Australia

The world's sixth largest country, Australia is a regional power in Asia that has a sometimes troubled relationship with its largest trading partner, China. Canberra began to pull away from Beijing in 2018 due to concerns over Chinese influence on Australian society and politics, as well as disputes over the South China Sea. The global Covid-19 pandemic that began in China in 2019 caused further tensions after Australia called for an independent investigation into the disease's origins.