The world has witnessed the outbreak of economic warfare this year, quite unlike anything seen since the end of World War II. The machinery of economic sanctions, which has been honed over decades against minor …
Articles by: "David Uren"
The World Trade Organization last week ruled that Indonesia had no right to ban the export of nickel or to require that raw nickel ore be refined in Indonesia. Handing a comprehensive victory to the …
The Ukraine conflict is exposing the massive costs that accompany a relatively small and contained war—one in which the military action is entirely confined to one of the poorest nations in Europe. Although Ukraine has …
The past decade of work proving up Australia’s deposits of rare-earth minerals is beginning to pay off, with a number of firms getting close to production. But the supply chains for rare earths still run …
Treasurer Jim Chalmers may talk about the tough times that Australia confronts, but the fine print of his budget papers reveals the extraordinary bounty which the global energy crisis is delivering to the federal budget …
China’s share of Australia’s trade—both exports and imports—is falling and is being replaced by other trading partners in Asia, bringing important diversification to Australian markets. The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics trade report shows that …
Coal accounted for half the growth in global power generation last year, and further increases are likely this year as European nations restart mothballed coal-fired power stations. For the first time since 2013, the increase …
Russian President Vladimir Putin sought this month to contrast the vibrant economies of Asia with the decadence of the West, signalling that Russia’s future lay with the East. The economic and political dominance of the …
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the immediate cause of the global energy crisis, but the seeds were sown by years of weak investment in fossil fuels, partly reflecting concerns over climate change. Before the war, …
China’s live-fire drills surrounding Taiwan over the weekend simulated an economic blockade, with Chinese forces positioned to halt access to the island nation’s main ports. Dozens of ships heading to or from North Asia were …
Beijing’s creation of a new state-owned company to centralise China’s purchases of iron ore and other metal resources is unlikely to have much impact while markets are tight and prices are high, but it could …
Beijing will be keeping a close watch on the G7’s efforts to cap the price of Russian oil because China is trying to do the same to Australian iron ore. As the world’s biggest exporter …