On the Australian side, the election of a center-left Labor government has seen a change in tone from the more confrontational approach taken by its predecessor.
Ties between Australia and China have improved quickly since Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took power last year, but Canberra’s plans for a new submarine may test that goodwill.
The Sydney-based Lowy Institute’s Asia Power Index for 2023 shows that China registered the greatest decline out of the 26 nations and territories in its report.
Yet Japan’s deepening unease about the dangers in its neighborhood has prompted a fresh push to build a bulwark of other partnerships.
Trying to balance competing climate interests is Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who won power with a pledge to end the country’s "climate wars."
Soon after being sworn in, Penny Wong rushed to Fiji to counter a rare trip to nearby Pacific island countries by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
One of the country's first prime ministers in decades with a working-class upbringing, Albanese ends nine years of conservative rule.
Areas where Chinese Australians make up more than 10% of the voters could help decide who is the next prime minister.
At stake is the policy of a nation that is a potential renewable-energy superpower but still gets 70% of its electricity and about a quarter of its exports from fossil fuels.
Scott Morrison has been accused of not moving quickly enough to avoid a security agreement between Honiara and Beijing.
