From his office window, Roberto Garcia watches workers repair the USS Emory S. Land, a submarine support vessel that is part of a U.S. military buildup as Washington turns its attention to fast-growing Asia and a newly assertive China. The Philippines, Australia and other parts of the region have seen a resurgence of U.S. warships, planes and personnel […]
It was the talk of teaching Hindi to schoolchildren down under that grabbed all the headlines in India, but Canberra’s White Paper Australia in the Asian Century merits wider attention because governments today rarely state far-reaching plans of any kind, let alone those involving an epochal reorientation of political sensibility. Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who commissioned the […]
In light of America‘s Presidential election, The Diplomat presents three diverse views of the election from writers in three different countries in Asia: China, Australia and South Korea. Each presents their own perspective on the election as well as viewpoints that are unique to the Asia-Pacific. Read Here – The Diplomat
When I was in Seoul a few weeks ago, the English-language news program Korea Today broadcast a strangely fascinating story about an “I Love Dokdo” contest at Taegu University. The idea was to see who could come up with the most inspiring tribute to the patch of microislands that has been the focus of a recurring and bitter […]
Australia must find new trade opportunities and strengthen its education system to take advantage of Asia’s economic boom, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said, outlining goals for the country to meet by 2025. “As the global center of gravity shifts to our region, the tyranny of distance is being replaced by the prospects of proximity,” Gillard […]
The 2012 farming season may be in its waning days, but the consequences of this year’s drought, the worst of its kind in 25 years, are yet to be known. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that the drought will push retail food prices up by between 3% and 4% in 2013. That’s a higher-than-average […]
China rejected on Tuesday as “groundless” U.S. accusations that two top Chinese telecoms equipment makers posed a security risk. The U.S. House of Representatives‘ Intelligence Committee urged American companies on Monday to stop doing business with Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and ZTE Corp., warning that China could use equipment made by the companies to spy on […]
Earlier this year, Bob Carr, Australia’s foreign minister and a longtime friend of the United States, observed with Aussie clarity: “The United States is one budget deal away from restoring its global preeminence.” He added a caution: “There are powers in the Asia-Pacific that are whispering that this time the United States will not get […]
LABOR is pursuing a dramatic upgrading of Australia‘s relationship with China that would put diplomatic ties between Canberra and Beijing on a similar footing to relations with the US, Japan and Indonesia. Foreign Minister Bob Carr revealed yesterday that he had sent the head of his department, Dennis Richardson, to Beijing last month to propose the […]
The move by Australia’s central bank to lower interest rates from October 3 is the latest sign of pessimism about the prospects of the China-led resources boom. In announcing an unexpected cut to the official cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.25 percent, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) indicated that the global outlook was […]
looking beyond borders 