Australia-China Relations Institute, UTS

Critical Minerals and Geopolitics - ABC listen Critical minerals are becoming increasingly valuable as we transition to a technology-centred world. They've become a feature on the global geopolitical stage.

Critical minerals have become a feature in geopolitics. 🇨🇳 currently dominates the market & recently 🇦🇺-🇺🇸 signed a deal looking to shore up their supply. How much of a role will Australia play? Dr Marina Yue Zhang discusses on ABC's Nightlife.

Listen: bit.ly/44k39S6

James Laurenceson: The View Down Under—From Zhongnanhai Jersey Lee

The PRC's economic headwinds, the US-PRC trade war, the state of Australia-China relations and Australian public opinion on the bilateral relationship are among issues discussed by @j-laurenceson.bsky.social in a recent Pacific Polarity podcast interview.

Listen: bit.ly/4i7iJ9m

WEBINAR | What national conservatism and Trump’s America mean for Australia’s relationship with China

Dan Ryan (National Conservative Institute of Australia) will detail the origins, influence and future impact of national conservatism

🗓️ Nov 20, 12.30pm AEDT
💻Online
🔗Register: bit.ly/4phv3Xl

UTS:ACRI/BIDA Poll 2025 By Elena Collinson and Paul F. Burke

UTS:ACRI/BIDA Poll 2025 full results, charts and analysis available: bit.ly/3JUxsIo

AUKUS is finding public support despite its many problems. Why? New polling suggests a majority of the public supported using AUKUS to deepen relations with the US and UK. But one problem could remain a thorn in the side of voters.

The UTS:ACRI/BIDA Poll 2025 finds that 50% see AUKUS subs as improving security and 68% favour deeper US/UK tech ties. Wanning Sun in @crikey.com.au highlights how bipartisan positioning and media framing continue to reinforce public support despite cost concerns bit.ly/49sSJmK

UTS:ACRI/BIDA Poll 2025 By Elena Collinson and Paul F. Burke

UTS:ACRI/BIDA Poll 2025 full results, charts and analysis available: bit.ly/3JUxsIo

Australians are markedly more worried about US interference, still wary about China: new poll More than half of respondents in a new survey said they were concerned about US interference in Australia, a jump of nearly 20 points since 2021.

Writing in @aunz.theconversation.com, @elenacollinson.bsky.social takes a deeper look at what this year’s UTS:ACRI/BIDA Poll reveals about how Australians are thinking about the shifting dynamics between the PRC, the US and Australia bit.ly/4oELdtI

A Big Dialogue: China-Australia - Can We *Really* Have Our Cake And Eat It? Presented by The Dialogues, this event brings together leading voices to explore Australia’s relations with China. Can we really have our cake and eat it? MC: Murray Hancock Moderator: Joanna Hewitt AO Speakers: James Laurenceson Cheng Lei Peter Varghese AO More information about the event: https://www.brisbanedialogues.org/tbd-events/a-big--dialogue%3A-china-australia---a-reprise-(topic-tbc) Stay connected by visiting: The Brisbane Dialogues via https://linktr.ee/brisbanedialogues and Australian Dialogues via https://linktr.ee/australiandialogues

UTS:ACRI Director @j-laurenceson.bsky.social, Peter Varghese AO and Cheng Lei explored the question 'China-Australia - Can we really have our cake and eat it?' on a panel moderated by Joanna Hewitt AO and hosted by the Brisbane Dialogues on November 11.

Watch the discussion: bit.ly/4r6REr7

UTS:ACRI/BIDA Poll 2025 By Elena Collinson and Paul F. Burke

Full results, charts and analysis available: bit.ly/3JUxsIo

- Alertness and caution sit alongside growing support for engagement: 71% favour continuing to build ties with China, up 10 points from 2024.

- Strong support for investment restrictions continues:

75% back ending the Port of Darwin lease.

74% favour restrictions on Chinese investment in critical minerals.

- Support for higher defence spending hits 72%. With trade-offs added, support softens but continues to grow, reaching 55%.

- AUKUS support slowly grows: Half of Australians (50%) say nuclear-powered submarines will improve national security.

- Australians now see the US as more likely than China to pressure Australia to choose sides: 57% vs 51%.

- Perceived US economic coercion surges to 72%, overtaking concerns about China for the first time.

🔑 Key findings:
- China policy is becoming an electoral factor: 1 in 3 voters say it influenced their 2025 vote.

- Labor leads the Coalition 48% to 29% as the preferred manager of China policy.

🇺🇸 Views of the United States are shifting.

Concern about US interference and economic coercion is rising, even as support for the alliance remains firm.

🇨🇳 Concern about China remains high, but its intensity easing.

Australians remain significantly wary across security, economic and political dimensions, yet are increasingly confident that risks can be managed alongside continued engagement.

NEW: UTS:ACRI/BIDA Poll 2025

Now in its fifth year, the poll continues to provide a rigorous and comprehensive assessment of Australian public attitudes toward the Australia-PRC relationship.

The report by @elenacollinson.bsky.social and Professor Paul F. Burke is out now: bit.ly/3JUxsIo

Why the West Can’t Escape China’s Rare Earth Dominance – Yet The pause on expert restrictions was neither the U.S. victory Trump proclaimed it to be nor the act of a supremely confident, unassailable China.

The outcome of the recent Trump-Xi meeting in Busan, where Beijing agreed to pause new rare earth export restrictions, is examined by Dr Marina Yue Zhang in @thediplomat.com bit.ly/4nIhLld

WEBINAR | What national conservatism and Trump’s America mean for Australia’s relationship with China

Dan Ryan (National Conservative Institute of Australia) will explore how this ideology is reshaping 🇺🇸 politics and how it impacts 🇦🇺

🗓️ Nov 20, 12.30pm AEDT
💻Online
🔗 Register: bit.ly/4phv3Xl

Compromise, not a zero-sum game, has delivered results for Trump and Xi — for now The Trump-Xi meeting has helped open a safety valve to defuse tensions between the US and China.. But how long until things once again simmer over?

Key takeaways from the Trump-Xi meeting in Busan are discussed by Wanning Sun in @crikey.com.au. "Those asking questions driven by a zero-sum-game mindset — who blinked first; who won; who had the upper hand — may not have received clear-cut answers." bit.ly/47mIsaq

PERSPECTIVES | Australia-China policy: Guardrails, not walls

Dr Marina Yue Zhang lays out and analyses key takeaways from the Australia China Business Council's Networking Day, held this week, with a focus on remarks by former WA Premier Mark McGowan and Trade Minister Don Farrell bit.ly/3Legcy2

Last week, ahead of the now-concluded Fourth Plenum of the CCP and meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, @elenacollinson.bsky.social discussed Beijing's objectives in these fora in comments to @capitalbrief.com: bit.ly/4nxZ0km

AUKUS proves why Australia is no longer a middle power with sovereignty and autonomy If AUKUS is such a good deal for the Americans, why did Albanese fall over himself to talk it up in DC? It points towards a crisis of control.

The Albanese-Trump meeting highlighted a reaffirmation of AUKUS. But a partnership intended to 'lock in' long-term cooperation also raises questions about how Australia balances alliance commitment and sovereign agency - Wanning Sun discusses in @crikey.com.au bit.ly/4oIUbG6

The China Factor in Australia-US Relations Australia’s strategic footing remains shaped by decisions made elsewhere – like the upcoming Trump-Xi summit.

As US President Donald Trump downplays the risk of conflict with China, @elenacollinson.bsky.social examines what his remarks mean for Australia’s strategic outlook in @thediplomat.com bit.ly/3L5ZwZo

The talk will draw on a recent UTS:ACRI Analysis on ChAFTA by @j-laurenceson.bsky.social: bit.ly/3RCdbHE

The future of Australia - China relations | Australian Institute of International Affairs New South Wales Assessing ChAFTA’s outcomes a decade on and the future of Australia-China relationsThe China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) was signed in June 2015. However, unlike other deals struck with Ja...

'Assessing ChAFTA's outcomes a decade on and the future of Australia-China relations' - @j-laurenceson.bsky.social will deliver an address hosted by @aiianational.bsky.social (AIIA NSW) reflecting on these matters. October 28 2025, 6.00pm, Glover Cottages Sydney. Register: bit.ly/4htS0Un

CNA938 Rewind - Critical minerals pact: Trump, Albanese forge strategic deal U.S President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have signed a deal to boost cooperation on critical minerals, aiming to strengthen supply chains and reduce reliance on China....

The Australia-US deal to boost cooperation on critical minerals comes as the PRC tightens its grip over rare earths exports. Dr Marina Yue Zhang examines the implications of the agreement in a @channelnewsasia.bsky.social interview. Listen: bit.ly/43A5pV1

Alternative destinations: Around 60% reported considering study or research in other countries due to the duration of visa processing times, although most ultimately planned to proceed with Australia.

Disciplinary variation: Applicants in Engineering and Technology fields (66% of respondents; median processing time = 8.5 months) reported the longest waits. Humanities, Social Sciences and Business-related disciplines (10% combined; 0.5-3.5 months) reported the shortest waits.

Comparison with Department of Home Affairs indicative processing times: Relative to Home Affairs’ published indicative durations, median processing times reported in the survey generally fell near or beyond the Department’s 90th-percentile range.