ChinaUncovering China’s spying game in the PhilippinesTwo Chinese nationals were detained in the Philippines last week, accused of espionage-related activities close to sensitive areas. Three Filipino accomplices had assisted,…Geopolitical fantasists: No, Trump won’t pull off a “reverse Nixon”Amid all the noise about Donald Trump’s evident alignment with Vladimir Putin, his administration having now paused all US military aid to Ukraine, some sympathetic commentators…The live-fire loophole in the law of the seaA common Australian critique of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is that their conduct is unsafe and unprofessional. That includes air and sea interactions between the PLA and…Feminism is still a dirty word in ChinaA special Interpreter series ahead of International Women’s Day, 2025, on 8 March.In March 2015, Beijing police arrested and detained a group of young women planning to hand out…China's naval growth goes verticalChina has sent Australia a message in recent days about the strength of its rapidly growing naval fleet, already the largest in the world by numbers. But the reaction in Australia…How should Australia respond to Chinese warships’ live fire?The PLA Navy’s unprecedented live-fire exercise 640 kilometres off the south coast of New South Wales, quickly followed by a second such exercise closer to New Zealand, was…AI: China and the US go head-to-headIn terms of timing, it doesn’t get much better than this. On 20 January 2025, with the world focused on Donald Trump’s inauguration, China’s DeepSeek quietly launched its low-cost…Flight to nowhere: The curious New Gwadar International AirportAs the small plane approached the runway, the banners had already started to wave in celebration. The aircraft, an ATR 42-500, had just 50 seats – not the usual jumbo expected at…China, Taiwan, and the PLA’s 2027 milestonesFor several years, the US security establishment appeared fixated on the year 2027 as the deadline set by Xi Jinping to compel Taiwan with military force. First raised by then…The old theories don’t fit the new world orderIn the face of geopolitical confrontation, technologies evolving faster than we can regulate them, populist politics and failing cooperation on climate, we must understand that…