My latest column on ABC News today — Taipei sits at the physical centre of the global AI economy but remains shut out of the diplomatic rooms where its sovereign rights are negotiated, often by others.

The Taiwan crisis nobody is watching

Taipei sits at the physical centre of the global AI economy but remains shut out of the diplomatic rooms where its sovereign rights are negotiated, often by others.

abc.net.au

I honestly enjoyed the viral 'post-literate society' essay but this piece from James Ley, which interrogates some of the assumptions it was based on, is really worth reading www.themonthly.com.au/may-2026/ess...

Canon fire

The decline of literary studies, and reading in general, is really about a mistrust of intellectual curiosity

themonthly.com.au

History is often made in a moment only remembered long after.

I've created a curated Beijing Bureau list on Bluesky highlighting China-focused journalists and academics. Please send me a DM if you would like to be featured. bsky.app/profile/did:...

This week in Beijing, both Donald Trump and Xi Jinping quietly admitted something the rest of the world has been slow to grasp. Neither of them can afford the collision. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05...

Is the US-China rivalry over?

This week in Beijing, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping quietly admitted something the world has been slow to grasp: neither can afford a collision between their two countries.

abc.net.au

🇺🇸🇨🇳 Trump landed in Beijing just now with Elon Musk, Jensen Huang and a list of things he needs. Red carpet. Military band. Three hundred Chinese youths chanting "warm welcome". Xi knows how to receive someone who needs the room more than they’re letting on.

#Analysis Justice remains possible, but it will depend not on outrage, but on evidence, diplomacy and political will. China has the authority to act. Australia has the responsibility to press. Whether that convergence delivers accountability now rests with Beijing.

Brisbane coffee assault enters new phase with justice depending on Beijing

Sixteen months after a stranger poured scalding coffee over a baby in a Brisbane park, China's decision to send a working group to Australia marks the first tangible shift in a complicated case.

abc.net.au

#Analysis A hypothetical conflict serves a purpose for Beijing, Taipei and Washington as it prevents the other two from moving too close to one another. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...

Two truths and a lie: Inside the China-Taiwan-US triangle

The US has no intention of abandoning Taiwan. But it also has no intention of binding itself to an automatic war commitment on a timeline it does not control.

abc.net.au

"I just want Australia to know that he was a hero... He could've gone the opposite way like the rest of the people did. But he went to that man directly knowing that there were shots fired."

Bondi couple praised as heroes identified as Boris and Sofia Gurman

A video circulating on a Chinese social media platform and verified by the ABC has revealed a couple confronting the Bondi Beach shooter.

abc.net.au

I've spent years sharing what I know with people who truly care about journalism. It hasn't always been easy, but messages like this cut through all the noise. Seeing someone grow and step forward after building on something I once shared makes me sincerely happy every single time.

The blaze that consumed Wang Fuk Court burned for two days, but its political shock waves may echo for weeks, even months. It revived one of Hong Kong's most visceral fears; that lives can be reduced to collateral in a system that no longer listens.

Hong Kong's grief meets Beijing's red lines

The blaze that consumed Wang Fuk Court burned for two days, but its political shock waves may echo for weeks, even months.

abc.net.au

#Analysis So what did Busan actually tell us? If we want to understand US-China-Taiwan after Busan, we shouldn't obsess over what was announced. We should stare at what was deliberately unsaid and ask why leaders who talk so loudly at home chose to stay quiet when they were finally face to face.

Trump claimed victory in Busan — but Xi was writing the script

Donald Trump's gains are immediate and personal while Xi Jinping's are quiet, reversible, and strategic

abc.net.au

What’s been happening in the US is jaw-dropping. You see the suppression of freedom of speech but at the same time the rise of disinformation. It’s so wild.

Opinion | ‘That Was Shocking’: Four Autism Experts React to Trump’s Plan

nytimes.com

The previous China correspondent was forced to leave the country in 2020 after a five-day diplomatic stand-off over a national security case.

ABC to have China correspondent for first time in five years

The previous China correspondent was forced to leave the country in 2020 after a five-day diplomatic stand-off over a national security case.

abc.net.au

Nine industry experts have been selected to share their time and experience with a cohort of journalists from across Australia as part of the 2025 Walkley Mentorship Program. www.walkleys.com/meet-the-202...

A record number of Chinese Australian politicians now sit in federal parliament. They reflect on challenges they have faced and why diversity in Australia's parliament is important.

Chinese Australian politicians on why they joined parliament

A record number of Chinese Australian politicians now sit in federal parliament. They reflect on challenges they have faced and why diversity in Australia's parliament is important.

abc.net.au

A climate 'reckoning' just unfolded at the International Court of Justice. What does it mean? www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

A climate 'reckoning' just unfolded at the World Court. What happened?

The World Court's climate change decision has been hailed a "planetary scale" win for climate advocates pushing for stronger action against carbon pollution.

abc.net.au

#Analysis The China–Australia Annual Leaders' Meeting revealed plans to invite young Australians on Beijing-sponsored trips — echoing a similar US initiative that offers 50,000 Americans tightly managed visits designed to promote a positive image of China.

The new front in China's soft power strategy: your kids

Beijing is launching a charm offensive aimed at the younger generation of Australians — because shaping minds today means shaping alliances tomorrow.

abc.net.au

Pew's latest survey shows Australians have done a complete switcheroo since 2021 regarding how they view the importance of economic ties with China vis a vis the United States www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

There's no doubt that Xi's message now filtering through every level of the Chinese political system is this: a re-elected Australian prime minister is friendly to China, and the Communist Party chief wants the country to do business with him.

Xi Jinping has Beijing singing to his tune on Anthony Albanese

The prime minister's visit to Beijing featured an unusual one-on-one meal with China's most powerful man. It's significant in more ways than one.

abc.net.au

#Analysis China has condemned the US strikes on Iran and pushed a ceasefire proposal at the UN. But its actions are more about defending its own interest than shaping the war.

China backs Iran at the UN – but stops short of putting skin in the game

China has condemned the US strikes on Iran and pushed a ceasefire proposal at the UN. But its actions are more about defending its own interest than shaping the war.

abc.net.au

#Analysis The downfall of a top general is not just a story about one man. It is a window into the inner workings of a regime that has long prized loyalty over stability — and now relies increasingly on purges in place of transparency.

Xi's purge of top military official reveals cracks in his political apparatus

General He Weidong, China's second-ranking military official and a co-vice-chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission, has not been seen in public since March.

abc.net.au

People often tell me, “you’re so brave”. But I’ve never felt that way. Bravery belongs to those who speak truth knowing it could cost them everything. I write from a first-world country that gives me freedom. I won’t accept that compliment — not when so many bear far more. #justathought

The document also said that any visual metaphor resembling the sequence of one man facing four tanks — even "one banana and four apples in a line" — could be instantly flagged by an algorithm, especially during the first week of June.

Why a picture of 'one banana and four apples' could be censored in China

Hundreds of pages of secret documents leaked to the ABC provide a rare glimpse into how human censors and AI erase references to Beijing's violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989.

abc.net.au

♻️🏭 China State Council approved "Action Plan for Green and Low-Carbon Development of Manufacturing (2025-2027)" at the meeting on 23 May

1/9 Martin Wolf says the world has three options in considering the future of the hegemonic role of the dollar. One is "continued domination by the dollar". Another is that some other currency, perhaps the euro or even the renminbi, replace it as hegemon. www.ft.com/content/d965...

Trump’s assault on the global dollar

The difficulty is that, however unsatisfactory the hegemon might be, the alternatives look worse

ft.com

#BREAKING Anthony Albanese is expected to travel to China for the second time to meet with Xi Jinping and other senior officials. The trip follows a warm letter of congratulations from China's leader following Mr Albanese's election win.

Albanese to make his second official visit to China to meet Xi

The trip follows a warm letter of congratulations from China's leader following Anthony Albanese's election win.

abc.net.au

#Analysis What's unfolding now is not a negotiation between equals, but a contest over who sets the rules — and whose system can withstand the pressure. It's a clash of Xi Jinping's Chinese Dream and Donald Trump's America First.

'Chinese Dream' vs 'America First': What's really behind the tariff war

While the 90-day tariff truce between China and the US is seen as a relief, at the heart of the stand-off is a clash between Donald Trump's America First vision and Xi Jinping's Chinese Dream.

abc.net.au

Analysis: Chinese vessels were spotted off Australia’s coast before the election — but instead of panic, they reminded voters that Labor had kept China relations steady. In key multicultural seats, that quiet consistency spoke louder than noise. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05...

China congratulated Albanese on election night. That tells us a lot

Xi Jinping sees Australia as a strategic partner — a relatively stable player amid the turbulence of Beijing's deteriorating relationship with the United States.

abc.net.au

An incredible article from my colleague @bang.xiao.au about his first Australian voting experience. One to read even (maybe especially?) if you're sick of hearing about the election. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05...

I traded my Chinese passport for the right to cast one free vote

I remember my first vote in China — three candidates, three ballot boxes and voting slips. There was just one thing missing and in Australia, it's everywhere.

abc.net.au