NEWS WRAP

Congress votes to stay open

• Shutting down the shutdown | With bipartisan support, the US House of Representatives passed a temporary spending bill to avoid a government shutdown on Friday, sending it to the Senate for approval. The vote is a victory for new House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has had to wrangle deep divisions within his party. READ MORE HERE
   
• Biden weighs in | President Biden expressed concern over fighting at the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza and stated that it "must be protected" as Israeli forces entered the complex. The hospital has received global attention amid reports of many deaths, including of premature babies, as the result of power losses. READ MORE HERE
   
• Supreme Code of the United States | The US Supreme Court adopted its first ever code of ethics, in the face of criticism in recent months over justices' undeclared expenses and personal relationship. While a first for the court, the code lacks significant new commitments or enforcement measures. READ MORE HERE
   
• Ballot bust up | A Michigan judge ruled that former President Trump can appear on the Republican primary ballot in the state, knocking back arguments that the Constitution's 14th amendment regarding insurrection could disqualify Trump from running. The ruling follows a similar decision in Minnesota last week, but is expected to be appealed. READ MORE HERE
   
• Pretty penny for Inverted Jenny | A rare US 'Inverted Jenny' postage stamp sold for A$3m, setting a new record for the most expensive US stamp ever sold. Only 100 copies of the 1918 stamp were printed, and they have long been sought after by philatelists around the world. READ MORE HERE

COMMENTARY

Towards national cyber resilience: What to expect from the 2023–2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey, Director, Emerging Technology
& Tom Barrett, Research Associate, Emerging Technology

The imminent 2023–2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy (the Strategy) will chart Australia’s path to becoming “the world’s most cyber secure country by 2030,” according to the Minister for Cyber Security and Home Affairs, the Hon. Clare O’Neil. As the minister notes, the fact that “every aspect of our lives – social, economic, and cultural – is underpinned by digital connectivity” makes the success of this strategy critical.

Since Australia’s last cyber security strategy in 2020, technology developments have moved at breakneck speed. We have seen activities and communications migrate online during the pandemic, the rise of consumer artificial intelligence (AI), which saw OpenAI’s ChatGPT reach 100 million users in two months, and the launch of human trials for Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface, known as Neuralink.

This analysis sets out what we can expect from the 2023–2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy, how it aligns with the strategies of our allies and some policy considerations.

EVENT

Economic security in a turbulent world

The world economy is undergoing a patchwork reversal of global integration as major powers seek to “de-risk” key economic relationships and use new policy tools to boost domestic investment in strategic industries.

The United States Studies Centre invites you to join us as we convene a major international conference — “Economic Security in a Turbulent World” — to discuss these issues, bringing together policymakers, business executives and leading experts from the United States, Europe, and Asia, as well as from Australia.

Save the date for the opportunity to learn from leading experts in geopolitics and economic policy and engage in robust and interactive discussion on the key issues facing Australia, the United States and the Alliance.

TYPE
Conference

WHERE
Sydney CBD

WHEN
19–20 June 2023. 8.30am–5.00pm

BY THE NUMBERS

What stands between Beijing and accession to the CPTPP?

By Ava Kalinauskas, Research Associate

New polling by the United States Studies Centre finds that the Australian and Japanese publics continue to hold strikingly negative views about China’s influence in the region. Just over half of respondents in both countries think China is mostly harmful in Asia, while less than 16 per cent say China is mostly helpful. 

This stands in stark contrast to perspectives on the US role in the region. A plurality of Australians (29 per cent) believe the United States is mostly helpful in Asia, with a strong majority (55 per cent) of Japanese respondents sharing this view‚ almost 10 times as many as those who believe the United States is mostly harmful. 

Two years on from its formal request to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Beijing is not giving up on its ambitions to gain access to the pact — an issue which Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly raised during his recent meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.  

Against this backdrop, the much-anticipated Xi-Biden meeting is an opportunity for China to improve its standing among regional partners. Yet the talks are not the only diplomacy slated for the sidelines of the upcoming APEC summit. A meeting between parties to the CPTPP is also on the agenda, the first with newly acceded Britain in attendance.  

So, what stands between Beijing and accession to the CPTPP? 

Australia, still reeling from China’s coercive economic campaign and ongoing bans on certain Australian imports, has not responded warmly to Beijing's application but has left the door open for reconsidering its stance. Japan has more pointedly opposed China’s accession to the CPTPP, reiterating that unfair trade practices undermine the ‘spirit’ of the agreement.  

These concerns about China underwriting regional norms may be technical, but are also undeniably political — and are echoed by the Australian and Japanese people. 

THE WEEK IN TWEETS

#USAPEC2023