Tag: Asia & Pacific

Australia Signs Deal With US to Accelerate Vaccine Development

Queensland is hoping to create home-grown vaccines and become a major international vaccine hub after a partnership was announced at an international biotech conference in the U.S. on June 7. The partnership between the University of Queensland (UQ) and Emory University in Atlanta would make Queensland a centre for the Asia Pacific region, and a significant player…


Fiji to Finalize Military Deal With New Zealand, Reviewing China’s Police Accord

Fiji and New Zealand are set to finalize a military agreement next week to deepen security ties, the Fijian leader said on Wednesday, as the Pacific nation placed China’s police cooperation deal under review. Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka made the remarks during his visit to New Zealand this week, where he met with New…


IN-DEPTH: Bribery Case Targeting Falun Gong Reveals CCP’s ‘Covert Warfare’ in US

Chen Jun, the man recently arrested over a bribery scheme to help the Chinese communist regime carry out its repression in the United States, is no stranger to sculptor Chen Weiming. He had heard Chen Jun’s threats years ago. “Let me tell you, if you have a Chinese passport, and we take a photo of…


US, Japan, Philippines Hold 1st Ever Trilateral Sea Exercise to Strengthen Defense Ties

The coast guards of the United States, Japan, and the Philippines conducted their first ever trilateral exercises in the South China Sea to strengthen defense cooperation amid China’s growing assertiveness. Around 400 coast guard personnel from the three nations participated in the week-long Kaagapay maritime exercise, which began on June 1 in the Philippine waters…


Is Vegetable Flavoured Ice Cream the New Way to Get Your Vitamins?

Vegetable-flavoured gelatos starring cauliflower and pumpkin have stirred up heated debates this week at Australia and New Zealand’s largest horticulture conference and trade show, Hort Connections, where innovative businesses used foods that would’ve otherwise been thrown away to address food waste. Three thousand attendees there sampled two flavours that were a harmonious combination of salty…


Sweeping Changes Proposed to NZ Electoral System ‘Straight From Green Party Manifesto’: ACT Leader

A panel reviewing New Zealand’s electoral system has published a set of recommendations that some politicians have said will set the stage for the country to have a permanently undemocratic government. The draft report (pdf), released on June 6, proposed major changes to modernise electoral processes and create a “fairer, clearer, and more accessible” voting…


Australia to Create a Marine Park Bigger Than Japan

Australia is set to triple the size of its marine park on Macquarie Island, making it far larger than Japan. After rejecting an application for fisheries to trawl through the new Macquarie Island Marine Park, Australia’s federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek signed off on a final design for the expansion on June 5, which will allow two fisheries to continue operating. Local fisheries…


China, Iran, and Russia ‘Working Closely Together’ to Undermine US: Experts

The authoritarian regimes of China, Iran, and Russia are increasingly coordinating as a unified power bloc, according to several experts. All three powers seek to undermine the United States and reshape the international order in their own image, according to Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) think…


Kurt Campbell Discusses American Foreign Policy and World Affairs: A Hudson Institute Event

Dr. Kurt Campbell, the coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs on the National Security Council, and Walter Russell Mead, a Hudson Institute distinguished fellow, discuss United States foreign policy and America’s role in the world at 1:00 p.m. ET on June 6 in a conversation held by Hudson Institute. Dr. Campbell will share his perspective on American…


LIVE NOW: Kurt Campbell Discusses American Foreign Policy and World Affairs: A Hudson Institute Event

Dr. Kurt Campbell, the coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs on the National Security Council, and Walter Russell Mead, a Hudson Institute distinguished fellow, discuss United States foreign policy and America’s role in the world at 1:00 p.m. ET on June 6 in a conversation held by Hudson Institute. Dr. Campbell will share his perspective on American…