Foreign affairs

Executive Summary

Advanced technologies are a key factor in the evolving international balance of power. The United States-allied group of states, including Australia, are still generally technology leaders. But the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is making major gains in some fields, spurred by growing pressure on its access to foreign technologies. What impacts might the PRC’s cooperation with Russia have on this equation?

This report provides an overview of Sino-Russian collaboration across four broad fields:

By Elena Collinson and James Curran

Note: This article appeared in The National Interest on October 22 2022.

By Elena Collinson and Corey Lee Bell

By Elena Collinson

Note: This article appeared in the South China Morning Post on October 10 2022.

Note: This article appeared in The Canberra Times on September 24 2022. 

The first four months of the Albanese government haven't been short on diplomatic achievements. 

But one is particularly impressive and yet easy to miss: the restoration of strategic space to respond to developments in the Taiwan Strait. 

Summary  

This analysis reviews recent translation controversies involving PRC diplomatic statements in order to stimulate further discussion on guidelines that could help readers better appreciate the limitations and idiosyncrasies of translations pertaining to this field, and spot signs of sub-optimal translations that have could potentially inform poor or calamitous foreign policy responses.  

Key takeaways 

By Elena Collinson and Corey Lee Bell

Much scholarly and policy attention is focused on the two great powers, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the United States, and the impact of their behaviours on international relations. As a third party, Australia has huge stakes in maintaining good relations with both and promoting a stable and prosperous region more broadly. How can Canberra exercise its agency to best advance its interests as great power competition heats up?

Key takeaways

- Reports that Huawei is controlled by the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are inaccurate. Huawei is a private, employee-owned corporation controlled by its senior management with input from an employee representative committee.

- The Communist Party of China (CPC) branch committees in private PRC corporations, including Huawei, have largely been co-opted by corporations to serve their own commercial interests.

Note: This article appeared in The Canberra Times on August 13 2022. 

As tensions ratchet up in the Taiwan Strait, Australia's relationship with China risks being caught up in the fallout. The modest improvements in official relations since May could quickly be reversed.