The Australian federal government recently resolved to scrap the Victorian state government’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The timing of this decision needs to be contemplated as ongoing developments may trouble bilateral relations between Australia and China, writes John Varano.

In this report, the author analyses the different scenarios that could trigger a nuclear war in the Taiwan strait and how it can be avoided.

The 2020 edition of the China Story yearbook examines the downward-spiralling Sino-Australian relationship, the difficult ‘co-morbidities’ of China’s relations with the US, the end of ‘One Country, Two Systems’ in Hong Kong, the simmering border conflict with India, and the rise of pandemic-related anti-Chinese racism.

Chinese–Australian communities are invaluable sources of China-related expertise, yet they are under-represented in the country’s public service roles. This paper argues that a better harnessing of the skills and knowledge of the Chinese–Australian community would have substantial benefits for Australian policy-making in one of its most important bilateral relationships.

Countering China’s coercive diplomacy and power trading is a necessary defensive measure to protect the prosperity and security of every nation that values its sovereignty and an open trading system. This paper argues that Canberra has shown the way forward, but now also needs Washington’s support.