‘Locked in a spiral’: What’s next in Australia’s feud with China?

Even before he took office, Anthony Albanese admitted that China would be a “challenge”.

A little more than a month since the federal election, that prediction has come true.

Despite hopes a new government could mean a reset of relations, China has continued to push for a heightened presence in the Indo-Pacific, offered a sympathetic shoulder to Russia during its invasion of Ukraine and persevered with trade sanctions on a raft of…