NZ: Maori foreign policy to manage increasingly challenging relationship with China

Written by Bonnie Holster and Nicholas Ross Smith

Beyond the changing language of New Zealand’s strategic communications, its experimentation with a kaupapa Maori foreign policy has the potential to be transformative.

Inconvenient truth — Young and unemployed in China

Written by Anand P. Krishnan

Clearly, unemployment captures the anxieties and disillusionment of youth on both sides of the Himalayan Gap. By the same count, there are no easy solutions for either government to manage, if not completely resolve, this crisis.

Emerging Issues9DLDecember 11, 2023Inconvenient truth — Young and unemployed in China, Anand P. Krishnan, China, PRC, Beijing, A4 protests, White Paper Protests, urban protests, zero-COVID policy, post-pandemic recovery, pandemic, COVID-19, real estate sector, US restrictions, technology transfer, Chinese entities, tech sector, investor confidence, Communist Party of China, CPC, India, unemployment, unemployment statistics, National Bureau of Statistics, employment crisis, Chinese leadership, economic data, university graduates, lower-paid work, remote areas, private sector, massive layoffs, hiring quotas, Chinese graduates, foreign universities, students, education abroad, university education, employers, employment market, job market, graduates, education, manufacturing, service sectors, blue-collar workforce, livestream sales, ride-hailing services, flexible employment, popular narrative, economic downturn, fiscal reforms, raising wages, social protection, pensions, medical insurance, higher welfare spending, Common Prosperity, Xi Jinping, welfarism, New Deal, human capital, disillusionment, involution, neijuan, tang ping, ‘Lying Flat’, ‘Let it Rot’, bai lan, hypercompetitive culture, culture of overwork, protests, economic transition, pro-market reforms, globalisation, socio-economic challenge, state-society relations, policymakers, balour, youth, young people, young graduates, 9DASHLINE

In Conversation with Vincent Brussee

9DASHLINE recently had the pleasure of speaking with Vincent Brussee about his new book Social Credit: The Warring States of China’s Emerging Data Empire.

This book offers one of the first comprehensive assessments of the People’s Republic of China’s infamous ‘Social Credit System’.

Manila is shopping, not re-aligning

Written by Drake Long

Rather than celebrating each time a country publicly cancels a Chinese project, the US, Australia, the EU, and other nations competing for influence at the expense of Beijing should keep in mind the wider picture — Manila and other capitals like it are shopping around for alternatives.

Southeast Asia9DLDecember 7, 20239dashline, Drake Long, Manila is Shopping, Not Re-Aligning, Philippines, Manila, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Subic-Clark freight railway, Calamba-Bicol commuter rail line, inter-city Mindanao railway, Beijing’s influence, China Global Investment tracker, additional memorandum of understanding, Ferdinand Marcos, Marcos’ inauguration, Vanautu, cambodia, indonesia, vietnam, Laos, Sri Lanka, high-profile Chinese investment, Beijing, frontier market, Asian Development Bank, ASEAN, Mindanao, Brunei, Malaysia, conflict zone, Subic bay, state-owned enterprises, Loan repayments, debt-soaked Southeast Asian capitals, Chinese company, Western democracy, US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, maritime statecraft, EU, Australia, Chinese project, Beijing camp, investment deficit, Economic growth, Manila is shopping, not re-aligning, Manila is shopping not re-aligning

Italy and the Indo-Pacific: towards an Italian Indo-Pacific strategy

Written by Dr Gabriele Abbondanza

All things considered, it seems evident that Italy is ready to develop and issue a formal Indo-Pacific strategy that considers national, European, and Indo-Pacific interests as vital components of a strategic whole.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLDecember 6, 20239dashline, Italy and the Indo-Pacific: towards an Italian Indo-Pacific strategy, Gabriele Abbondanza, Indo-Pacific, Italy, flashpoints, Taiwan, East China Seas, South China Seas, Korean Peninsula, choke points, global maritime trade, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, macro-region, US, Indo-Pacific nations, Europe, IPSR, International Political Science Review, European foreign policy, France, UK, Germany, EU, European Union, Indo-Pacific strategy, Indo-Pacific committee, Italian parliament, naval deployments, Rome, Enlarged Mediterranean, Mediterraneo Allargato, United Nations, Carabiniere frigate, European missions, NATO missions, Indian Ocean, Indo-Pacific mission, Morosini offshore patrol vessel, offshore patrol vessels, South China Sea, multilateral exercises, Cavour carrier strike group, international law, multilateralism, strategic partnerships, China, beijing, international order, Pacific Island Forum, PIF, Vietnam, South Korea, Indian Ocean Rim Association, IORA, ASEAN, Italian-Indian-Japanese trilateral, Japan, Global Combat Air Programme, Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, multilateral approach, strategic compass, political affiliation, foreign policy priorities, Chamber of Deputies, parliamentary committee, risk-benefit analysis

Southeast Asia’s security partnerships stronger and more diverse at the end of 2023

Written by Hunter Marston

Japan has emerged as a critical partner of choice for Southeast Asian countries, particularly in its efforts to build maritime and coast guard capacity for frontline states in the South China Sea, including the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

Building a safe shared future for the People’s Republic of China

Written by Dr Sari Arho Havrén

China has already made considerable progress in planting the seeds of an international order that would make the future safe for its one-party rule at home by insulating it from outside threats.

BIMSTEC revival: A compelling alternative to the BRI in the Bay of Bengal

Written by Eve Register

It will be important for BIMSTEC to learn from the mistakes of the BRI if it is to work as a viable alternative for countries in the Bay of Bengal region.

How the UK supports regional order in the Indo-Pacific

Written by Dr Thomas Wilkins

Despite dangers closer to home and straitened finances, London does appear to be committed to the region, even if the implementation of some aspects of its new strategic approach remains patchy.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLNovember 30, 2023How the UK supports regional order in the Indo-Pacific, Dr Thomas Wilkins, 9Dashline, Great Britain, France, EU, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, resident power, minilateral engagements, Indo-Pacific Strategy, Integrated Review, Integrated Review Refresh, EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, Global Britain, liberal international order, Royal Navy, multilateral military exercises, Development Assistance, China, Japan, India, ‘over the horizon’ partner, James Cleverly, networks and grids, Free and Open Indo-Pacific, Australia, Singapore, TALISMAN SABRE military exercises, UK-Japan Strategic Partnership, British Defence Singapore Support Unit, AUKUS, Global Combat Aircraft Programme, Partnership for the Blue Pacific, Five Power Defence Arrangements, New Zealand, Malaysia, ASEAN, Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement toward Transpacific Partnership

Movement on climate mobilities: developments from the Pacific Islands Forum

Written by Liam Moore

While alarmist reports of massive numbers of people potentially fleeing across borders because of climate change are incorrect and misunderstand the dynamics of migration, mobility — both within and between states — is a reality in the Pacific.

Pacific9DLNovember 29, 20239dashline, Movement on climate mobilities: Developments from the Pacific Islands Forum, Liam Moore, climate mobility, climate mobilities, Pacific Island Forum (PIF), Pacific Island Forum, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, Pacific Regional Framework on Climate Mobility, Falepili Union treaty, Australia, Tuvalu, Pacific, COP28, Forum Dialogue Partners, Forum Communique, Implementation Plan for the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, climate change, climate disasters, human mobility, relocation migration, displacement, Declaration on the Establishment of the Pacific Resilience Facility, Paris Agreement, fossil fuel, climate finance, decarbonisation, Jane McAdam, migration, Fiji, Pacific states, the Solomon Islands, cross-border mobility, asylum protections, climate refugees, migration pathways, alternative migration pathways, working visas, visa category, Chinese influence, sovereignty, state agency, Kausea Natano, Seve Paeniu, New Zealand, climate policy, US, residency, labour mobility schemes, labour mobility, bilateral agreements, Tuvalu-Australia agreement, migration agreements, security conditions, climate migrant, climate refugee, mobility options

In Brief with Daniel McIntyre and Jonas Schneider, our assistant editors

As we near the end of a busy year that has seen our team and network of experts expand, our Editor-in-Chief, Dr Manali Kumar, caught up with two of our Assistant Editors — Jonas Schneider and Daniel McIntyre — to learn more about their work and plans to help drive the platform forward.

News9DLNovember 28, 2023Daniel McIntyre, Jonas Schneider, 9DASHLINE, Taiwan, Japan, China, Indo-Pacific, In Brief, In Brief with Daniel McIntyre and Jonas Schneider, our assistant editors

Under the guise of environmental protection, China tightens its grip on Tibet

Written by Victoria Jones

Tibet is extremely important in terms of its natural resources, so much so that former leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile Lobsang Sangay has called Tibet the blueprint for the Belt and Road Initiative.

Editor's Picks9DLNovember 27, 20239dashline, Victoria Jones, Under The Guise Of Environmental Protection, China Tightens Its Grip On Tibet, The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), extremely high-altitude ecological resettlement, poverty alleviation, Mao Zedong, 1950, spiritual leader of Tibet, Dharamsala, relocation policies, New Socialist Village, Qinghai, Human Rights Watch, nearly three-quarters of the cost of constructing their new houses, Tibetan nomads are not fluent in Mandarin, state-engineered destruction of a culture and way of life, 2021 report on International Religious Freedom in China, US State Department, system of surveillance, tibetan community, Tibet to assimilate the herders into society, new teams of party cadres, blueprint for the Belt and Road Initiative, protect the sources of the Yellow, Yangtze, and Mekong Rivers, Third Pole, the largest repository of fresh water outside the North and South Poles, Tibetan herders, forced relocation policy, environmental damage, United Nations Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Committee (UN ECOSOC), very high-altitude, China’s Tibetan relocation policy, Human Rights Watch’s China director, Tibetan pastoralists, INTERZINE, government control over Tibetan land resource, preserving ecosystem, Tibetan identity, pastoralists, Tibetan rural population, post-Mao era, eco-friendly, well-being, over 17, 000 Tibetans would be relocated, tibetan herders, “state-engineered destruction of a culture and way of life, Tibetan government-in-exile, tibet today, Tibet

Australia reaches out to Southeast Asia through development and economic partnerships

Written by Melissa Conley Tyler

Whether it is helping link civil society organisations or stimulating Australian business to wake up to opportunities in the region, the Australian government will need to engage many tools of statecraft to achieve its strategic goal of deep partnerships with Southeast Asia.

The EU’s Anti-Coercion Instrument — A new step in EU-China escalation?

Written by Sjorre Couvreur

The adoption of the Anti-Coercion Instrument entails an important step for the EU’s adjustment to an increasingly geoeconomic context in international trade policy.

Pakistan-Afghanistan relations: going from bad to much worse

By Dr Claude Rakisits

All in all, the expulsion en masse of the Afghan refugees will make things worse, bilaterally, and quite possibly, regionally. Certainly, no one’s security will improve; if anything, it will further destabilise Afghanistan already tottering on the brink of collapse.

South Asia9DLNovember 21, 20239dashline, Dr Claude Rakisits, Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations: Going from Bad to Much Worse, government of pakistan, unlawful residents, mass expulsion, islamabad, 1.7 million Afghan nationals, 4 million Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Anwaarul Haq Kakar, afghan refugees, 300, 000 Afghan refugees, UN agencies, Human Rights Chief Volker Türk, Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, 600, 000 Afghans, non-refoulement, Haji Nooruddin Azizi, Pakistan’s foreign minister, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Center for Research and Security Studies, Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Emir of the Taliban, Hibatullah Akhundzada, Madrasas, Madrasas (Islamic seminaries) of Pakista, Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Madrasas (Islamic seminaries) of Pakistan, terrorist attacks, Chinese workers, Belt and Road Initiative, 1.7 million Afghan refugees, antipathy towards Afghan nationals, Imran Khan, failed state, Pakistan-Afghanistan relations: going from bad to much worse

In Brief with Antoine Ripoll, Director of the European Parliament in ASEAN

9DASHLINE recently enjoyed the opportunity to speak with Antoine Ripoll, Director of the European Parliament in ASEAN. Our discussion touched on a range of issues pertaining to the European Union’s relationship with Southeast Asia and the European Parliament’s growing role in foreign policy.

Walking a tightrope: Balancing research security concerns with a need for China competence

Written by Dr Hannes Gohli

To make judgements on research security, but also business transactions and diplomatic relations with China, establishing a knowledge base on the country is of vital importance. Yet precisely at this critical moment, when European governments are calling for more China competence, student numbers in Sinology are declining.

Which way for the Belt and Road?

Written by Francesco Giovanni Lizzi

Taking stock of the international context surrounding the summit, it is apparent that the BRI has been confronted by a number of challenges. President Xi's keynote speech coincided with mounting scepticism, especially from Europe and North America, concerning the prospective viability of the initiative.

Emerging Issues9DLNovember 16, 20239dashline, Which way for the Belt and Road?, Francesco Giovanni Lizzi, Belt and Road Initiative, Belt and Road, BRI, beijing, Xi Jinping, BRI Forum, 3rd BRI Forum, keynote speech, mega-infrastructure endeavours, China, PRC, Global Development Initiative, GDI, mounting scepticism, Europe, North America, economic growth, BRI debts, construction flaws, corruption concerns, BRI partner countries, ideological confrontation, geopolitical rivalry, bloc politics, de-risking agenda, Washington, Brussels, Chinese economic coercion, PRC leadership, unilateral sanctions, decoupling, supply chain disruption, BRI summits, EU institutions, connectivity, G7, environmental issues, corruption issues, procurement issues, infrastructure projects, Chinese loan commitments, environmentally sustainable development, livelihood assistance projects, vocational education cooperation, Luban Workshops, Green Investment Principles, Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange, digital advancements, BRI framework, Global Initiative for Artificial Intelligence Governance, overseas coal projects, win-win cooperation model, win-win, debt trap diplomacy, trans-Caspian international transportation corridor, Kazakhstan, economic commitment, green and digital BRI ventures, multi-faceted foreign policy, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilisation Initiative, education, sustainable energy, poverty alleviation