This Month
South Koreans vote in major test for President Yoon
Some 44 million people were eligible to vote in the election, which will determine the direction of the 300-seat National Assembly.
- Nicola Smith
- Opinion
- East Asia Forum
China has prioritised security over economic growth
The US must avoid setting its strategic goals in a way that implies it is trying to keep China eternally weak and isolated.
- Updated
- David Lampton and Thomas Fingar
March
- Analysis
- Critical minerals
Why BHP’s nickel struggles to match Indonesia’s
A large green premium would be needed to put integrated Australian nickel producers like BHP on par with Indonesian rivals.
- Peter Ker and Elouise Fowler
- Analysis
- Climate policy
Indonesia is still a tricky proposition for foreign investors
The Albanese government has promised $2 billion to help mitigate perceived and actual risk across South-east Asia. But that’s not a straightforward task.
- Emma Connors
- Analysis
- ASEAN
Sense of urgency as Australia finds its true international identity
There is a meaning to be extracted from the ASEAN summit for Australia’s international identity.
- James Curran
‘Data not accurate’: Macquarie’s nickel veteran says rout ending
After a trip to China, Jim Lennon says the debilitating supply glut could be over a lot faster than most people think.
- Hans van Leeuwen
February
Indonesia bids to join club of rich liberal countries
Fresh from its election, Indonesia has formally applied to join the 38-country OECD. It’s a boost for the liberal West, but might mean tough domestic reforms.
- Hans van Leeuwen
- Opinion
- Indonesian election
Prabowo the continuity candidate will be far from a proxy president
Prabowo Subianto has finally breezed into power in his predecessor’s slipstream. But he will push through his own agenda with an unpredictable style as Indonesian president.
- Ben Bland
- Analysis
- Dictators
Why are we talking ourselves into Armageddon?
Western leaders and commentators are increasingly talking of World War Three, but they may be overestimating the strengths of Russia, China and Iran.
- James Curran
Ex-general Prabowo claims victory in Indonesia election
The former military commander has declared a “victory for all the people of Indonesia”, and appears set to win without needing a run-off election.
- Updated
- Emma Connors
Senex covets Incitec’s fertiliser biz; board may opt for higher offer
Detractors point to a surge in Indonesia’s supply of nickel which has seen prices plunge, saying the state-owned company cannot be trusted to properly manage fertiliser supply.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
How Indonesia’s election will shift cosy China relationship
Indonesia is one of the most important ‘swing states’ in the US-China rivalry and, with a change of government on the way, it appears to be inching towards stronger ties with the West.
- Emma Connors
My father dissed your queen in front of your PM
The youngest daughter of former Indonesian president Gus Dur was in the room where it happened.
- Emma Connors
Indonesia’s poll frontrunner has bad news for Australian nickel miners
Prabowo Subianto has vowed to continue the turbocharged industry development backed by Chinese investment that has flooded the world with cheap nickel.
- Emma Connors
January
- Opinion
- Energy transition
Indonesia’s bid for EV nickel supremacy is doomed to failure
Battery technology is moving so fast that the world may not need the nickel after all.
- Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
- Opinion
- The AFR View
China needs to choose its words more carefully
Australia would have no motive to confect a story about a sonar incident after so much hard work to restore the relationship.
- The AFR View
- Opinion
- Taiwan
Taiwan’s vote is a crack in the new axis of autocracy
Jiang Zemin told me that liberal democracy is not for China’s people. Taiwan has once again shown this to be nonsense.
- Updated
- Alexander Downer
- Analysis
- Nickel
This billionaire used Indonesia’s nickel to squeeze out Australia
Xiang Guangda, founder of Chinese giant Tsingshan Holdings, has invested billions of dollars to elbow competitors aside.
- Emma Connors
December 2023
Sydney Airport warns Qantas could jack up fares to Bali
Australia’s busiest airport says a code-share arrangement would give Qantas, Jetstar and Garuda nearly two-thirds of flights between Australia and Indonesia.
- Ayesha de Kretser
November 2023
Henry Kissinger, US diplomat and Nobel winner, dies at 100
He was a pivotal US secretary of state under presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, who oversaw America’s involvement in and withdrawal from the war in Vietnam.
- Updated
- Tony Diver