The one measure outlined in the White Paper, Australia in the Asian Century, that seems to have caught the public’s imagination is the access to four priority languages (Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian and Japanese) at all levels of the Australian education system. This is an important move as linguistic literacy is part of deeper and […]
Continue ReadingTeaching Asia to Australia
Most recent co-authored piece on The Conversation, republished here by Creative Commons: Teaching Asia to Australia: it’s not just about languages By Susan Leong, Queensland University of Technology and Catherine Gomes, RMIT University Ahead of the soon-to-be-released Asian Century White Paper, Foreign Minister Bob Carr has said Australia needs to “know Asia” in order to […]
Continue ReadingMy first story on Storify
Here’s one put together for an upcoming paper on China’s middle class: [View the story “China’s moral crisis” on Storify]
Continue ReadingMacquarie University’s Soft Power Advocacy and Research Group
Macquarie University has recently established a Soft Power Advocacy and Research Group (SPARC). Their aims are to: “Pursue a broad agenda of research and analysis to develop new theories and debate around models for soft power and public diplomacy. Develop affiliations and strategic partnerships with key national and international organisations spanning the public and private […]
Continue ReadingEthnic Tensions in China – 2009
A belated find but still useful I think, about how ethnic differences are being managed within China and how they are likely to affect the nation as well as the rest of the world.
Continue ReadingJoseph Nye on America vis-a-vis China
A short piece from Nye, who coined the term “soft power”. According to him, “while the ‘rise of the rest’ means that America will be less dominant than it once was, this does not mean that China will necessarily replace the US as the world’s leading power.”
Continue ReadingChina in 2020: A New Type of Superpower
Audio recording of a recent discussion about China’s global position from the Brookings Institute in USA. Worth a listen
Continue ReadingMiddle Class in China and India
The stories and perception of Asian economies, especially China and India, is that they are primed for rampant growth. However, this growth has a sting in its tail for the people who have to live and work in these economies. The BBC offers a number of articles on the difficulties and challenges the “new middle […]
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