The era of cooperation with China may be over soon. Australia, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand are beginning to regret saying “yes” to China’s strategic overtures. The leaders, once eager to assert a little independence from their often-overbearing superpower ally, now find themselves aligning with the United States…
China’s state-owned enterprises may be curbing investment in Australia as relations between the two countries deteriorate, but there are rising concerns that they may be stepping up community infiltration instead. Reports suggest that the Covid-19 crisis may have led to an upsurge in activity by agencies run by Beijing and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) such as the United Front, a body President Xi Jinping once referred to as his “magic weapon.”
China has drawn Australia into its security tensions with India after New Delhi and Canberra signed a defence accord that could see their two military forces sharing facilities in sea straits hotly contested by Beijing. As China and India mobilise more troops and equipment along their fractious Himalayan border, the Chinese Communist Party-backed Global Times said that Beijing could view the India-Australia accord as a direct threat.
As India and Australia prepare for a virtual summit next month between prime ministers amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, a possible strategic initiative could involve the cooperative use of their respective island territories in the Indian Ocean for strategic purposes. India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Australia’s Cocos (Keeling) Islands are well positioned to offer significant advantages for both countries.
China has stepped up a diplomatic offensive over Australia’s demands for an inquiry into the origins of Covid-19, amid reports that Western spy agencies are investigating a Wuhan virus research facility. Bilateral relations have sunk to their lowest point for years over efforts by Australia to mobilise international support for an independent probe into the source of the coronavirus and the handling of the initial outbreak by China and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The security, economic and social rationale of both central and municipal governments are understandable. However, this difference of interests on China between a capital and local governments is a not a new phenomenon and it exists globally. Such a split can also be seen in China itself, where local government priorities may differ from those mandated by Beijing.
As the Indo-Pacific concept becomes a more central part of India’s foreign policy, here are five ideas for this Indo-Pacific desk to consider, all of which aim to advance the shared vision of a “free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific” promoted by India, the United States, Japan, and others.
Obama talked of pivoting to Asia. Donald Trump made Asia pivot to America. In the last two years, Trump has done much to increase U.S. influence in the Indo-Pacific region. But much more needs doing. A fast start is well and good, the Indo-Pacific contest is a marathon, not a sprint.
