Beijing has rebuffed suggestions that it is seeking to influence the federal election after one of its research vessels travelled past Australia’s southern coast.
Many Australians seem to have missed a salient fact – our own navy conducts navigation operations and live firing exercises in the South China Sea.
The arrival of Chinese warships near our coast is not a crisis. Treating it as one – with over-the-top indignation – diminishes our capacity to tackle real crises as the region deteriorates.
Listen:International editor Peter Hartcher breaks down how Chinese warships conducted exercises off Australia,and what it says about our defence force.
Exposed to a hostile China on trade and a buccaneering US on security,our complacency has left us near-naked.
China’s Defence Ministry accused an Australian military aircraft of ignoring the main routes in the busy waterway,saying it “broke into the homes” of others.
Leaders across the globe are coming to terms with what a second Trump presidency will mean for their patch. Here,he’s among the three most important players.
China’s foreign policy,particularly in this region,often appears contradictory. But according to the former PM,it’s part of a broader but so far unsuccessful strategy.
Prabowo Subianto hadn’t even lived a day of his presidential honeymoon period when China started harassing a state-owned ship. What’s it all about?
Donald Trump’s restrained world view would,if he wins the US election,offer an effective thumbs-up to China’s military ambitions. The consequences for the region could be catastrophic.