Author: Henry Makeham, ACYD
There is still uncertainty surrounding China’s future economic, political and strategic intentions in the Asia Pacific.
Recognising a fundamental paradigm shift in the region, then-Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced on 4 June 2008 his intention ‘to begin the conversation about where we need to go’ to strengthen regional cooperation in the Asia Pacific via the idea of an Asia Pacific Community (APC). Read more…
Author: Henry Makeham, ANU
The Asia-Pacific region has entered an unprecedented era of change. As the current growth engine of the global economy, China is more and more deeply linked to Australia through the strategic resource trade. The rise of China means that today’s youth in Australia and China – tomorrow’s stakeholders in Sino-Australian affairs – will be charged with a hugely important regional relationship in a period of fluidity, as the face of international politics and economics undergoes a fundamental paradigm shift.
Between 4-6 October, in Beijing and Shanghai, the inaugural Australia-China Youth Dialogue sought to break down misconceptions and enhance mutual respect, trust and understanding between future stakeholders in Sino-Australian affairs. Read more…
Author: Henry Makeham, ANU
Peking University is, perhaps, China’s top university. Each year, every position in the School of Management and Finance receives approximately 30,000 applicants. If you get the opportunity to study there, like I did, you are studying with some of the most ambitious, intelligent and hard-working students on the planet.
Peking is an establishment that has been at the heart of intellectual, social and political movements in modern Chinese history. It is a great privilege to experience the inner workings of an institution that commands such a powerful place in the modern Chinese psyche.
After a year and a half of mingling with Peking University students and meeting internationals from world-class institutions like Harvard, Yale and Oxford, I came to the sobering conclusion that Australian graduates are grossly underprepared to compete effectively in the globalised Asian job market.
Amongst the thousands of impressions etched in my memory, this is the one that startled me most.
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