A little remarked upon feature of Chinese regional diplomacy has been on show recently. While China’s regular foreign ministry establishment, led by the Foreign Minister, maintains the country’s network of embassies and leads international negotiations, the Chinese Communist Party has its own parallel track to formal national diplomacy – the International Department. The Department has been active in both Australia and the region in its efforts to build relationships and this briefing provides a snapshot of the organisation and its work. Read more...
In November 2021, the New Zealand China Council published a report entitled The Southern Link: Developing a Global Value Chain, which outlined the concept of a ‘Southern Link’ as ‘an extension of a global value chain (GVC) that involves the routing of multi-modal freight and passengers between ASEAN–North Asia and South America via New Zealand’. The plan intends that New Zealand will serve as an air and sea freight hub between East Asia and South America, facilitating e-commerce trade, tourism, and education and mediation services, and thereby providing an economic boost to post-pandemic New Zealand. Read more...
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