Politics

21 September 2025
Displaced Palestinian children flee southward in the Gaza Strip on Sept. 21 after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the south.
From left: Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stand together at the start of their meeting of the Quad in Washington on July 1.
Opinion

This is how the Quad dies ... again

If the partnership does end, it would rack up yet another win for China

18 September 2025
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, left, and Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy stand in front of a Ghost Shark sub at HMAS Kuttabul naval base in Sydney on Sept. 10.
Aerospace & Defense Industries

Australia to spend $1.1bn on Ghost Shark unmanned subs

Move comes on heels of China flexing military capabilities at massive parade

10 September 2025
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Vanuatu's Prime Minister Jotham Napat did not sign a landmark security and economic deal, but remain committed to doing so. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
International relations

Australia and Vanuatu still expect to ink security pact despite delay

Pacific island nation's prime minister holds off on signing deal amid internal divisions

9 September 2025
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks during a media conference at Parliament House in Canberra on Aug. 26. (AAP/Lukas Coch via Reuters)
International relations

Australia blames Iran for two antisemitic attacks, expels its envoy

Canberra set to designate Islamic Revolutionary Guard as terrorist organization

26 August 2025
Japan and Australia will hold a "two-plus-two" meeting of foreign and defense ministers in Tokyo next month. High on the agenda will be a deal for joint development of new frigates for Australia's navy. (Kyodo)
23 August 2025
Australian Ambassador to the U.S. Kevin Rudd speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Aug. 20. (Australian Embassy)
Indo-Pacific

AUKUS submarines need rare earths and can't rely on China, envoy warns

Beijing made 'great mistake' by restricting exports, Australia's ambassador to US says

21 August 2025
Melanie Brock, CEO of Melanie Brock Advisory, far left, speaks during a session at the Nikkei Forum Melbourne 2025 in Melbourne on Aug. 18. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)
Defense

Japan's Ishiba doubles down on 'JANZUS' ambition

PM says his country and Australia need to fill US gap in Southeast Asia

18 August 2025
Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai, pictured in May 2020, is understood to be suffering from health problems after years in solitary confinement.
Hong Kong security law

Closing arguments begin in mogul Jimmy Lai's Hong Kong security trial

Prominent activists-in-exile Ted Hui, Tony Chung granted asylum by Australia, UK

18 August 2025
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, right, speaks next to Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, on Aug. 11. (AAP/via REUTERS)
International relations

Australia to recognize Palestinian state next month at UN, PM says

Country joins with UK, Canada and France; New Zealand considers following suit

11 August 2025
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele speaks at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Tonga in August 2024. (Photo by Rurika Imahashi)
International relations

China, US and Taiwan locked out of Pacific Islands Forum meeting

Host Solomon Islands says no PIF dialogue partners to be invited to gathering

7 August 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump greets Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House on Feb. 7. Australia's deal with Japan on frigates is a win for the U.S. as well, analysts say.
Indo-Pacific

Frigate deal is win-win for Japan, Australia, Trump, analysts say

Unlike AUKUS, new agreement does not burden American industry

6 August 2025
Japan proposed that Australia purchase an improved version of the Mogami-class frigate used by the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
Aerospace & Defense Industries

Japan set to land Australia frigate order in first warship export deal

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and other contractors head into final negotiations

5 August 2025
Douglas Heywood, left, talks to students from Kyoto Sangyo University in front of his father Scott's grave at the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Yokohama on Aug. 2. (Photo by Koji Nozawa)
International relations

At Yokohama cemetery, son pays tribute to Australian father lost in WWII

Remembering Scott Heywood: a POW's journey from 'Death Railway' to air raid tragedy

2 August 2025
U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy speaks at the Lowy Institute in Sydney on July 26. (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi)
China

UK extradition change due to China 'repression' concerns, FM says

David Lammy calls Hong Kong police arrest warrants 'totally unacceptable'

27 July 2025
Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey attend a news conference in Sydney on July 25. (Photo by Rurika Imahashi)
Defense

Australia and UK to sign new submarine treaty amid regional uncertainty

Security arrangement with US under a cloud as Trump administration reviews AUKUS

25 July 2025
Employees work inside a Cadila Pharmaceuticals manufacturing unit on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, on April 12.
Trump tariffs

Trump's pharma tariff pivot hits Australian and India drugmakers

Shares volatile after US president indicates levy will be brought forward

16 July 2025
The USS North Carolina, a Virginia-class submarine, departs Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii. Under AUKUS, the U.S. is scheduled to sell three such vessels to Australia. (U.S. Navy)
Indo-Pacific

Pentagon official on Asia trip to discuss AUKUS, defense spending

John Noh seeks to clear fog over Trump administration's goals

16 July 2025
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members and Australian military personnel conduct joint training. (Japanese Defense Ministry)
Defense

Japan looks to Australia, India, Europe to help counter China

Defense white paper shows greater focus on relations with like-minded countries

16 July 2025
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July 15.
International relations

Australian PM flags decarbonization potential in meeting with China's Xi

Xi says ties have 'turned around' following bilateral trade tensions

15 July 2025
Trump-supporting author Nick Adams, whom the U.S. president has nominated to be his next ambassador to Malaysia. His right-wing views have prompted criticism in the Southeast Asian nation.
International relations

Trump's pick for Malaysia envoy triggers controversy

Ex-Australian right-wing commentator Nick Adams has history of Islamophobia

15 July 2025
Australian Army Air Dispatchers from the 9th Force Support Battalion participate in Exercise Talisman Sabre 25 at Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland, Australia. (Photo courtesy of Australia's Department of Defence)
Defense

Australia-US military exercises kick off amid regional pressure

PM Albanese in China as Australia hosts exercises with defense ally

14 July 2025
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, meets with Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Philippines' Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro at a trilateral meeting during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting and related meetings in Kuala Lumpur on July 10. The bloc attracted numerous high-level diplomats to its annual forum. 
International relations

ASEAN asserts global role as internal rifts cloud regional unity

Major powers rally around bloc but challenges present credibility tests

14 July 2025
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, left, is set to make the third trip to China by an Australian leader in a decade. He is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, right. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images) 
International relations

Australian PM to weigh AI cooperation on rare China visit

Albanese wary of national security concerns raised by Chinese systems

12 July 2025
From left to right, Rear Adm. Naoya Hoshi of Japan, Vice Adm. Jeff Jablon of the U.S. and Commodore Catherine Rhodes of Australia pose after signing an agreement on naval logistics in Brisbane, Australia on July 11. (Photo by Rurika Imahashi) 
Defense

Australia, Japan and US sign 'historic' agreement on naval logistics

First trilateral agreement increases interoperability as China builds regional clout

11 July 2025
Japan, Australia, Canada and South Korea should form a grouping known as JACK. (Source photos by Reuters and Uichiro Kasai)
Opinion

Hit the road, JACK! Time for a new 'Fab Four'

Japan, Australia, Canada and (South) Korea should band together

8 July 2025
Jerome and Liz Scarborough operate a family-owned winery in Australia's Hunter Valley. (By Sophie Mak)
Food & Beverage

Australian wineries face headwinds from tariffs, heat and changing tastes

Shipments to China have rebounded, but producers worry over future growth

6 July 2025
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio talks to reporters ahead of a Quad foreign ministers meeting on July 1 in Washington, as India's S. Jaishankar, Australia's Penny Wong and Japan's Takeshi Iwaya watch. (State Department photo) 
Indo-Pacific

Rubio wants Quad to deliver results, starting with critical minerals

Trump White House likes 'cost free' nature of 4-nation group, analyst says

2 July 2025
Cheng Lei speaks to Nikkei Asia in Sydney on June 18. (Photo by Rurika Imahashi)
Interview

Cheng Lei rediscovers her voice after 'cruelty' of Chinese detention

Australian journalist's memoir chronicles both brutal conditions and acts of kindness

29 June 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump might demand more defense spending from Japan and South Korea during a meeting alongside the NATO summit in the Netherlands.
International relations

Trump seeks Japan, Australia, New Zealand leaders meeting at NATO summit

West hopes for wider coordination with Indo-Pacific to counter China and Russia

23 June 2025