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Melbourne Asia Review is an initiative of the Asia Institute. Any inquiries about Melbourne Asia Review should be directed to the Managing Editor, Cathy Harper.
Edition 21, March 2025 Making marginalised languages of Asia more visible

Understanding Global China as an evolving assemblage
Global China comprises various components that interact with and impact each other in complex ways.
- Dr Qiuping Pan

The UNDP has significantly shaped Global China’s role in international development
China would not have evolved into a key player in global development without the support of the United Nations Development Program.
- Qing Gu

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in Indonesia: Reinforcing predatory, oligarchic and extractive capitalism?
The AIIB is an increasingly prominent part of China's growing global footprint.
- Prof Andrew Rosser & Dr Randy Nandyatama

Balancing agency and alignment: Chinese NGOs in China’s international development
Chinese NGOs are exploring innovative ways to navigate institutional constraints and establish a presence in the global development arena.
- Prof Chuanhong Zhang & Dongwei Wu

From “Authentic Chinese” to “Authentic Peruvian-Chinese”: The Changing face of Chinese cuisine in Peru
Chefs in Peru are changing “real” Chinese food into an indigenised Chinese-Peruvian identity.
- Alice Y. C. Wong
Edition 22, June 2025
Grounding Global China: Divergent actors & diverse pathways of Chinese influence

Can China’s ambitions in global governance be realised in the shifting global order?
Upheaval in global governance initiated by Trump has thrust an urgent question into the spotlight: Can China step into the void?
- Prof. Yuk-shing Cheng

INTERVIEW: Global China is hugely impacting the world, but ‘China’ is not a single coherent actor giving orders
‘Global China’ is shorthand for a very complex phenomenon with many different components.
- Prof. Ching Kwan Lee

How Chinese social workers navigate major challenges to deliver essential services on the China-Myanmar border
Chinese NGOs must navigate complex political dynamics to reach vulnerable populations.
- Yiran Tian & A/Prof Tianlong You

An alternative framing for the ‘issue’ of Chinese international students in Western nations
Chinese students are deeply embedded in the fabric of host societies and shouldn't be treated as a problematic, or even threatening, 'other'.
- Dr Jun (Eric) Fu, Dr Yizhou Wang, Dr Yu Hao & Dr Qiuping Pan

Chinese investor perspectives on customary land disputes in Vanuatu
The interplay between informal customary law and formal legal frameworks creates uncertainties and potential risks for Chinese investors.
- Dr Ka ling Cheung & A/Prof Jennifer Day

Chinese employers in Botswana and their impact on local workers
Botswana labour policy and the preferences of Chinese employers mean Batswana workers are often relegated to unstable, low-skilled jobs.
- Dr Liang Chen

Studies on contemporary China in Indonesia: A snapshot of the current knowledge landscape
Understanding China’s impact is imperative not only for developed nations, which have traditionally spearheaded China Studies, but also for the Global South.
- A/Prof Yu Tao and Dr Xiao Tan

‘Global Civil Society and China’ by Anthony J. Spires
Why the future of global civil society in China does not look bright.
- Prof Jessica C. Teets
Featured articles

Towards freely available Indonesian language learning resources
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A/Prof Zane Goebel, Dr Udiana Dewi, Jawad Yuwono, Melinda Wanto, Raihan Yates, Sakura Savelieva, Delfina Chrisyandra, Oktolita Elsanadia, Andreas Wijaya, Kusnadi, Atsila Husna, Muhammad Darmawan, Lukman Hakim & Djoko Basuki

Shrinking civic space is inevitable in Indonesia
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Dr Abdil Mughis Mudhoffir

Me and My Censor
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Murong Xuecun