Stephen Dziedzic

Being gently berated for never writing a story headlined “patient and competent Australian diplomacy yields handsome dividends for the nation over a lengthy period of time”

magnificent optimism from Taiwan's reps in Australia determinedly asking boat show attendees/assorted teenagers to proffer a considered opinion on Taiwan's bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership + the role Australia can play as Chair

Back on this cursed platform after covering the PM's trip to China. For those asking re the Pacific: not much detail, but Anthony Albanese says he told Xi Jinping Australia "didn't want to see an increased military presence in the region"

UK's special envoy for AUKUS Stephen Lovegrove on 730 last night: -Talks up "enormous" Aus contribution to AUKUS, insists he's relaxed re US review - On pace of Henderson upgrade: "schedule is King." Aus may need to "carefully" consider ramping up $/speed abc.net.au/news/2025-07-0…

Not good

The Australian Government: this decision is purely based on the science in the wake of a rigorous and painstakingly detailed assessment over a decade, which mapped various risk matrices and delivered a (science-based!) scientific finding The Trump Administration:

Charles and colleagues are stating the bleeding obvious here but do so with authority and clarity. Chaos conveys weakness, not strength. Even if you take the most miserably *narrow* frame of reference, the Trump's actions in the Pacific will hurt the US and undermine its position

Yesterday my colleagues @AlexandreDayant & @GraceStanhope put out the 2025 @LowyInstitute Southeast Asia Aid Map. Western aid cuts will mean ODF drops by $2 billion in 2026. Projection based on 20% decline in bilateral aid & stable multilateral bank financing (far from assured).

Ratner: Australia should be “willing to sustain a certain amount of tension with Beijing and be willing to endure a certain amount of cost as well”

Laos denies claim by Ukraine's military that it's preparing to send sappers to Russia to help de-mining efforts in Kursk, with state media calling it "baseless" and "fake news designed to cause confusion and damage the country’s international standing" laotiantimes.com/2025/07/10/lao…

Story for AM this morning ahead of the Prime Minister's visit to China - Anthony Albanese will fly to Shanghai on Saturday, and head to Beijing and Chengdu after that abc.net.au/listen/program…

Japan is furious with the US. PM says Tokyo “should make more efforts to become independent from the United States.” 47news.jp/12842728.html

Brief news write on the FM's speech in Malaysia abc.net.au/news/2025-07-1…

You get the sense that whoever drew the 'generic loutish Westerner dunderhead' in the Laos government's Dos and Don'ts tourism brochure is working their way through a few frustrations

Huh

Hah (via @politico)

This is (no surprise) very murky. Sounds like multiple countries (including some in the region) have approached Laos in the wake of this report, and Laos has told them it will *not* send any personnel to Russia