Former Australian Diplomat
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Reaction to the Bali meeting between Penny Wong and Wang Yi shows how hard it is to achieve a balanced and objective narrative about the Australia-China relationship – and how important it is we do, writes Colin Heseltine.
China’s promise of ‘unlimited’ partnership with Russia poses contradictions for Beijing that will be increasingly hard to reconcile, writes Colin Heseltine.
What can be done to prevent the US-China strategic competition spilling over into armed conflict? In this article, adapted from a speech to a symposium organised by the Beijing-based Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation, Colin Heseltine makes the case for the two big powers to recognise that each has a role to play in the region and resolve conflict through existing regional forums.
Australia needs to weigh the diplomatic and economic costs of long-term hostility with China, writes Colin Heseltine. Ultimately, a “normal relationship” with China will strengthen Australia’s strategic and diplomatic position in the region.
A speech to commemorate 100 years of the Communist Party of China by its leader Xi Jinping prompted another flurry of anxiety in the Australian media over the ‘China threat’. But former diplomat Colin Heseltine argues Xi’s speech was aimed at a domestic audience and departed little from standard lines on national security issues.