Disruptive Asia is a thought-leadership project and a 5-volume essay series I started in 2017 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Asia Society Australia. Disruptive Asia presents new perspectives and policy recommendations on how Asia’s rise is impacting Australia’s foreign policy, economy and society and how Australia should respond.

From 2019 to 2021 I was privileged to co-lead the national Asia Taskforce of senior leaders from the business, education and government sectors to examine how Australian companies and organisations can increase their presence and position in Asia to ensure our continued prosperity and deliver progress for future generations.

The following essay by Shazleen Lateef and me was published by the Melbourne Asia Review on September 9th, 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and extended lockdowns in Melbourne, Australia. It is a part of the Asia Society Australia’s Looking Ahead series of analytical papers on policy responses to the pandemic, supported by the Victorian State Government.

This is the headline piece from the 2019 China Special Edition of Disruptive Asia. I argue that there is no alternative to engagement with China, given the depth and breadth of connections and our geography. Community, coherence and competency are the key to maintaining a healthy and robust relationship with China.