Asia Rising

The Chinese Government is building the world’s largest police-run DNA database, profiling tens of millions of people across the country who have no history of serious criminal activity. Those individuals (including preschool-age children) have no control over how their samples are collected, stored and used. When combined with other surveillance tools it will increase the power of the Chinese state and further social control.

A live podcast recording of the Asia Rising podcast via zoom.

Guests:

Host: Matt Smith

Recorded 12 August 2020.

The United States’ approach to Taiwan has long been defined by ‘strategic ambiguity’. While it has never directly challenged China’s claim over the island, the U.S. has also never shied away from selling weapons to Taipei or making use of the Taiwan Strait for naval exercises.

The Trump administration has arguably provided more tangible and symbolic support for Taiwan than any previous U.S. presidency - but how much of that is related to China? Is Taiwan just a pawn in a diplomatic chess game between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, and what does the United States prioritise in the relationship?

A live recording of the Asia Rising podcast via zoom.

Guest: Natasha Kassam (Research Fellow, Diplomacy and Public Opinion Program, Lowy Institute)

Recorded 21st July 2020.

The election of Donald Trump was met with mixed emotions across Asia, and in the years since his presidency has had a marked effect on the stability of the region.

Countries are adjusting and re-evaluating their perspectives on regional security, alliances are being tested, and many countries are facing the reality of an Asia without a United States presence.

How will security and prosperity be achieved in a contested Asia? Does America benefit from an unstable Asia? And what might the future bring for the region with a change of president in America or four more years of Donald Trump?

A live recording of the Asia Rising podcast via zoom.

Guest: Professor Nick Bisley (Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe University)

Recorded 15th July 2020.

The election of Donald Trump heralded a new era in the relationship between the United States and India. For India, America has become arguably its most important partner, and the new president represented a volatile unknown. In subsequent years, policy-makers have tried to limit disruption and move the India-U.S. relationship forward.

While the strategic side of the relationship has not been without differences, there is a lot at stake for India-U.S. relations. India has unpredictable neighbours in China and Pakistan, and the United States is critical to the maritime security of the Indian Ocean.

Has the Trump presidency been good for India and America? Do Narendra Modi and Donald Trump have a good working relationship, and how could things change for the two countries in the future?

A live podcast recording of the Asia Rising podcast via zoom.

Guest: Tanvi Madan (Director, The India Project, The Brookings Institution)

Recorded 7th July 2020.

Donald J. Trump’s win in the 2016 US elections was met with mixed emotions across Asia. Many in the region greeted the election with cautious optimism. They assumed that Washington would take a more pragmatic line, and that a man who prided himself on his business acumen would present new opportunities in trade and resource relations.

But the Trump presidency has proven to be unpredictable. His relationship with Asian countries has been wide-ranging, from flattering to negligent, and competition among the major powers, particularly between China and the United States, has intensified and is now the dominant feature of the region’s international relations.

So how has the relationship between the United States and Asia fared under the leadership of Donald Trump? Will the situation improve in the future, and what will it mean for the power balance in the region if they don’t?

The launch of the La Trobe Asia Brief Issue 4 - Trump in Asia: A More Dangerous Place.

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The United States and North Korea both share a desire to achieve a breakthrough in their relationship, but to very different ends. At one time there was the hope that strongman personalities of Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un could push their way through diplomatic roadblocks, but with a year since their last significant meeting interaction has stalled.

Guest:

Theme music: Asian Wonders by Butterfly Tea

Recorded 24th April, 2020.

Over the past decade the hotly disputed South China Sea has become increasingly used as example of the rising strategic competition between the People’s Republic of China and the United States.

Overlapping territory claims and maritime jurisdiction, strategic control over maritime domain, and differences in legal interpretations of freedom of navigation combine in a broader contest that affects multiple countries in Southeast Asia as they defend their maritime entitlements. Even regional non-claimant states such as Australia, Japan, India and South Korea claim stakes in the South China Sea, reflecting concerns about the shifting regional order and China’s intentions in the maritime domain.

How do these different countries approach the South China Sea disputes? How are concepts around sovereignty, history and the law of the sea used and abused in foreign policy discussions and discourses? And what capacity is there for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – the so-called Constitution for the Oceans – to resolve these complex problems?

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Chair

Recorded on 15 June, 2020.

This La Trobe Asia event launches the newly released Australian Journal of International Affairs special issue “Critical Analyses in Australian Foreign, Defence and Strategic Policy”, a collection of essays by early- to mid-career Australian women researchers that arose as a response to ongoing issues around women’s visibility and representation in Australian International Affairs.

Session One:vWomen in Australian International Affairs

What challenges face women's equitable participation in the discipline & vocation of International Relations, & what strategies and responses might help redress gender imbalances in the field?

This keynote panel will discuss the findings of the article “Women in Australian International Affairs”, written Dr Jasmine-Kim Westendorf and Dr Bec Strating of La Trobe Uni who co-edited the special issue.

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Session Two: Critical Analyses of Australian Foreign, Defence & Strategic Policy panel

This session (chaired by Jasmine-Kim Westendorf) presents the ground-breaking research of women scholars published in the Special Issue with time for questions after each short presentation.

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Held on 3 June, 2020

Countries in Asia are dealing with the Covid-19 crisis differently, and Vietnam has been widely praised in its apparent success. But is this success down to luck, or tight government control?

Guest:

While much of the world is still in the grips of a tumultuous pandemic, areas of Asia are in recovery and planning for the year ahead, albeit at a cautious pace. China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Australia are executing roadmaps for economic recovery, and there are signs that some countries will benefit at the expense of distracted western democracies.

How does the next year look for the region? Will Asia emerge from the pandemic region stronger, and have a bolder China to contend with?

In this La Trobe Asia webinar we will be joined panel of experts to discuss Asia’s pandemic recovery.

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Webinar held on 14 May, 2020.