Australia: catch all

[Bill Moore]

http://asiancentury.dpmc.gov.au/white-paper

Within only a few years, Asia will not only be the world’s largest producer of goods and services, it will also be the world’s largest consumer of them. It is already the most populous region in the world. In the future, it will also be home to the majority of the world’s middle class.

The Asian century is an Australian opportunity. As the global centre of gravity shifts to our region, the tyranny of distance is being replaced by the prospects of proximity. Australia is located in the right place at the right time—in the Asian region in the Asian century.

Recommend reading the Executive Summary and Chapter 8 at a minimum if you are interested in strategic and defense views in the Asia-Pacific.

[davidbfpo]

Good catch Bill M., as this White paper was only unveiled on Friday afternoon by Julia Gillard, the Australian Prime Minister.

I rely on the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank, for awareness on Australian and Pacific matters. From their pre-release comment:

This White Paper will be a signature foreign policy document for Prime Minister Gillard. If it hits the mark, it could come to be seen as a milestone for Australia's relations with Asia. Or it could be just another quickly forgotten government report.

Link:http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/...er-launch.aspx

So a few selected sentences from their commentary:

The language of the speech and the White Paper is lofty and inspirational. The PM's speech is titled 'History asks great nations great questions', and the White Paper itself calls the Asian century 'a truly transformative period in our history' and 'a transformation as profound as any that have defined Australia throughout our history'.

...there is very little sense of the risks of the Asian century.

The PM's description of Asia's explosive growth and the opportunities it offers was never accompanied by any warnings about the potential downsides, particularly the fact that Australia's relative influence in the region will decline as the region's developing economies continue their explosive growth

The commentary:http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/...pressions.aspx

[Ray]

New initiative to allow all Australian children to learn Mandarin, Hindi, Japanese or Bahasa

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/wor...#ixzz2AgHXDSAp