... Australia’s conservative liberal government has so far rejected signing up, following advice from the national security services claiming that ‘the economic case for Australia formally joining simply wasn’t made.’ Meantime, in direct partnership with ASEAN countries, Australia continues to explore alternative approaches to improving regional infrastructure, for example through the Asian Development Bank. Similarly, despite initial optimism about the prospects of Chinese investment in infrastructure and collaborative ...
... Mongolia.
The Quad also complements the role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and ASEAN-led regional architecture, such as the East Asia Summit. As committed ASEAN dialogue partners, all four Quad countries are strong supporters of ASEAN-centrality.
Chinese is now the second most spoken language in Australia after English
China is strengthening its position in the Indo-Pacific and Oceania. At the same time, Australia has very developed ties with China. What do you think: is China mainly a partner or a competitor to Australia?
China is an important ...
... strategies that have emerged in Asia and are designed to counterbalance China will be seen by many smaller countries in the region as an opportunity to gain real protection from Chinese assertiveness, at least to the extent possible.
Anton Tsvetov:
ASEAN and Russia Look to Achieve Their Full Potential
In the coming years, these alternative formats will likely revolve around all sorts of ‘Indo-Pacific’ initiatives and platforms. The revived U.S.–Japan–Australia–India quadrilateral dialogue - no doubt aimed at new and better containment of China - will also extend its cooperation formats to a wider audience of partners in Asia. The key partners here will most likely be Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam....
... architecture for Asia, one including all resident powers.
As Russia is demonstrating more and more interest in holding a stake in regional security and trying to develop meaningful relationships not only with China, but also Japan, South Korea, India, and ASEAN, the moment seems right to incorporate Russia into Australia’s vision of regional multipolarity.
ynfpublishers.com
Andrey Gubin:
Australia as a Middle Range Power:
the Military-Political Dimension
Still, it will not be easy for Russia to join the efforts of creating a regional security system.
...
... support the Chinese, opting for concrete economic gains rather than ephemeral benefits from the control over uninhabited islands. The situation is complicated by an acute intra-regional competition, which could well be fueled by Beijing, as well as by Australia’s and India’s increased interest in the South China Sea. Fierce clashes seem unlikely and a great deal will depend on the future of U.S.-China relations, which is still uncertain. The creation of an “anti-China” coalition by ASEAN countries seems improbable given their close economic integration into China-centered cooperation schemes. However, this uncertainty can be used by both the Chinese and the Americans as a way of exerting political pressure on the countries of Southeast ...
