Asia Rising

In 2020, Australia and China relations appeared to hit new lows. Diplomatic tensions flared over a range of issues, including Australia’s unilateral calls for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus, Beijing’s trade strikes on key industries, and raids on journalists.

In Australia, concerns about foreign interference and human rights violations have encouraged an increasingly hardline anti-China stance in some quarters, including among the so-called ‘Wolverines’. In Chinese media, Australia is presented as a lackey of the United States and a satellite of American interests in the Indo-Pacific.

Despite these challenges, China remains Australia’s biggest trade partner. Are Australia-China relations where they need to be? To what extent does Australia remain reliant upon trade with China? And is the Morrison government’s adoption of a more assertive, ‘sovereign first’ approach to Sino-Australian relations helpful, or likely to do more harm than good?

In this La Trobe Asia webinar a panel of experts will discuss these questions.

Speakers:

Chair: Dr Bec Strating (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia)

Recorded live via zoom on 11 November, 2020.

Over the past five years India and Australia’s bilateral relations appear to be deepening. Both states agree that the future security challenges are likely to occur in the world’s oceans, and other common domains such as space. As a response to rising regional contestation, India and Australia have both expanded defence cooperation activities, including through the development of multiparty initiatives such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the ‘Quad’) and the new India, France and Australia trilateral grouping. Yet, differences in strategic outlook and trade relations remain that may hinder closer cooperation.

Are Australia and India’s strategic interests closely aligned? How does India’s leadership define its core national security interests, and seek to manage relationships with rising China and the US? And what practical steps can India and Australia take to further strengthen bilateral and regional cooperation?

A live recording of the Asia Rising podcast as part of the Australia India Institute’s 'India Week' via zoom.

Guest:

Recorded 27 October 2020.

India has a long and unique history with a rich cultural heritage, but in the modern race for progress it can be difficult to conserve the past. The country boasts 38 recognised UNESCO world heritage sites with many more under consideration, ranging from natural wonders like the Himalayan National Park, to the cultural treasures such as the Agra Fort, the Taj Mahal, and the Historic City of Ahmedabad. These sites are treated with respect and pride by India, but many intersect with conflicting demands of tourism, religion, and everyday living.

How can India preserve its heritage while pursuing a ‘smart-city’ agenda? Who holds the responsibility for maintaining and preserving these sites? How does heritage status affect the local individuals and communities?

Panel:

Chair:

A La Trobe Asia event as part of the Australia India Institute’s 'India Week'.

Recorded live via zoom on 29 October, 2020.

From a riverside shack to the presidential palace, Joko Widodo surged to the top of Indonesian politics on a wave of hope for change. However, six years into his presidency, he is struggling to deliver the reforms that Indonesia desperately needs. Despite promising to build Indonesia into an Asian powerhouse, Jokowi, as he is known, has been challenged by regular crisis, from COVID-19 to an Islamist mass movement. How does Indonesia balance the competing demands of democracy and authoritarianism, openness and protectionism, Islam and pluralism?

Guest: Ben Bland (Author of Man of Contradictions, Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute).

Recorded 13 October 2020.

The 2020 United States presidential election is weeks away, and the stakes have never been higher. A global pandemic, frayed diplomatic relations and struggling economies make the outcome of the race between incumbent Republican President Donald Trump and stalwart democratic contender Joe Biden internationally significant.

Over recent years, China has increasingly asserted its stake in the South China Sea, North Korea has stepped into the international spotlight, and India has flexed its military might at borders in every direction. Despite the Trump administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy, doubt has been cast on the long-term prospects of US leadership and presence in the region. The outcome of the election will likely shape the global balance of power and US-Asian relations for many years to come.

What might Asia expect from four more years of a Trump presidency? What does a Biden presidency promise for Asia, and is it likely to improve regional co-operation? Or will the nations of Asia find strength in pursuing greater strategic autonomy?

A La Trobe Asia/Perth USAsia Centre event

Panel:

Chair: Dr Rebecca Strating (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia).

Recorded live via zoom on 7 October, 2020.

The retirement of Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was met with concern and dismay in Japan. The long-serving leader had been in office since 2012, retained a strong popularity, and was well respected as a thoughtful and progressive leader in the international arena.

Following in his footsteps is Yoshihide Suga, a public face of the Abe administration who emerged as a leading favourite. The 71 year old is from a modest background and a self made man, and would be an unusual leader in a country that favours political dynasties.

Guest: Dr Shiro Armstrong (Director, Australia-Japan Research Centre, Australian National University)

Recorded 30 September 2020.

In its many successes and struggles, the Asian American community can be seen as a microcosm of the nation. Despite often being treated as a monolithic community there is great diversity amongst the groups, and all are impacted by varying degrees to the current coronavirus emergency, the political climate and the inflammatory rhetoric directed at Asian nations.

As the United States approaches a divisive election during the year of a devastating pandemic, La Trobe University’s Asia Rising podcast welcomes Chris Lu to the 150th episode.

Chris Lu served in the Obama administration as Deputy Secretary of Labor, White House Cabinet Secretary, and Co-Chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. He is a senior fellow at the University of Virginia Miller Center.

Recorded 9 September 2020.

Despite their diverse histories and cultures, common tensions characterize debates about identity and nationhood across the Asia-Pacific. Homogenous visions of identity and nationhood sit uneasily alongside notions of citizenship that embrace cultural and ethnic diversity. In many societies, rising inequality feeds fear and resentment of immigrants, and legacies or memories of empire and colonialism have also fuelled resentment of foreign interference or ‘hegemony’. In stories of nationhood, what is forgotten or avoided is just as important as what is remembered.

What role, then, does education play in shaping ideas of identity and nationhood across the contemporary Asia-Pacific? To what extent are citizens taught to see political identity as something diverse and complex, and what are the implications of different approaches to citizenship education? And, should we see education as a potential tool for promoting national reconciliation, or as a dangerous weapon for inciting hatred and division?

Panel:

Chair:

A joint La Trobe University/Kyushu University event.

Recorded live via zoom on 9 September, 2020.

The covid-19 pandemic sweeping across Asia and the world has highlighted the strengths and limitations in the delivery of public health services within different states. While some states like Vietnam and South Korea are praised for their successful responses to the global crisis, the public health systems in other countries have seemingly struggled to manage surges in cases.

A well-developed and effective public health system is one that meets the needs of communities through the achievement of primary health care objectives. This requires recognising and accounting for the complex relationships between the delivery of health services and other national priorities in politics, economics, the environment, culture and education. What lessons can Asian states draw from Covid-19 and other pandemics in strengthening their public health systems? Which states have been successful in dealing with pandemics and why? And how are pandemics linked with other global challenges?

In this La Trobe Asia webinar a panel of experts will discuss these questions.

Panel:

Recorded live via zoom on 2 September, 2020.

Singapore has long been a global hub of business, uniquely positioned in the world of economics at a crossroads serving multiple time zones and business interests. While the highly developed city-state is home to the world’s second busiest port, it has no natural resources and relies largely on international trade for its economic prosperity.

How does a new reality of limited travel and pandemic restrictions look from Singapore and what changes can we expect in the global marketplace? What role will it play in regional economic recovery, and is there still a place for a green economy?

His Excellency Mr Kwok Fook Seng is Singapore’s High Commissioner to Australia. From 2011 to 2014, he was Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in Geneva. As Ambassador for Climate Change from 2014 to 2016, he worked on the Paris Agreement at the 21st Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December 2015.

Host: Matt Smith

Recorded 25 August 2020.