The 99-year Port of Darwin lease to a Chinese subsidiary in 2015 has been one of the most contentious decisions in recent Australian foreign policy. Despite government reviews finding no national security reasons to terminate the agreement, intensifying global and regional strategic environments have renewed debate. This brief outlines the context, continuing doubts and what's...

This report outlines how soaring debt repayments and a sharp reduction in lending have transformed China’s role in developing country finances from capital provider to debt collector. Mounting pressures from Chinese debts are especially severe for many of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries. A retrenchment in Western aid and trade is compounding these...

This brief examines China's statements on foreign policy issues in the six months to mid-May 2025. It covers trade restrictions between China and the US; Taiwan’s reunification with China; tensions between the US and Europe; and the Russia-Ukraine War.

This report outlines how Australia's two major parties are positioning their messaging and policy on the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and examines how these positions are evolving under increased international pressure and domestic scrutiny. It contends that whoever forms government will face a more volatile external environment and rising pressure to define clearer lines...

With the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement now a decade in operation, this analysis provides an Australian assessment of core outcomes against a backdrop of claims by advocates and critics of the deal. It finds a decade on that Australian public support for ChAFTA remains strong.