In Nanjing in 1946, the government of the Republic of China (ROC), in the midst of a civil war, decided to delineate the territory of the Republic so that it could reconstruct the country after the expected successful conclusion of the war against the Communists. ROC officials studied old documents and records that suggested the … more
In Moscow on 22 March 2023 Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russian President Vladimir Putin that ‘Right now there are changes — the likes of which we haven’t seen for 100 years — and we are the ones driving these changes together.’ Leaving the hyperbole aside, there is evidence that many of certainties of the Western-led … more
The change of government in Australia in May 2022 presented an opportunity for improvement in the Australia-China relationship ahead of its fiftieth anniversary in December. The new Chinese ambassador Xiao Qian, who arrived in January, had invited Australia to meet China half-way in mending strained relations. The Albanese Labor government brought a change in tone … more
Australia’s relationship with Taiwan is based on two overriding and related principles, which both direct policy and limit engagement. The first principle is the One China Policy adopted by Australia when Canberra recognised the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the sole representative of China on 21 December 1972 and acknowledged ‘the position of the … 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
