra’s relationship with the grouping will be a hard slog, given their differences in approaching China and ensuring that China-US rivalry does not derail regional aspirations. In the meantime, Australia remains involved with the US in groupings including AUKUS and the Quad, maintaining relations with Japan and India.