Geoff Raby

Geoff Raby was Australia’s Ambassador to China from 2007-11, during which he visited all provinces in China officially. He served in Beijing as First Secretary (Economic) and then Counsellor (Economic), 1986-91. He was Ambassador to the WTO in Geneva, Ambassador to APEC, and Deputy Secretary, 2003-07. He is a non-executive independent director of ASX listed-companies Yancoal and sits on the Board of the Gavan Foundaton. His most recent book is China’s Grand Strategy and Australia’s Future in the World Order (MUP, 2020). He contributes op-eds and travel writing to the Australian Financial Review. He holds a PhD in economics. He was awarded the Order of Australia (AO) in 2019 for services to Australia-China bilateral relations and to multilateral trade.

Geoff Raby review ‘Terminus: Westward expansion, China, and the end of the American empire’ by Stuart Rollo

October 2024, no. 469 • 25 September 2024

What a difference a decade makes. When the second decade of the millennium opened, the United States was advocating an open door for trade and investment with China. In November 2011, President Barack Obama, in a speech to the Australian Parliament, revealed Washington’s new strategic and economic policy: the Pivot to Asia. A month earlier, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton published an articl ... (read more)

Geoff Raby reviews ‘The Political Thought of Xi Jinping’ by Steve Tsang and Olivia Cheung

May 2024, no. 464 • 22 April 2024

Two of the defining figures of our age are China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Both are authoritarian rulers intent on reshaping the global Western-led order. They despise and mistrust the United States equally, and, to justify their hold on power, promote a nationalist and civilisationist vision that elevates the long historical and cultural roots of their soci ... (read more)