I head China Matters, a not-for-profit independent Australian policy institute. China Matters aims to advance sound China policy and inject realism into the public discourse about the rise of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and its implications for Australia. I also serve as deputy chair of the board of directors.

My articles about the PRC’s foreign and security policy are internationally recognised and used by academics in several countries as reading in course work about the PRC. Many of these articles focus on foreign policy decision-making in the PRC, the PRC’s maritime ambitions and the PRC’s interest in the Arctic. I am also the author of two award-winning books and one report about the PRC.

I lived and worked in China for 22 years before accepting an invitation in 2011 to serve as Program Director (East Asia) at the Lowy Institute for International Policy. Upon moving to Sydney, Australia-China relations became a research focus.