Security relationship with Japan is only the beginning for Australia
Australia and Japan are anchors of peace and prosperity in the world’s most consequential region. Whether they remain so will depend on how they build and use the bilateral relationship, and that is still very much a future project.
Australia must learn to navigate the economic realities of China relations
Australia’s export of 12 disrupted goods to China slumped by a combined US$12.6 billion in 2021 compared to the same period in 2019. China’s total import values increased for seven of the 12 goods, with many other countries picking up the lost Australian sales.
Middle power conundrum amid US–China rivalry
The United States and other developed countries are abandoning offshoring to China to cut costs and instead are reshoring, nearshoring or ally-shoring them. The trend of shifting value chains away from China is based on the judgement that leadership in advanced technology is the only means to maintain strategic hegemony.
Kishida unlikely to change course on China and Taiwan
Japan will probably choose to align with the United States and other like-minded countries to enhance its deterrence against China. In this context, Japan will continue to stress the importance of ‘peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait’ and may further promote cooperation with Taiwan for this purpose.
What’s needed two decades on from China’s accession to the WTO
Over half a billion Chinese people were lifted out of poverty in two decades and China is now the largest economy in purchasing power parity terms, second largest measured at market exchange rates, and the world’s largest trading nation.
