Events

Australia's relations with China seem to be reaching new lows each week, with a proliferation of disputes over everything from trade to the media to COVID-19 to universities. Join the ABC's Bill Birtles and the Australian Financial Review's Michael Smith, both recently advised by the Australian government to leave China, along with Kirsty Needham, formerly of the Sydney Morning Herald and now with Reuters, for a discussion of the bilateral relationship. The discussion will be moderated by the Lowy Institute's Senior Fellow for North Asia, Richard McGregor.

Join us for the launch of the latest Lowy Institute Paper published by Penguin Random House Australia, Man of Contradictions: Joko Widodo and the Struggle to Remake Indonesia.

Author Ben Bland will discuss what makes the Indonesian president tick, his struggle to implement reform and tackle the COVID-19 crisis, and why outsiders keep getting Jokowi – and Indonesia – wrong.

Ben Bland is the Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute and an award-winning former correspondent for the Financial Times in Indonesia, China and Vietnam. His first book – Generation HK: Seeking Identity in China’s Shadow – was acclaimed for its prescient insights into the deepening political crisis in Hong Kong.

Join us for the launch of the latest Lowy Institute Paper published by Penguin Random House Australia, Man of Contradictions: Joko Widodo and the Struggle to Remake Indonesia, the first English-language biography of Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove will speak with author Ben Bland about what makes the president tick, his struggle to implement reform and tackle the COVID-19 crisis, and why outsiders keep getting Jokowi – and Indonesia – wrong.

Join us for the launch of the latest Lowy Institute Paper published by Penguin Random House Australia, Man of Contradictions: Joko Widodo and the Struggle to Remake Indonesia.
 

Join us for a conversation with Samantha Power, one of America’s leading foreign policy voices, both as a scholar and a Cabinet member in the Obama administration. Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove will speak with Power about US foreign policy under President Donald Trump, Vice President Joe Biden’s worldview, the global implications of the coronavirus pandemic and the future of the US-China relationship.

The United Arab Emirates has built an increasingly high profile in regional affairs in recent years. Long known for its resource riches and welcoming attitude towards Western expatriates, it has developed and diversified its domestic economy at great speed, and deployed its armed forces on operations in Afghanistan, Yemen and in support of the anti–Islamic State coalition. It also has strong links with Australia, hosting the largest overseas concentration of ADF assets, as well as nearly 20,000 Australian expats, three Australian universities and two Australian international high schools. It is Australia’s main trading partner in the Middle East; more than 300 Australian companies operate there, and the UAE invests more than $11 billion in Australia.
 
Join Dr Rodger Shanahan, research fellow in the Lowy Institute’s West Asia program, for a discussion with Dr Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, to explore the UAE’s view of the region and of its relationship with Australia.

Join us for what will be a memorable conversation with one of America’s most influential editors. Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove will speak with Jeffrey Goldberg about an extraordinary presidential election year, the global implications of the coronavirus pandemic, and America’s looming cold war with China.
 

In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, China is facing a sustained economic downturn for the first time in decades, a development with profound implications not just for Australia, but for global growth. Three eminent Chinese economists, Xu Xiaonian of the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai, Huang Yiping of Peking University and Dr Wang Jiao of the University of Melbourne will discuss the prospects for China’s economy and the debate inside the government on possible stimulus measures. The event will be hosted by Richard McGregor, a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute.  
  

So close, but so far apart: only a few kilometres separate Papua New Guinea and Australia at the Torres Strait – but the coronavirus pandemic has made that close geography seem a world away.

Travel between the two countries requires a substantial amount of time in quarantine and that has put business, tourism, education and the diplomatic relationship under pressure. While Australia is dealing with a pandemic flare-up, PNG tentatively hopes it has escaped the worst from the virus for now.

Minds are now turning to what happens next: when relations can return to normal, what will have changed in the PNG-Australia relationship? What should be the priorities for two countries that share geography, history and economic interests?

Lowy Institute Non-Resident Fellow Annmaree O’Keeffe will host this discussion with former Papua New Guinea High Commissioner to Australia Sir Charles Lepani and former Australian High Commissioner to PNG Ian Kemish.

Join us for a conversation with Peter Hartcher, award-winning journalist and political editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, and Natasha Kassam, Research Fellow and author of the 2020 Lowy Institute Poll. Lowy Institute Research Director Alex Oliver will chair a discussion on how Australians' attitudes to the world and international relations are changing, examining important shifts in views of the United States, China and their leaders, as well as on critical policy issues such as climate change, global cooperation, and the role of intelligence agencies.