Latest news with #LowyInstitute
Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australians ‘going to sleep' on China threat, Morrison tells US Congress
Washington: Former prime minister Scott Morrison has told the United States Congress that Australians are at risk of 'going to sleep' on the security threat posed by China, and warned the US and its allies must be prepared to wear economic pain to stand up to Beijing. Appearing before a congressional hearing on the Chinese Communist Party, Morrison cited polling by the Lowy Institute which showed that in 2025, 50 per cent of Australians said China was 'more of an economic partner to Australia', whereas 47 per cent said it was 'more of a security threat'. That had changed significantly from 2021-22, a time of strained relations between Canberra and Beijing, when 63 per cent said China was more of a security threat and 33 per cent said it was more of an economic partner. 'That is an objective of the CCP – that western democracies will go to sleep on the threat,' Morrison told the hearing. 'You need to build the internal resilience, and that means an appreciation of the potential threat. And that is somewhat in jeopardy in Australia.' Later, he told reporters that Australians' level of awareness of the security threat posed by China had clearly diminished significantly over the past three years. Morrison, whose call for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 roiled Beijing, told US lawmakers that China had chosen to make an example of Australia as a key US ally – 'to punish Australia as a warning to others'. He said he was proud his government resisted this pressure 'by standing firm, rather than acquiescence and appeasement', and encouraged other leaders to do the same.
The Age
2 hours ago
- Business
- The Age
Australians ‘going to sleep' on China threat, Morrison tells US Congress
Washington: Former prime minister Scott Morrison has told the United States Congress that Australians are at risk of 'going to sleep' on the security threat posed by China, and warned the US and its allies must be prepared to wear economic pain to stand up to Beijing. Appearing before a congressional hearing on the Chinese Communist Party, Morrison cited polling by the Lowy Institute which showed that in 2025, 50 per cent of Australians said China was 'more of an economic partner to Australia', whereas 47 per cent said it was 'more of a security threat'. That had changed significantly from 2021-22, a time of strained relations between Canberra and Beijing, when 63 per cent said China was more of a security threat and 33 per cent said it was more of an economic partner. 'That is an objective of the CCP – that western democracies will go to sleep on the threat,' Morrison told the hearing. 'You need to build the internal resilience, and that means an appreciation of the potential threat. And that is somewhat in jeopardy in Australia.' Later, he told reporters that Australians' level of awareness of the security threat posed by China had clearly diminished significantly over the past three years. Morrison, whose call for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 roiled Beijing, told US lawmakers that China had chosen to make an example of Australia as a key US ally – 'to punish Australia as a warning to others'. He said he was proud his government resisted this pressure 'by standing firm, rather than acquiescence and appeasement', and encouraged other leaders to do the same.
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
China begins building world's largest dam, fuelling fears in India
Getty Images Chinese authorities have begun constructing what will be the world's largest hydropower dam in Tibetan territory, in a project that has sparked concerns from India and Bangladesh. Chinese Premier Li Qiang presided over a ceremony marking the start of construction on the Yarlung Tsangpo river on Saturday, according to local media. The river flows through the Tibetan plateau. The project has attracted criticism for its potential impact on millions of Indians and Bangladeshis living downriver, as well as the surrounding environment and local Tibetans. Beijing says the scheme, costing an estimated 1.2tn yuan ($167bn; £125bn), will prioritise ecological protection and boost local prosperity. When completed, the project - also known as the Motuo Hydropower Station - will overtake the Three Gorges dam as the world's largest, and could generate three times more energy. Experts and officials have flagged concerns that the new dam would empower China to control or divert the trans-border Yarlung Tsangpo, which flows south into India's Arunachal Pradesh and Assam states as well as Bangladesh, where it feeds into the Siang, Brahmaputra and Jamuna rivers. A 2020 report published by the Lowy Institute, an Australian-based think tank, noted that "control over these rivers [in the Tibetan Plateau] effectively gives China a chokehold on India's economy". In an interview with news agency PTI earlier this month, Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu expressed concern that the Siang and Brahmaputra could "dry up considerably" once the dam was completed. He added that the dam was "going to cause an existential threat to our tribes and our livelihoods. It is quite serious because China could even use this as a sort of 'water bomb'". "Suppose the dam is built and they suddenly release water, our entire Siang belt would be destroyed," he said. "In particular, the Adi tribe and similar groups... would see all their property, land, and especially human life, suffer devastating effects." In January a spokesperson for India's ministry of external affairs said they had expressed concerns to China about the impact of mega-dams and had urged Beijing to "ensure the interests of downstream states" were not harmed. They had also emphasised the "need for transparency and consultation with downstream countries". India plans to build a hydropower dam on the Siang river, which would act as a buffer against sudden water releases from China's dam and prevent flooding in their areas. China's foreign ministry has previously responded to India, saying in 2020 that China has a "legitimate right" to dam the river and has considered downstream impacts. Bangladesh also expressed concerns to China about the project, with officials in February sending a letter to Beijing requesting more information on the dam. Getty Images Chinese authorities have long eyed the hydropower potential of the dam's location in the Tibet Autonomous Region. It's in a massive canyon that is said to be the world's deepest and longest on land, along a section where the Yarlung Tsangpo - Tibet's longest river - makes a sharp U-turn around the Namcha Barwa mountain. In the process of making this turn - which has been termed "the Great Bend" - the river drops hundreds of metres in its elevation. Earlier reports indicated that authorities planned to drill multiple 20km-long tunnels through the Namcha Barwa mountain, via which they would divert part of the river. Over the weekend a Xinhua report on Li Qiang's visit said that engineers would conduct "straightening" work and "divert water through tunnels" to build five cascading power stations. Xinhua also reported that the hydropower dam's electricity would be mainly transmitted out of the region to be used elsewhere, while accommodating for Tibet's needs. China has been eyeing the steep valleys and mighty rivers in the rural west - where Tibetan territories are located - to build mega-dams and hydropower stations that can sustain the country's electricity-hungry eastern metropolises. President Xi Jinping has personally pushed for this in a policy called "xidiandongsong", or "sending western electricity eastwards". The Chinese government and state media have presented these dams as a win-win solution that cuts pollution and generates clean energy while uplifting rural Tibetans. But activists say the dams are the latest example of Beijing's exploitation of Tibetans and their land - and past protests have been crushed. Last year, the Chinese government rounded up hundreds of Tibetans who had been protesting against another hydropower dam. It ended in arrests and beatings, with some people seriously injured, the BBC learned through sources and verified footage. There are also environmental concerns over the flooding of Tibetan valleys renowned for their biodiversity, and the possible dangers of building dams in a region rife with earthquake fault lines. CORRECTION 21 July 2025: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the estimated cost of the dam was $1.67bn. A dam ignited rare Tibetan protests. They ended in beatings and arrests, BBC finds Bangladesh China India Tibet
CNBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
The west is pulling back development financing to Southeast Asia and that's bad: Lowy Institute
Alexandre Dayant from Lowy Institute says China is playing a bigger role now in Southeast Asia in terms of financial aid and its approach to focus on infrastructure isn't always beneficial to the general public. Meanwhile social issues such as education and institution governance are at risk of being ignored due to the West retreating from the region.
7NEWS
2 days ago
- Business
- 7NEWS
7NEWS The Issue Podcast: Donald Trump's foreign policy aids China
President Donald Trump 's withdrawal of foreign aid is raising fears that China will increasingly dominate development in southeast Asia. A new report by the Lowy Institute shows Beijing is getting the upper-hand, putting pressure on the Albanese government to act. It's the third edition of Southeast Asia Aid Map, a comprehensive database tracking official development finance flows across the region. The map shows total official development finance to Southeast Asia increased modestly to US$29 billion in 2023, but the region is facing a much bleaker outlook, with the Trump administration's decision to scrap about US$60 billion in aid and European countries pulling back more than $US25 billion. Speaking to 'The Issue,' a 7NEWS Podcast, Senior Economist Alexandre Dayant says if Australia does nothing, 'China will become a bigger leader of development finance because others are retracting'. 'You could argue southeast Asian nations will have less agency to push back on Chinese aid projects but also to push for better quality of them. 'Foreign aid provides you with long and strong relationships, I think it is sometimes a tool that we forget.' China dominates the region by focusing on infrastructure, whereas Australia spends on health and education. Among China's development projects in Australia's backyard is a $16 billion mega railway in Malaysia, a 600MW coal fired power station in Vietnam, and a $5.6 billion industrial park in Indonesia dedicated to nickel production. According to the Lowy Institute China has committed 34 per cent of all aid funding in the region, Japan 12 per cent, South Korea 6 per cent, the United States 3 per cent and Australia just 2 per cent. To combat Beijing, experts like Alexandre Dayant want the Albanese Government to increase aid, and work with like minded partners, still invested in the region, such as Japan and South Korea. Australia's Minister for International Development, Anne Aly, has defend the Albanese's Governments handling of foreign aid. 'Our neighbours in the Pacific and Southeast Asia look to us, they look to us as a trusted partner,' Aly said.
