Perth USAsia Centre

02/09/2026

The Perth USAsia Centre was pleased to host the 20th delegation of the Japan Young Parliamentary Leaders Exchange Program.

The visit brought together political leaders from Japan to strengthen dialogue and connections between Australia and Japan, while highlighting WA’s capabilities and opportunities.

01/09/2026

“As a West-Australian, there's been no state that's been more important to Japan and no country that's been more important to Western Australia…”

Perth USAsia Centre Board Chair Stephen Smith reflects on 50 years of Australia–Japan relations, economic security and the opportunities ahead in conversation with Prof. Gordon Flake at Nikkei Asia Forum Sydney 2026.

🎥 Watch The Next Chapter of Australia–Japan Relations: https://bit.ly/4i54wMv

Speaker:Stephen Smith, Former Foreign Minister and Defence Ministe...

31/08/2026

“The objective is no longer primarily to sell resources to Japan, but to build resilient supply chains together.”

In a new Business News article, our CEO Prof. L. Gordon Flake explores how Japan has helped shape WA’s economy — and how the relationship is evolving beyond trade.

What could the next 50 years hold?
Read more: https://bit.ly/3V3szBH

From trade to strategic partnership: Western Australia’s role in the next 50 years of Australia-Japan relations Few international relationships have been as important to the development of Western Australia’s economy as its relationship with Japan. Professor Gordon FlakeCEOPerth USAsia Centre 18...

21/08/2026

♻️ What if waste could help power the future of aviation?
“Renewable fuel production offers a rare opportunity… transforming waste into economic value, whilst strengthening local energy resilience.”

Read our op-ed: https://bit.ly/4qorgJl

The regenerative advantage: Sustainable Aviation Fuel and the new power geography of the Indo-Pacific In a world where strategic advantage has historically flowed from the control of finite resources, the future may belong to those capable of continually regenerating them. Daniel BlochDirector, Stra...

20/08/2026

“This is not just a Trump story, this is a changing, evolving alliance story.”

Centre CEO Professor L. Gordon Flake joined SBS World News Weekly to discuss the US scaling back military drills with South Korea — and what this could mean for the future of alliances and the Indo-Pacific.

📺 Watch the full segment: https://bit.ly/4hFrLMV

18/08/2026

Perth USAsia Centre CEO Professor Gordon Flake spoke with ABC News about President Donald Trump’s decision to scale back US participation in joint military drills with South Korea.

Watch on ABC iview: https://iview.abc.net.au/video/NU2623H163S00

18/08/2026

"Over the thirty, almost 40 years that the US and South Korea have been doing joint exercises on the peninsula they have ebbed and flowed depending on the situation."

Professor Gordon Flake, CEO of the Perth USAsia Centre, spoke with SBS News on President Trump’s decision to substantially scale down joint US–South Korea military drills.

What does this mean for the US–ROK alliance, deterrence on the Korean Peninsula and the wider Indo-Pacific?

Watch the full commentary: https://bit.ly/4hG3lD0

18/08/2026

"Where Japan has traditionally been a consumer of WA resources, it is increasingly becoming a partner in developing the industries and supply chains that will shape our future." - Centre CEO Professor Gordon Flake in Business News: https://bit.ly/4hFFao6

Few international relationships have been as important to the development of Western Australia’s economy as its relationship with Japan. In the years immediately following the end of World War

13/08/2026

Western Australia’s geopolitical importance is changing.

Our latest Indo-Pacific Analysis Brief, by Andrew Pickford and Ronin Lilley, explores what WA’s evolving role means for the state and the wider Indo-Pacific.
Read the brief: https://bit.ly/4wHPwsa

Indo-Pacific Analysis Brief Vol 64 After the booms come the storms: Western Australia in an era of rapid geopolitical change August 2026By Andrew Pickford, Senior Research Adviser: Resources and Infrastructure, & Ronin Lilley, Research Assistant. This paper reframes Western Australia’s outlook by ...

13/08/2026

Although electrification will reduce fuel demand, it will not eliminate the need for liquid fuels altogether.

Instead, it will concentrate demand into a smaller group of sectors where alternatives remain fundamentally limited, including aviation, maritime, defence, and portions of heavy industry.

While fossil fuels continue to be vulnerable to global conflict and supply chain shocks, renewable fuels, like Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), offer a more resilient model of energy security, as they draw on continually replenished feedstocks, rather than finite, geographically concentrated reserves.

In 'The Regenerative Advantage: Sustainable Aviation Fuel and the New Power Geography of the Indo-Pacific' Daniel Bloch explores how renewable fuels could strengthen energy resilience, create new economic opportunities, and give Australia a new source of strategic influence in the region.

Read op-ed here:

The regenerative advantage: Sustainable Aviation Fuel and the new power geography of the Indo-Pacific In a world where strategic advantage has historically flowed from the control of finite resources, the future may belong to those capable of continually regenerating them. Daniel BlochDirector, Stra...