Asia Rising

In recent history the world witnessed a peace summit between the United States president Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim-Jong Un. While Trump cites his negotiating and business skills in bring Kim to the table, Kim would likely see it as an acknowledgement of the threat he poses with viable nuclear weapons. Does state acquisition of nuclear weapons lead to stability and peace or instability and crisis? Speaker: Dr Michael Cohen (Senior lecturer at the National Security College, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU College of Asia and the Pacific). The author of 'When Proliferation causes Peace: The Psychology of Nuclear Crises' published by Goergetown University Press. This talk was recorded on the 20th June 2018 at the city campus of La Trobe University.

Chinese philosophy has a long history stretching back more than two thousand years and covers schools of thought such as Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, and Buddhism. It has had a deep influence on the cultural and political development of the nation and people of China. Guest: Professor John Makeham (Director of the China Studies Research Centre, La Trobe University).

China's economy has long been a story of success and growth, and being the second largest in the world has given it a position of power in the global economy. But could there be signs of an economic slowdown ahead of China? What steps would they have to take to safely navigate it? Guest: Professor Michael Pettis (Finance, Peking University).

India’s fast-growing population, and aspirations to join the throwaway prosperity of the developed world, generate vast quantities of waste, sewage and pollution. In attempting to mitigate these problems, India displays strengths and weaknesses, and the Clean India campaign has found successful techniques as well as discovering strategies that do not work. Some of India’s experiments hold lessons for Australia. The panel examines the Indian experience of waste removal, public sanitation, recycling and local-government dilemmas with special reference to India’s economic and population growth and to the role caste plays in the contest to control waste. SPEAKERS Assa Doron is Associate Professor in Anthropology at the College of Asia & the Pacific, Australian National University (ANU). Robin Jeffrey is an Emeritus Professor of Politics at La Trobe University and the ANU and chairs an advisory panel for the Australia-India Institute. Dolly Kikon, a lawyer from northeastern India, has a doctorate from St

Asia’s elderly population is on track to reach a billion by 2050, and there are few governments prepared to meet this change, which will have wide social and economic consequences. Guest: Professor Thomas Klassen (Political Science at York University in Ontario, Canada).

The future of the Indo-Pacific region is being buffeted by an array of complex forces including the return of great power rivalry, rising illiberalism, and growing nationalism. SPEAKERS: The Hon Julie Bishop MP (Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party) Professor Nick Bisley (Head, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe University) Tony Walker (Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University) Dr Rebecca Strating (Lecturer in International Relations, Department of Politics and Philosophy, La Trobe University) In partnership with La Trobe University’s Ideas and Society Program. Recorded at Grand Hyatt Melbourne on 1th April 2018.

Any visitor to China will be acutely aware of the amount of security, and nowhere is this more visible than the nation’s capital, Beijing. Guards are frequent, Cameras are plentiful, and the electronic data mining is extensive. GUEST: Bill Birtles (China Correspondent, Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Theme music: Asian Wonders by Butterfly Tea

The Chinese education system has had its criticisms, but many argue that it delivers, at least in the larger cities such as Shanghai and Hong Kong. Students are pushed to study, with many students attending after-school tutoring, and qualities such as respect and dedication are held to a higher standard than that of western education systems. GUEST: Lenora Chu (American journalist, author of Little Soldiers: An American Boy, a Chinese School, and the Global Race to Achieve’) Theme music: Asian Wonders by Butterfly Tea

Indonesia is a sprawling nation of islands across south-east Asia, and two environmental concerns are significant – deforestation and rising sea levels. The deforestation rate is one of the highest in the world, and rising sea levels threaten much of their territory, including the capital, Jakarta. GUEST: Dr Dirk Tomsa (Senior Lecturer, Politics and Philosophy, La Trobe University).

The population of Asia is ageing rapidly. People are living longer than in the past, and coping with this problem requires thoughtful social security and balancing the interests of different generations. Although nations in the region each have unique characteristics, there are overall trends associated with population ageing, which raise implications that extend across most nations in Asia. Speaker: Professor Thomas Klassen (School of Public Policy and Administration at York University, Canada). Recorded at La Trobe University (City Campus) on 21st March 2018, in an event co-hosted by the John Richards Centre for Rural Ageing Research.

China operates on a scale that outclasses every other country, and are taking climate change seriously. As the world’s biggest polluter many would say that this is the way it should be. But does this give China an advantage and a global platform in green leadership? And are they making the most of it? GUEST: Dr Benjamin Habib (Lecturer, Politics and International Relations, La Trobe University).

Japan faces a rapidly changing international environment. Asia is shifting from an era of peace and prosperity to one of contestation and great power rivalry. North Korea's nuclear ambitions are unsettling the region. Xi Jinping's China is more confident, assertive and nationalistic than ever and uncertainty lingers of the role of Japan's security partner, the United States. In response to these changes and challenges Japan has set out to change its foreign and defence policy and is seeking a greater regional and global influence. It is taking on a greater role in regional security matters including increasing security co-operation with Australia. What role is Japan seeking to play? How will it carve out space for itself in a region dominated by giant powers? And how will the region respond to a Japan that plays a greater role? Nobuhiro Aizawa is an expert in Japanese international relations and southeast Asian politics. He is an Associate Professor at the Center for Asia-Pacific Future Studies at Kyushu

North Korea is a country that can little afford a close examination of ecological impact. The environment exists and is protected as long as it is useful as a resource to the authoritative state. Despite this it holds an important place in the mythology of the country, and retaining elements of it is useful, as long as they can be exploited. GUEST: Dr Robert Winstanley-Chesters (Research Fellow, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University) Follow Robert Winstanley-Chesters on Twitter: @rwinstanleyc Follow Benjamin Habib on Twitter: @drbenjaminhabib Follow La Trobe Asia on Twitter: @LaTrobeAsia

India struggles with environmental imperatives. Its cities have the worst air pollution in the world, its iconic rivers are, in some places, literally dead and human development pressures will often override concerns of the natural environment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made commitments to clean up India, but can he follow through with his promises? Are there more invested interests in pushing forward with industrial projects, and does India's environment have the time to be neglected? GUEST: Professor Amita Baviskar, (Sociologist, Economic Institute of Growth, Delhi). Follow La Trobe Asia on Twitter: @LaTrobeAsia

With China's emergence as a power of the first rank it has changed the Asian region and indeed the world. It has reordered established patterns of trade and investment, unsettled a longstanding balance of power in Asia, and brought old historical antagonisms to the surface. As President Xi Jinping consolidates his power, China increasingly presents a confident and at times assertive face to the wider world. But what does China want from its region? How much change would this represent? What options exist for Australia to influence how the People's Republic comports itself on the wider global stage? GUEST: The Hon. Kevin Rudd (Former Prime Minister of Australia, President of the Asia Society Policy Unit). Follow Kevin Rudd on Twitter: @krudd Follow Nick Bisley on Twitter: @NickBisley Follow La Trobe Asia on Twitter: @LaTrobeAsia

From the turbulent 1960s until today, Hong Kong has been a city shaped by civil disobedience. The latest wave of protests in Hong Kong’s long history of public dissent culminated in the Occupy Central movement of 2014. What emerges from these grassroots movements is a unique Hong Kong identity, one shaped neither by Britain nor China. Guest: Antony Dapiran (author of City of Protest: A Recent History of Dissent in Hong Kong) Follow Antony Daparin on Twitter: @antd Follow La Trobe Asia on Twitter: @LaTrobeAsia

China’s emergence as a global power of the first rank has changed the Asian region and the world. It has reordered established patterns of trade and investment, unsettled a long standing balance of power in Asia and brought old historical antagonisms to the surface. What options exist for Australia to influence how the People’s Republic comports itself on the wider global stage? SPEAKERS: Kevin Rudd (Former Prime Minister of Australia) Linda Jakobson (CEO, China Matters) Professor Nick Bisley (La Trobe Asia, La Trobe University) Recorded on October 26, 2017 at The Sofitel, Melbourne.

The 19th Chinese Communist Party Congress has been and gone, and in its wake we’re left with a more powerful Xi Jinping with an far-reaching vision for the future of the country. But what could it mean in the long-term, and is Xi making a power play that could see future change in both the party and the political balance of China? GUEST: Rowan Callick (China correspondent for The Australian, author of Party Time: Who Runs China and How) Follow La Trobe Asia on Twitter: @LaTrobeAsia

President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte has been called many names: The Trump of the East, a dictator-in-waiting, the bastard child of Philippines’ democracy. Beyond these colourful labels, however, are critical social transformations occurring in the Philippine society that accompany Duterte’s rise to presidency. SPEAKERS: Dr Nicole Curato (ARC Discovery Early Career Research Fellow, Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, University of Canberra). Professor Nick Bisley (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia, La Trobe University) This event was the book launch of a new book edited by Nicole Curato: 'The Duterte Reader: Critical Essays on Rodrigo Duterte’s Early Presidency'. Held at the City Campus of La Trobe University on 30 November 2017.

China and Australia have relationship anchored by strong trade bonds, and there is a respectful prime-ministerial level dialogue between the two countries. Yet it is a relationship with underlying tension. China and Australia sometimes find themselves on different sides of the table in some bilateral issues, and disagreements over foreign investment in Australia, influence, and the interests of allied countries might prevent further successful co-operation or interaction. This panel will discuss the key challenges and opportunities confronting the bilateral relationship of China and Australia. SPEAKERS: Professor Nick Bisley (La Trobe Asia, La Trobe University) Professor Chen Hong (Australian Studies Centre, East China Normal University) Professor Hou Minyue (Australian Studies Centre, East China Normal University) Assoc Professor James Leibold (Politics and Philosophy, La Trobe University) Recorded on November 21, 2017 at East China Normal University, Shanghai.