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On September 7, GMF – along with the Legatum Institute – hosted a roundtable discussion featuring Andrew Shearer, Director of Studies and Senior Research Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney. Shearer discussed his recent paper “Power & Values in a Changing Asia – Debating Australia's Strategic Future” in a session moderated by Jeff Gedmin of the Legatum Institute. Shearer argued that despite a growing debate in Australia over whether a more equidistant posture between China and the United States is possible, Australia has no choice but to bolster its alliance with the United States. He cited the results of opinion surveys conducted by the Lowy Institute that suggested a strong alliance with the United States remained popular with most of the Australian public, despite growth resulting from closer economic and commercial linkages with China. In considering Australia's strategic options, Shearer highlighted the hard choices that increasingly confront Western and Asian democracies as they work to offset their growing economic dependence on China with closer strategic ties to the United States. His presentation was followed by comments by GMF Senior Fellow for Asia Dan Twining and John Lee, visiting scholar at the Hudson Institute.  The full text of Shearer’s paper can be accessed here.