It’s taken more than six years to have this 32-minute meeting, 12 minutes longer than the original schedule indicates. Looking back over the past five decades, face-to-face meetings between China’s and Australia’s top leaders used to be seen as a staple in our diplomatic playbook. In contrast, yesterday’s one-on-one between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the G20 …

Former federal defence minister and WA governor, Kim Beazley, has urged Australia to focus on strengthening its relationship with India to compete with the rise of China. Speaking at the Indian Ocean Defence & Security Conference in Perth, Mr Beazley said Australia had a “heavy set of expectations” on its shoulders. “China has turned the Indian Ocean into a strategic system. It’s …

Taiwan has condemned its “evil neighbour” after China fired multiple missiles into its surrounding waters – including up to four that flew directly over the island’s capital Taipei in an unprecedented escalation. China launched its largest live-fire military drills in the seas and skies around Taiwan on Thursday, a day after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi enraged Beijing …

The relationship with Indonesia won’t suffer as Australia pursues the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says. Indonesia is concerned about the use of nuclear technology and Australia’s plan to get nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS security pact. Jakarta is taking the issue to a conference in New York which is reviewing the UN nuclear non-proliferation treaty. When asked …

Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of outgoing Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, has been sworn in as the country’s 15th vice-president, calling for national unity following a divisive election campaign. “The days ahead may be full of challenges that call for us to be more united as a nation,” she said on Sunday in an inauguration address in her home town of Davao, …

A youth in India’s Kashmir has been arrested for posting a video threatening to behead a former spokesperson of India’s ruling party who had made derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammad, according to officials. The video, circulated on YouTube, has been withdrawn by authorities as part of a wider attempt to curb religious unrest that has spread across the country. Muslims …

Pacific Island countries have agreed not to sign a region-wide trade and security deal with China after a high-level meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his counterparts from 10 Pacific nations in Fiji. China was seeking a wide-ranging deal that covered free trade, police cooperation and disaster resilience. Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said Pacific nations were united in their approach after the decision …

Allies of the presumptive next president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, appear set to dominate both chambers of Congress after the late dictator son’s apparent election victory restored his family to the seat of power. Ongoing counts from Monday’s vote show they’re set to capture most of the 300-seat House of Representatives and half of the 24-seat Senate that …

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says there is no rush to deal with the issue of Russian President Vladimir Putin attending the next G20 leaders’ summit. Labor frontbencher Jim Chalmers said he also shared concerns about Mr Putin’s attendance at the summit. “The membership of the G20 is a matter for the G20, but we’ve made our views on Mr Putin …

China’s financial hub Shanghai has reported over 27,000 coronavirus cases, setting a new record. On Thursday, Shanghai reported a record 2,573 total symptomatic cases for the previous day, up from 1,189 a day earlier. Asymptomatic cases, meanwhile, reached 25,146, up from 25,141. The numbers came a day after President Xi Jinping said the country must continue with its strict “dynamic …