Chinese military personnel take part in a rehearsal ahead of a parade commemorating the eightieth anniversary of victory in World War II in Beijing on August 20, 2025. (Pedro Pardo via Getty Images)
Senior lecturer in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University, Council of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute
US Commerce Secretary Howard William Lutnick and Japanese Minister for Economic Revitalization Ryosei Akazawa shake hands on on September 4, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
Arleigh Burke–class guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) sails in formation during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise on July 28, 2022. (DVIDS)
A formation of Dongfeng-41 nuclear missiles takes part in a military parade celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing on October 1, 2019. (Xia Yifang via Getty Images)
Senior lecturer in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University, Council of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute
A microchip and Taiwanese flag displayed on a phone screen are seen in this multiple exposure illustration photo on April 10, 2023. (Jakub Porzycki via Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks to the press following the NATO summit on June 25, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (Andrew Harnik via Getty Images)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese looks on during a federal cabinet meeting on June 3, 2025, in Perth, Australia. (Matt Jelonek via Getty Images)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese looks on during a federal cabinet meeting on June 3, 2025, in Perth, Australia. (Matt Jelonek via Getty Images)
Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian speaks at the 2024 Australia-China Economic Cooperation Forum Tasmania, Australia, October 30, 2024. (Zhang Na/Xinhua via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the White House in Washington, DC, on September 20, 2019. (Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrive for their meeting during the Quad Leaders Summit in Tokyo on May 24, 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)