CSIS Pacific Partners Initiative

7.1 quake off northeastern New Zealand's coast causes some property damage, but no reported injuries: cs.is/2c9Zz2K

On September 2, a 7.1 earthquake struck New Zealand at 105 miles northeast of the city of Gisborne. The quake was followed by a series of large aftershocks. Residents across North Island reportedly felt the quake at around 04:37 am local time; despite some property damage, no injuries have been reported.

Regarding tsunami threats, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii has identified only a small wave eight inches in height.

Residents of the Tolaga Bay were asked by authorities to leave their homes. The area, however, was now declared safe to return, though residents were still advised to stay away from beaches, streams, and estuaries owing to a persistent tsunami threat.

[Photo: Tolaga Bay, New Zealand. The bay's residents were asked to leave their homes following a 7.1 earthquake that struck New Zealand at 105 miles to the northeast of Gisborne. Image courtesy of Ulrich Lange, Dunedin. Source: Wikimedia. Licensed under creative commons.]

Former prime minister Paul Keating says Australia is lacking in foreign policy: cs.is/2bQieTS

Australia's former prime minister Paul Keating on August 30 said the country requires a more robust and comprehensive foreign policy to negotiate the rise of China. Speaking at the Australia-China relations institute at Sydney's University of Technology, the prime minister suggested that Australia needs and deserves a "nuanced foreign policy which does take account of these big seismic shifts in the world. And we can't ever be caught up in some containment policy of China ... to assist the Americans in trying to preserve strategic hegemony in Asia and the Pacific."

Mr. Keating also said that Australia should be pressuring the United States to adopt a more "balancing and conciliating" role in the Asia-Pacific region and that strategic hegemony is not sustainable. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull shot down Mr. Keating's judgment and insisted that Australia's international influence is at an all time high due to growing economic power and "increasing strategic commitments" around the world.

[Image: Paul Keating, former prime minister of Australia. In recent remarks, Mr. Keating was highly critical of Australia's waning influence on the global stage. Image courtesy of Idpercy, Wikimedia. Licensed under creative commons.]