Asia Rising

In 1964 the Communist Party of China released a collection of Mao’s speeches and statements titled ‘Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung’. Small, easily carried, and bound in bright red colours it became commonly known as the Little Red Book, and went on to become the most important tool of propaganda during the cultural revolution. Associate Professor James Leibold (Politics and Philosophy, La Trobe University) talks to Matt Smith about the power of Mao's book and how to spot a real one.

A sound foreign policy is crucial to the success and safety of any country, and governments are grappling with different ideals and agendas to maintain relationships in the current changing global environment. Allan Gyngell (Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at the Australian National University, director of the Crawford Australia Leadership Forum) joins Matt Smith to discuss Australia's Foreign Policy and reflect on its interactions with Asia.

State intervention in natural resource management is often inflexible, but projects in the Kangra District of India have found better success by involving the local communities. Dr Harry Fischer (Associate Lecturer in the Department of Social Inquiry at La Trobe University and a New Generation Network Fellow at the Australian India Institute) speaks about natural resource management in Himachal Pradesh, particularly the water canal 'kuhl' system.

Thailand has reached a period of political change. The recent death of the long-serving monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and the crowning of his son Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn have rocked a country still seeing fallout of a 2014 military coup. Dr Greg Raymond (Research Fellow at the Strategic & Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University) talks to Matt Smith about the way forward for Thailand.

China is home to 1.5 billion people, many of them living in industrialised cities, and with that comes a heavy burden of medical problems. Martin Taylor (Team Leader, Health Systems and Health Security, World Health Organization, Beijing) discusses the good and the bad in China's health.

The study of Australia is well-established in China, and the active engagement across universities helps build cultural, social and economic understanding between the two countries. Professor David Walker (Chair of Australian Studies at Deakin University) talks to Matt Smith about Chinese understanding of Australia, and the healthy network of Australian studies.

Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States. While America, the world, and the Donald comes to terms with this unexpected result, the question is inevitably asked… what happens next? Professor Nick Bisley (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia) and Dr Kumuda Simpson (International Relations, La Trobe University) speak to Matt Smith about the international reaction to a Trump presidency.

Media in Australia and much of the western world are facing pressing times with shrinking revenue and a changing landscape, but how much of these trends coming across in the Chinese press? Lisa Murray (China Correspondent, Australian Financial Review) talks to Matt Smith about the media landscape in China and her experiences as a foreign correspondent.

The 2016 United States election is almost upon us, and much of the rhetoric has focused on countries in Asia. Hilary Clinton has made references to 'standing up to bullies', with Donald Trump going several steps further in his comments about China. Professor Nick Bisley (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia) speaks to Matt Smith about what Clinton or Trump could mean in Asia, and how regional security and economic stability hangs in the balance.

China and Australia have a long relationship anchored by strong trade bonds, yet this relationship isn’t without tension. The two countries often find themselves on different sides of the table when it comes to broader bilateral ties, and issues such as disagreements over foreign investment and the position and interests of allied countries threaten to prevent any meaningful co-operation or interaction. Professor Hou Minyue (Deputy Director, of the Australian Studies Centre, at East China Normal University in Shanghai) speaks to Matt Smith about the Australia-China relationship.

The cow is a sacred animal in India with nearly 80% of its Hindu population abstaining from eating beef and worshiping the animal for its production of milk. Surprisingly enough, the country has become the world's largest exporter of beef products, exporting more than 2 million tonnes a year and consuming just as much. Why is India selling the sacred cow? Dr Yamini Narayanan (DECRA Senior Fellow at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation at Deakin University) talks to Matt Smith about this clash of ideals which have become a topic of controversy, corruption and murder in India.

It’s been more than two years since Joko Widodo was elected Indonesian President. While his election occurred on a wave of high hopes and high expectations, little was known at the time about how the new President would approach Indonesia’s international affairs. Dr Evi Fitriani (Head of the International Relations Department at Universitas Indonesia)talks to Dr Rebecca Strating (Politics and Philosophy, La Trobe University) about Indonesia’s approach to foreign policy under the Widoko administration.

India has more than a billion mobile phones in use, with more people having access to a mobile phone than a toilet with plumbing. What impact has the phone had on India's society, politics and economy? Emeritus Professor Robin Jeffrey (Politics, La Trobe University)speaks to Matt Smith about the implications of a connected India.

On 30th June, Rodrigo Duterte was sworn in as the Philippines 16th President. Observers outside the country were stunned by his sudden rise to power, in both his tone and at times violent rhetoric he seemed, to many, to be South East Asian version of Donald Trump. Dr Nicole Curato (ARC Early Career Research Fellow at the Institute for Governance and Policy Advice in the University of Canberra) talks to Professor Nick Bisley (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia) about the kind of leader Duterte will be, and the changes he wants to bring to South East Asia's second largest population.

An election in the upper house of Japan has delivered a supermajority to Shinzo Abe, with two thirds of it in control of his Liberal Democratic Party and its allies. The win is a substantial vote of confidence for the Prime Minister and his policies, and with a similar majority in the lower house he now has the legislative firepower to make substantial changes, including rewriting Japan’s pacifist constitution. Dr David Envall (International Relations, Australian National University) talks to Matt Smith about the election results and what Abe could do with this power.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a political and economic organisation formed 49 years ago by like-minded southeast Asian countries. Much like the EU it aims to streamline co-operation such as trade and social progress between its member states, and increase bargaining power with the rest of the world. Professor Nick Bisley (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia) talks with Matt Smith about this regional entity, and whether the lofty aims of ASEAN are about to crack under outside pressures.

After hundreds of years of occupation and a bloody struggle for independence, Timor-Leste formed its democratic government in 2002, running an election under the watchful eye of the UN. It’s since had three highly competitive elections since 2002 that have been universally recognised as free and fair. Dr Rebecca Strating (Politics, La Trobe University) talks to Matt Smith about the state of democracy in Timor-Leste - is it failing as an institution, and is that a bad thing for the country?

The Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydro-electric power station, is one of the greatest infrastructure projects of modern times. Building it displaced many hundreds of thousands of people, and transformed the environment in a key part of China. Dr Brooke Wilmsen (Social Inquiry, La Trobe University) talks to Professor Nick Bisley (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia) about the impact of the dam on the lives of people in the region, what it tells us about China's modernisation, and the kind of social challenges faced by a rapidly industrialising society.

The Uyghurs are a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority that predominantly inhabit the far western region of China known as Xinjiang. Dr David Brophy (History, University of Sydney) talks to Assoc. Professor James Leibold (Politics, La Trobe University) the emergence of the Uyghur nation and reform and revolution on the Russian frontier. David Brophy's book, Uyghur Nation (2016) published by Harvard University Press: www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674660373 Follow David Brophy on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Dave_Brophy Follow James Leibold on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jleibold Theme music: Asian Wonders by Butterfly Tea

Indonesia has had ongoing problems with corruption since it established democracy in 1998, and while some recent high profile cases have been exposed, it's a problem at every level of government. Dr Dirk Tomsa (Politics, La Trobe University) talks to Professor Nick Bisley (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia) about Indonesia's ongoing struggle to combat corruption, whether it be exposed through efforts of the KPK, or political machinations. Copyright 2016 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Please contact for permissions.