Revelations during the Australian federal election that the Solomon Islands Government was in the process of concluding a secret security agreement with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) sounded alarm bells in security circles. It generated dire predictions of a future Chinese naval base and permanent deployment of Chinese troops in the Solomons, seriously affecting … more
In the chilly days before the Lunar New Year of 2022, a video began circulating on Chinese social media of a woman standing alone in an outdoor shed wearing a thin pink sweater. She is shackled to the wall by a chain around her neck. The man behind the camera asks if she is cold, … more
The Australia-China relationship, which turns fifty in 2022, has in recent years become a seemingly endless narrative of contradiction and acrimony. On 26 January 2022, an opportunity for a reset came with the arrival of a new Chinese ambassador to Canberra, Xiao Qian 肖千. Speaking on 24 February, Xiao said that Chinese government wanted to … more
Ngan Shun-kau 顏純鈎 (Yan Chun-gou, born 1948) is a writer, literary editor, and a seasoned observer of Chinese politics. Born in Hong Kong, Ngan grew up in the coastal province of Fujian. Like many of the youth in his generation, Ngan threw himself wholeheartedly into the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and rose to become a leader … more
‘Contradiction’ 矛盾 was a hallmark of gender and social relations in 2021. Along with a rising wave of feminism in fields ranging from comedy to podcasting, gender wars erupted in cyberspace between feminists and anti-feminists, with both sides fighting with greater anger and intensity than before. Not coincidentally, 2021 also saw renewed attempts by the … more
Taiwan is on a crucial mission to define the narrative of its traumatic modern history. At the centre of this trauma is the 228 (‘Two-Two-Eight’) Incident 二二八事件, which began with a routine police shakedown of black-market tobacco sellers on 27 February 1947. Less than two years earlier, at the end of World War II, the … more
As the next federal election draws near and with predictions of a close result, the incumbent federal Coalition Government may be talking a lot about China during the upcoming campaign, with long-term repercussions for Australia. Late last year, Penny Wong delivered a speech, stating that whenever the federal government is in trouble, you see them … more
‘The historical attitude in China to the tiger is full of contradictions’, observed Cao Zhenfeng, a specialist on Chinese folk tradition. ‘The tiger is both loved and hated; it is a frightening beast as well as a protecting god; it is a sign of danger and a symbol for good luck; it causes people to … more
1. Solomon Islands In the Solomon Islands last week, anti-government protests broke out, with protestors burning Chinatown in the capital Honiara. The Solomon Islands Government requested help from Australia, which sent police and military personnel. Prime Minister Sogavare blamed unspecified “foreign powers” for encouraging this civil unrest. It is unclear which foreign powers he refers … more
On the internet, one may get the impression that the Chinese youth is increasingly nationalistic and hostile towards the West. But this is an oversimplification. Multiple national sample surveys find that Chinese youth are adopting Westernised values, with a greater preference for individualism and self-expression, and are less nationalistic. Yet, they are far from embracing … more
