Research reports

Executive Summary

This report investigates responses and reactions by first-generation Mandarin-speaking migrants in Australia from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to news stories about the PRC and about Chinese-Australian communities in English-language Australian digital, print, television and other media.

Drawing on three focus groups, a quantitative survey of 689 respondents and 20 in-depth interviews, this report seeks to understand the implications of these first-generation migrants’ views on news reporting for social cohesion in Australia.

Executive Summary

While speculation continues as to whether Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will visit the People’s Republic of China (PRC) this year – making it the first such visit since Malcolm Turnbull in 2016 – the time is ripe for reflection on arguably the most consequential visit in the relationship’s history, that by Bob Hawke to Beijing in May 1986.

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:

Executive Summary

This paper assesses Australia’s current security and defence policy trajectory and examines what strategies Australia might pursue to serve its interests in the fractured and complex regional order emerging in the Indo-Pacific strategic space.

In making this assessment, the paper traces the Sino-Australian relationship, identifying the main rationales for Canberra’s decision to pivot away from the hedge posture it pursued under prime ministers John Howard through to Tony Abbott.

THE CHINA CONSENSUS: A PRE-ELECTION SURVEY OF COALITION GOVERNMENT AND AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY POLICIES ON THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

By Elena Collinson

Executive Summary

Executive Summary

The political relationship between Canberra and Beijing started going off the rails in 2016. The first casualty was a diplomatic freeze. In 2020, political tensions spilled over to disrupt around a dozen Australian goods exports. The Australian government responded by loudly urging businesses to diversify as geopolitical risks jumped.

Executive Summary

A video summary of the report is available.

Executive Summary

Introduction

In the mid-2000s Australia had delivered a China-led mining boom that continues today. Australia’s success as a producer of raw materials such as iron ore is well known. While domestic demand is negligible, in 2019 Australia’s iron ore exports totalled $96.1 billion (Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2020). The partner that has made this possible is China, buying 82.2 percent of Australia’s exports. China has also been a major supplier of the capital needed to develop Australian mines (Ferguson et al., 2020).

Executive Summary