Asia Rising

Modern China is seen variously as an economic powerhouse, an icon of urbanisation, a propaganda state or an aggressive superpower seeking world domination. From kung-fu to tofu, tea to trade routes, sages to silk, China has influenced cuisine, commerce, military strategy, aesthetics and philosophy across the world for thousands of years. China’s history is full of heroes who are also villains, pro...

India and Australia stand to benefit greatly through deep and ongoing engagement. But despite some share interests between the two states, there is a shallow public interest and understanding of India in Australia, and the coverage of the country is often cursory and limited in scope. How can we better promote understanding of India in Australia, leverage shared interests, and strengthen national,...

Why does gender matter when thinking about security? In Asia, discussions and policies concerning conflict, peace and security remain dominated by male voices and views. The exclusion of women’s voices has significant implications for the types of ideas, strategies and policies that are proposed and adopted in security-related fields. A live recording of the Asia Rising podcast for 'India Week' -...

In 2019 a formal agreement between La Trobe University in Australia, the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and the Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani established the Asian Smart Cities Research and Innovation Network (ASCRIN). This network facilitates and enables the development of strong partnerships required to support ‘smart cities’ through a collaborative and comprehensive ap...

The recent emergence of China as an economic and military super-power, rivaling the United States, is one of the most significant and challenging developments of the present era. A La Trobe Asia / Ideas and Society event Speakers: - The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull AC (29th Prime Minister of Australia) - The Hon. Kevin Rudd AC (26th Prime Minister of Australia) - Professor John Dewar (Vice-Chancellor, La...

India had more than 10 million foreign tourists arrive in 2019, and more than a billion domestic tourists. A large portion of these are religious tourists, visiting the multitude of Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist sites scattered around the country. Guest: Dr Kiran Shinde (Senior lecturer and Convener of Planning program at La Trobe University)

As Asia grapples with a global pandemic the region has become less secure. China's ambitions in Taiwan and Hong Kong are growing, North Korea is uncharacteristically silent, and the United States, a long-time stabilising presence, continues to slowly withdraw. In this webinar, an expert panel considers where conflict is likely, who could be involved, and what can be done to mitigate the situation....

Australia’s relationship with China has been in sharp decline, fuelled by a critical government agenda and a hostile media environment. The trust, warmth and confidence towards China is at a record low, and the majority of Australians now see it as a major security threat. In his new book China Panic, David Brophy offers a progressive alternative to Australia’s relationship with China aside from p...

The relationship between Australia and Southeast Asian countries has grown substantially in the last decade, from a marriage of convenience to the development of regional agendas, strategic partnerships and shared economic interests. A global pandemic has shifted priorities, and vaccine diplomacy throughout the region has both shifted and strengthened existing allegiances. Has Australia’s actions...

Asia’s relationship with democratic governance is complicated. While some countries such as Japan and Indonesia pride themselves on transparent elections, the struggles for democracy continue in countries such as Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines, where growing authoritarianism may be undermining long-term prospects for democratic institutions and civil liberties. Guest: Dr...

For the last seventy years Taiwan and mainland China has remained mostly separated. While China has encouraged interaction in the hope of a peaceful reunification, they have sought to isolate Taipei internationally, offering inducements and economic incentives to those who might engage. In recent months there could be signs that Beijing is contemplating taking Taiwan by force, with an increase of...

Regional security is a critical issue for The Philippines. Once closely aligned with western democracies, the strong-arm leadership of Rodrigo Duterte has guided it in a more authoritarian direction, leading critics to voice concern for the country’s democratic freedoms. In the international arena, tensions in the South China Seas have complicated a cooling relationship with China, leading the Phi...

Japan has been expanding its military roles in the post-Cold War period. While the conventional security threats associated with China’s military rise and North Korea’s nuclear weapons are still present, Japan’s participation in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, the arms trade ban policy, regional maritime capacity-building and shaping international norms have become more influential in Japa...

In April 2017, Chinese Communist Party authorities in Xinjiang launched a series of “strike-hard” campaigns against “illegal births” with the explicit aim to “reduce and stabilise a moderate birth level” and decrease the birth-rate in southern Xinjiang. The crackdown has led to an unprecedented and precipitous drop, and the largest declines have been in counties where Uyghurs and other indigenous...

The Shangri-La Dialogue is one of the premiere defence summits on the Asian calendar, where leaders from all over the region gather to discuss key global issues and security trends. James Crabtree, Executive Director of IISS-Asia, oversees the event and lays out what likely to be on the agenda at this year's dialogue.

Over the past two decades Japan has experienced slow economic growth, changed employment practices, population decline, an ageing society, and an increasingly multi-ethnic population resulting from migration. How all of these factors have influenced education will shape the society of the future. Guest: Professor Kaori Okano (Asian Studies and Japanese, La Trobe University)

The rise of China, Trump’s America First policies, division within Europe and successful defiance by authoritarian states are affecting the shape of the emerging new order. Human rights, rule of law, free media and longstanding global institutions all seem set to be weakened. Autocracies are exercising greater control over world affairs. Australia will need to engage heightened levels of diplomacy...

Human trafficking is an urgent human security issue in Asia. The abuse and exploitation associated with human trafficking have been documented across a range of sectors, including the sex industry, domestic work, construction, agriculture, and fisheries. Key drivers of human trafficking across the region include poverty and the desire for a better life. Increasingly widening economic disparities i...

While the rest of the world still struggles with a deadly pandemic, Beijing has suppressed the spread of COVID-19 and is executing an exit plan to make the most of its opportunities in a changing world, where "the east is rising while the west is declining". A live recording of the Asia Rising podcast. Guest: Chris Buckley (Chief China correspondent for The New York Times). Recorded with a live zo...

The Chagos Archipelago, a group of small tropical islands in the middle of the Indian ocean, has become a surprising location of strategic importance. Recent international legal rulings have invalidated The United Kingdom’s claimed sovereignty, and international groups are urging the UK to end its ‘unlawful occupation’, presenting interesting dilemmas for the United States and its allies. A live r...

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how the spread of fake news and misinformation online – even if shared without malicious intent – can weaken global public health efforts, contribute to social unrest and lead to real-life harms or even death. In the Asia Pacific, Singapore and Indonesia are among the early adopters of fake news laws to crack down on the pernicious problem of online misinforma...

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit tertiary education in Australia hard, and for most of 2020 it prevented students from studying on campus. For international students they were unable to enter the country, which meant a drop in enrolments and a decrease in university revenue, a situation which will likely continue into 2022. Australian international students are largely from Asian countries, with larg...

In late January 2021 China moved to intensify military activity in the Taiwan Strait, sending bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons and fighter jets into airspace just southwest of the island. Taiwan responded by scrambling fighters and broadcasting warnings, but there has been no subsequent comment from China. Beijing has long regarded the island as a renegade province and strongly opposes...

Last month, the military upended years of quasi-democratic rule in Myanmar in a carefully orchestrated coup. Military leaders justified the takeover by alleging voter fraud in the 2020 November election, which the National League for Democracy (NLD) had won in a landslide. The civilian leader of Myanmar and the NLD, former Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, was detained by the military, al...

The political landscape of Indonesia has had a shakeup with the resurrection of the long-defunct Masyumi Party. The once-powerful party invokes a time when Islamists were more united in Indonesia, and signals a desire for greater coordination. Guest: Associate Professor Dirk Tomsa (Politics, La Trobe University) Recorded 9 February 2021.