Oz’s Reorientation White papers illustrate the country’s new Asia-centered priorities

Between 2009, under the govemment led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in Australia. and 2013 when Julia Gillard was leader,

Keeping It Together——Europe looks to another year of crisis management in 2013

The EU begins 2013 with two contradicto- ry facts from the last 12 months. The first is that despite all the gloomy predictions,the euro zone so far has not fallen apart. The crisis, which has been ongoing for three years, has become a kind of normality. Emergency summits are held almost monthly, present- ing new initiatives on how to deal with threats such as the collapse of the Greek economy, the problems of unemployment and debt in Spain, or political uncertainty in Italy. All that can be said for these multiple summits over the last 36 months is that they have thus far avoided the worst possible outcome a breakup of the euro, a collapse of the EU, and the end of one of the greatest multilateral achievements of the modem world.

The Power of No

On September 18, the UK contemplated a fundamental change to its national exis- tence. The coalition government headed by Prime Minister David Cameron voted into office in May 2010 promised in 2012 to hold a referendum to decide whether Scotland re- mains par of the UK or becomes independent He did so after immense pressure from the Scottish National Party, headed by Scotland＇s First Minister Alex Salmond, who said that the citizens residing in the northern part of the British main island needed to decide whether to stay as part of the UK or become an indepen- dent country.

The Japan-India Factor

India and Japan at first sight seem unlikely close allies. One, India, is a hugely diverse country, embracing many different languages and ethnic communities, with a modem political system born from colonial occupation under the British. The other, Japan, is an island state highly uniform in language and ethnicity that was largely closed to the outside world till the late 19th century, and which then industrialized rapidly and undertook aggressive colonial attacks on many of its neighbors, How is it possible for India and Japan to forge a common understanding of each other and a framework to cooperate in, in view of all these differences？ Can they really have much in common？

Who Wants to Be Number Two?

SINCE the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it is Widely accepted that the United States has been the world＇s sole superpower. This is based on two indisputable facts. The first is the size of its economy, which has been utterly dominant over this period and constitutes approximately a quarter of global GDR The second is the size of its military. The United States has the army, navy and air force powers to project

Third Plenum Points

THE new leadership in place in the Party since November last year and in their government positions as of March this year have spoken a great deal about the issue of urbanization. This plenum has given two ideas about how accelerated urbanization might occur. One is to address the household registration system,

Written in Stone

SEPTEMBER marked the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II （WWII） in Asia. A few months after hostilities ceased in Europe, the war against Japanese aggression ended with Japan＇s surrender after the dropping of two atomic bombs,

CIVILIZATION PARTNERS

Europe is being visited frequently by Chinese leaders in 2014. In March, President Xi Jinping made the first ever visit by a head of state from China to Brussels, which is, in effect, the headquarters of the EU and the place where most of its main offices and representatives are based. In June, both Premier Li Keqiang and fellow Political Bureau Standing Committee member Uu Yunshan visited countries in Europe. There will undoubtedly be other visits before the end of the year. And this is on top of the many visits by EU member states＇ and European countries＇ leaders to China.

CREATING GLOBAL COHESION

The theme of this year＇s Boao Forum for Asia, the 12th since its inception at the turn of the millennium, was common prosperity. Under this overarching theme,discussions focused on food, resources, water, poverty, disease and environmental pollution.

Deng Xiaoping: Economist, Diplomat, Reformer

Deng Xiaoping＇s role as the father of reform in modem China is historically secure. In his vast biography of the Chineseleader published in 2011, American academic Ezra Vogel set out with meticulous detail the steps by which Deng reached his conclusion that profound reform was utterly necessary for China to fulfill its aspiration to become a strong rich country.

China Australia Tie

A new government was elected in Australia on September 7,bringing an end to six years of Labor Party rule.This was an election fought,and won,almost wholly on domestic issues.But it is also widely known now that some of the most pressing demands for the new Coalition government led by Tony Abbott will be in the area of international affairs.

Winners and Winners

Chinese President Xi Jinping made his visit to Australia as China＇s top leader in November. although he had already visited the country four times before. It hap- pened at a time when Australia was hosting a major conference that was attended by many of the world＇s leaders. The G20 summit in Brisbane presented an opportunity for the first ever visit to Australia by a sitting French president and an Indian prime minister. It also brought together figures like President Barack Obama of the United States.

IMPETUS FOR ACTION

One of the greatest challenges for anyone trying to make sense of Asia as a region is the lack of clarity it still has.In The Transformation of the World,his magisterial global history of the 19th century issued last year,German historian Jürgen Osterhammel talked of the lack of＂conceptual stability＂ that many Europeans in particular have about the region. ＂In any space;＂ he writes, ＂a central question concerns the factors that underlie its unity and make it possible to speak of an integrated context. In this optic of global history, regions are spaces of interaction constituted by dense networks of transport and migration, trade and communications.＂

Finding New Bearings

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott＇s visit to China in eady April. his first since being elected to office last September,was widely seen as a success. While there was no signing of the long-awaited free trade agreement, nor was there much clarity about what the two countries would talk about in their high-level dialogue set up during the visit of his predecessor Julia Gillard a year before, there were at least signs that negotiations were moving forward, and the timetable he had set himself for having something in place by the end of the year looks on track But the cooperation on the complex ongoing hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 showed that even in sensitive operations like this the two countries can work together, and that in the end is the more important outcome.

NEW CHALLENGES

The National People＇s Congress, China＇s top legislature, opened its annual full session on March 5. Both the Report on the Government Work delivered by Premier Li Keqiang at its opening and the press conference held on March 8 by Foreign Minister Wang Yi on its sidelines made one thing abundantly clear. What happens inside China is linked to and profoundly affects the outside wodd. Ukewise, what happens in the world outside China has a big impact on the countnj. The search there- fore for harmony between the inner and outer realms is important.

A Taxing Dilemma

Multinational corporations come under scrutiny for alleged tax dodging The issue of taxation seems to be a dry,technical subject.But it is one that people can get extremely emotional about,as some major corporations in Europe and North America have discovered recently.Since the global financial crisis broke out in 2008,the issue of taxes that corporations pay has become a sensitive one.In Europe and

Joining Hands North and South

The final signing of the Free Trade Agreement （F-rA） between Australia and China on June 18 marks the end of discussions and negotiations that have been ongoing since the mid-20OOs. While nowhere near as epic as the 14-year period dudng which China was working on entedng the World Trade Organization up to the time of its entry in 2001, for Australia and its surrounding region at least,this is a significant moment.

CHINESE LEADERSHIP GRIPS FUTURE

The political calendar in China is something that most non-Chinese don＇t understand that well. Part of that is due to a lack ofknowledge about the structure of governance in the country. They know there are ministries and they know there is the Communist Party of China （CPC）. They may well have followed the buildup and outcome of the 18th CPC National Congress late last year and assumed that this was when all leadership changes were made. But if you were to point out to many in Europe or North America that there are still impor- tant government changes to be made at the National People＇s Congress （NPO, this would no doubt cause confusion. The quickest way to explain the function of the NPC is to refer to it aging like a parliament

Who Wants to Be Number Two?

ince the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it is widely accepted that the United States has been the world＇s sole superpower. This is based on two indisputable facts. The first is the size of its economy, which has been utterly dominant over this period and constitutes approximately a quarter of global GDP. The second is the size of its militaG. The United States has the army,

Malcolm Turnbull’s New Job

The successful coup managed by Malcolm Turnbull, former Australian communications minister, against Tony Abbott,who had sewed as prime minister since 2013, means Australia has had four prime ministers in as many years, an astonishing feat. Abbots term proved to be the shortest of the country＇s 28 prime ministers, despite leading his Liberal Party to one of their greatest victories in recent years in the 2013 national elections.