Entries tagged "Australia"

  • Victoria's Wrong Turn on China's Belt and Road | Nov. 20, 2020, 1:41 p.m.

    The Australian state of Victoria, which signed a Belt and Road MoU in 2018, has little to show from Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature foreign policy vision.

  • Japan, Australia Pen Indo-Pacific Pact | Nov. 13, 2020, 9:56 a.m.

    Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison plan to sign an agreement strengthening their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), a partnership between Australia, India, Japan, and the U.S. to further regional cooperation and balance against China, including Chinese infrastructure development, Nikkei reports.

  • Japan’s Leadership Role in a Multipolar Indo-Pacific | Oct. 28, 2020, 10:52 a.m.

    This paper discusses the geopolitical dynamics of the Indo-Pacific, including the impacts of Covid-19, and emerging foreign policy initiatives, and offers recommendations for how Japan can solidify a comprehensive leadership role in this critical, multipolar region.

  • Japan, Allies Finance $30M Palau Cable | Oct. 28, 2020, 9:32 a.m.

    Japan, the U.S., and Australia will finance a $30M internet cable connection to Palau, the first three-way cooperation on infrastructure under Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga aimed at promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific, Nikkei reports.

  • Pompeo Sees Quad as China Counter | Oct. 7, 2020, 9:06 a.m.

    U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would like to institutionalize the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) with Japan, India, and Australia to build out a "true security framework" as a counterweight to China, according to remarks the Secretary made in Tokyo at a gathering of the four countries' foreign ministers, Nikkei reports.

  • Japan, Australia Court India after RCEP | Sept. 29, 2020, 9:32 a.m.

    Government officials expect to finalize the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, as early as November 2020. However, Australia and Japan's lingering misgivings about China's alleged political interference and 5G market access have spurred attempts to court India, a former RCEP

  • Pakistan: China Re-ups $2B Coal Plant | Aug. 20, 2020, 11:01 a.m.

    Beijing has relaunched a $2 billion coal mine and power project in southeastern Pakistan amid rising tensions with Austalia, China's largest source of imported coal.

  • Australia Minimizes Foreign Investments | June 5, 2020, 7:07 a.m.

    Citing the need to balance economic and national security, Australia announced all foreign investors will face greater scrutiny when bidding for sensitive assets, regardless of the size of the deal and whether the buyer is private or state-owned. Chinese companies have been major investors in Australian resources, agriculture and property, Nikkei reports.

  • View All Analysis | May 26, 2020, 10:21 a.m.

    Browse our analysis section for news and articles on topics such as China's Belt and Road Initiative (OBOR), the world's evolving digital infrastructure competition, and the stakes for U.S. policy.

  • China Ramps Up Aid to Pacific | April 24, 2020, 9:49 a.m.

    In the islands of the South Pacific, China has amped up aid and diplomacy during the coronavirus pandemic, accelerating to rival Australia and New Zealand as a major aid donor and trade partner in the region, Nikkei reports.

  • Connecting the Blue Dots | Feb. 26, 2020, 11:24 a.m.

    The Blue Dot Network (BDN)—an effort by the United States, Japan, and Australia to promote high-quality global infrastructure—holds promise and should be encouraged, but many unanswered questions about its implementation will need to be addressed for the initiative to achieve its desired impact.

  • China's BRI Faces Challenges in 2020 | Jan. 3, 2020, 9:23 a.m.

    Alternative infrastructure investment initiatives led by Japan, India, and Australia indicate that China’s Belt and Road Initiative is likely to face increased pressure in 2020, Nikkei reports.

  • U.S., Australia Bid on Subic Bay Shipyard | Dec. 5, 2019, 9:36 a.m.

    A U.S. firm and Australian shipbuilder have bid on the Philippines' largest shipyard in Subic Bay near the South China Sea, a project which has also attracted Chinese interest, Nikkei reports. The shipyard is located in an area that once hosted the largest overseas U.S. defense facility.

  • Asia Pacific Avoids China Debt | Nov. 27, 2019, 9:31 a.m.

    Debt sustainability risks are rising in the Asia Pacific region according to the International Monetary Fund, however, Chinese loans are not yet playing a significant role despite concerns sparked in Australia and the U.S. after China offered aid to the Solomon Islands following the switch of diplomatic ties from Taipei to Beijing, Nikkei reports.

  • U.S.-Australia Boost Space Efforts Amid China's BRI | Oct. 18, 2019, 10:55 a.m.

    In light of an increasingly dominant Chinese space program under China's Belt and Road Initiative, the newly created Australian Space Agency has invested $150 million AUD to bolster cooperation with the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Nikkei reports.

  • U.S.-Australian Team Eyes Philippine Port | July 26, 2019, 9:36 a.m.

    An Australian and U.S. consortium are in exclusive talks to renovate the Subic Bay shipyard in the Philippines, a former U.S. naval base that opens up to the South China Sea, allaying fears over national security that were triggered by Chinese interest in acquiring the port, Nikkei reports.

  • U.S., Japan, Australia Fund Indo-Pacific Infrastructure | June 26, 2019, 9:46 a.m.

    Government-backed lenders in Japan, the U.S., and Australia plan to issue a statement on their joint infrastructure efforts, including possible joint-financing for an liquefied natural gas terminal in Papua New Guinea. The three countries agreed in November to collaborate on infrastructure projects in the Indo-Pacific as an alternative to China's Belt and Road initiative, according to the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • US-China Rivalry Boosts SE Asia Infrastructure | May 29, 2019, 9:16 a.m.

    Cambodia and other nations across Southeast Asia are emerging as vital staging grounds for a new form of power struggle between China and its rivals. The growth of Beijing's vast Belt and Road Initiative since 2013 has galvanized the U.S. and its allies -- including Japan, India and Australia -- and prompted them to draw up infrastructure and security programs of their own, writes Gwen Robinson for the Nikkei Asian Review

  • Calibrating a U.S. Infrastructure Strategy for the Indo-Pacific | March 5, 2019, 9:51 a.m.

    The U.S. should not conditionalize its infrastructure diplomacy to exclude or de-prioritize countries that participate in China’s Belt and Road. Extending support on an open basis will offer the broadest menu of options to governments and ensure that connectivity integrates, rather than divides, the Indo-Pacific.

  • Australia Steps Up Pacific Infrastructure Push | Jan. 17, 2019, 3:29 a.m.

    In his first international trip of the year, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison visited Vanuatu to pledge high-quality infrastructure investments and economic development just weeks after China signed a deal to forgive $2.87 million of the country's debt and provide fresh financing for road upgrades.

  • How Is China Securing Its LNG Needs? | Jan. 14, 2019, 9:30 a.m.

    In 2017, China surpassed South Korea to become the world’s second-largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer. In a few years, it might overtake Japan. But how is China securing its LNG needs?

  • Australia Reveals $1.5B Pacific Infrastructure Fund | Nov. 8, 2018, 9:05 a.m.

    Australia will set up a $1.46 billion infrastructure fund for projects in the Pacific as the country looks to curb China's rising influence across the strategically important islands, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • The Clouds Gathering around China's Belt and Road | May 16, 2018, 9:25 a.m.

    China's President Xi Jinping promised that his Belt and Road Initiative would be a "plan in the sunshine." But the BRI's outlook is darkening as some actual and potential partners raise concerns about transparency, debt sustainability, and even China's underlying strategic aims.

  • China’s Maritime Silk Road | April 3, 2018, 9 a.m.

    Seven CSIS experts unpack the economic and geostrategic implications of China’s infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific region under the Maritime Silk Road.

  • Japan Proposes BRI Counter Dialogue | Oct. 25, 2017, 9:55 a.m.

    Japan is planning a top-level dialogue with the U.S., India, and Australia to counteract China's aggressive maritime expansion under its Belt and Road initiative.

  • Australian Firm To Launch Property, Infrastructure Fund In Japan | Aug. 23, 2017, 9:30 a.m.

    Australia's NAB Asset Management is preparing to bring a property- and infrastructure-focused investment product to the Japanese market, with shares in electric utilities, railroad operators and other infrastructure-related companies accounting for a substantial proportion. The new fund could top out at $35 billion.

  • Kick-Start Private Infrastructure with Future Tax-Sharing Bonds | May 26, 2017, 9:14 a.m.

    Financial engineering is driven by new approaches to old problems, as the surprising success of green bonds and social or development impact bonds has shown us. Hopefully, the time of the kicker bond for infrastructure has arrived.

  • Disruption on the Docks | Feb. 7, 2017, 10 a.m.

    The fastest growing container trade in the world is intra-Asian trade. It is here that the business case for automated terminal investment is strongest.

  • Asia's Infrastructure Cultures | Jan. 11, 2017, 12:05 a.m.

    With the “Belt and Road” initiative, the fast establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the construction of ports and railways in Africa and elsewhere, and by pushing green energy, China is demonstrating what has been lost in the West in recent times.

  • China Announces Beijing-Tianjin Rail | Nov. 28, 2016, 10:03 a.m.

    Railway companies in China are experiencing a boost thanks to growing demand, Nikkei reports. The rise in stocks is attributed to increased market shares in Europe and Australia and the announcement of a new rail line that will link Beijing to Tianjin in China.

  • China in Europe | Nov. 23, 2016, 9:03 a.m.

    What is new about China's Belt and Road is that it is more likely to succeed outside of Eurasia, leading to new opportunities but also unexpected challenges for Europe and the United States.

  • Matthew Goodman: US, Japan can aid Asia's infrastructure boom | Nov. 18, 2016, 11:14 a.m.

    While the U.S. and Japan cannot offer as much investment as China in the region, they can offer their expertise and high standards, Matthew Goodman explains in an interview with Nikkei.