Since not long after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the democratic world has largely watched passively as China has been the main enabler of Moscow’s war effort. Despite knowing about Russia’s reliance on …
Articles by: "Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan"
The Quad is not dead. Some are declaring its demise, but tomorrow’s meeting of the foreign ministers of Australia, India, Japan and the United States in New Delhi will be uplifting proof of life amid …
Rather than gradually expanding its defence and security engagement across the Indo-Pacific, Beijing may choose to accelerate its trajectory, pushing boundaries to advance its interests and take advantage of a distracted United States. The result …
China’s expanding presence beyond the first island chain is most likely to generate incidents, friction and escalation risks not through deliberate aggression but through growing operational proximity. As Chinese military, paramilitary and law-enforcement activity becomes …
A major strategic shift in the Indo-Pacific is happening quietly: China’s presence in seas and ports far from its coast is becoming routine. The frequency of its appearances has been rising for about a decade. …
China’s defence and security presence beyond the Western Pacific is set to intensify over the next decade, expanding its access, influence and operational reach across the Indo-Pacific. In the Southwest Pacific, Beijing is likely to …
China may claim neutrality and call for peace in the Middle East, but it is heavily invested in the Iran conflict. Perhaps because of its dependence on Iran for energy security, it is transferring dual-use …
The Sino-Russian no-limits partnership is the driver of an anti-Western axis that seeks to weaken and reshape the global order that has underpinned Australia’s post-1945 prosperity and sovereignty. Naysayers may claim it isn’t an alliance, …
China’s military budget increases keep painting a picture that’s inconsistent with the country’s claims to a defensive policy. The rise for calendar 2026 would be 7.0 percent, Chinese Premier Li Qiang told the annual meeting …
As major powers renew their focus on nuclear testing, the world may be entering a new nuclear era. Revelations that Beijing has conducted secret nuclear tests should trigger greater focus on China’s expanding nuclear arsenal. …
Don’t give up on the Quad. The current tensions between its four members won’t overcome the underlying strengths of their relationships and lead to permanent breakdowns.
Editors’ picks for 2025: ‘Europe’s lesson for Australia: invest in defence now, or spend more later’
Instead of learning from Europe’s mistakes in the decade leading into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine—underinvesting in defence, increasing trade with a strategic adversary and expecting the United States to disproportionately carry the security burden—Australia …