For much of its history, Australia’s identity has been defined by distance – geographical, political, psychological. Now, with global tensions rising, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is testing whether that distance might yet be a source of strength. The answer, he seems to believe, lies in recalibrating Australia’s relationships to friends and rivals alike. As both critics from...

When Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrives in China next week for his second official visit, he will have more than the typical diplomatic niceties to discuss with President Xi Jinping. A major task on Albanese’s agenda, besides routine topics like trade, will be to explain his country’s stance on Chinese investment – in particular, addressing the controversy over t...

The Chinese ambassador to Canberra has urged Australia not to be “incited” by Nato’s support for demands by the US to raise defence spending sharply and instead should cooperate with Beijing to resolve regional disputes. Analysts say the “unsolicited advice” is unlikely to sway Canberra and could backfire by reinforcing distrust of Beijing, ahead of Prime Minister Anthony Albane...

The soaring global popularity of Labubu has prompted Australia to sound a warning over knock-off monster toys flooding online platforms as scammers try to exploit the collectibles frenzy fuelled by social media and celebrity endorsements. The pointy-eared, sharp-toothed dolls – designed by Hong Kong artist Lung Ka-sing and sold by Beijing-based Pop Mart – have attained cult stat...

Australian politician Hannah Thomas could lose vision in her right eye after she sustained injuries during her arrest at a pro-Palestinian protest in Sydney, as police launched an investigation into the incident following uproar over alleged excessive use of force. Thomas, the daughter of former Malaysian attorney general Tommy Thomas, was among a group of about 60 people who ga...