Infected with Fear and Anxiety: The Australian Media’s Reporting on China and COVID-19

The way various segments of the Australian media report on China’s COVID-19 experience reflects these media’s own fears and anxieties and their political, ideological, and cultural positions. More credible media outlets in Australia have mostly framed China’s efforts in political and ideological terms. In comparison, the tabloid media have resorted to conspiratorial, racist, and Sino-phobic … more

PRC Migrants in Australia: Marriage and Divorce

How do mainland Chinese migrants to Australia form families and who do they marry? In our recent research, we analyse data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to shed light on these questions. We find that migrants born in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are more likely to marry other PRC-born migrants than … more

Negative feelings towards Chinese immigrants show our debates do not happen in a vacuum

The Scanlon Foundation’s annual Mapping Social Cohesion report found widespread negative feelings towards immigrants from China. It has implications for how Australia discusses matters involving China and Chinese people as there may be unintended consequences. Further research is urgently needed to understand the cause of these negative sentiments and how to address this complex problem. … more

Dancing with the dragon: a review of “China’s Grand Strategy and Australia’s Future in the New Global Order”

Geoff Raby’s recent book, “China’s Grand Strategy and Australia’s Future in the New Global Order”, is a timely intervention. The book provides a clear-headed assessment of the choices Australian policymakers face today regarding its biggest foreign policy challenge — the rise of China. Raby argues that Australian leaders must eschew containment of China as their … more

Australia is Not Being Invaded

Content warning: genocide, murder; contains spoilers about the novel Bruny by Heather Rose In the 2019 novel Bruny, Tasmanian author Heather Rose proposes a scenario where the entire state is sold to the Chinese. The Tasmanian population is then exiled to Bruny Island, off the southeast coast of Tasmania. Although the author describes this narrative … more

Stigmatising China connections: Problems with research on research collaborations

Researchers of Chinese heritage have come under increasing suspicion in countries such as the US, Australia and New Zealand, as potential sources of national security threats. In recent years, media reports have regularly insinuated their wrongdoing and divided loyalties. These stories are often based on studies that purportedly reveal the shadowy connections between these researchers … more