Geopolitics is evolving quickly. The US is putting pressure on Australia to increase defence spending to counter China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. At the same time, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth is warning that a Chinese military attack on Taiwan ‘could be imminent.’

And in Europe, Ukraine has launched a major drone attack against Russian airfields, wiping out billions of dollars worth of bombers.

Professor James Curran teaches political and diplomatic history at the University of Sydney, and is a columnist at The Australian Financial Review. His latest book is Australia’s China Odyssey: From Euphoria to Fear.

He talks to Sean Aylmer about Australia's relationship with the US and China, and the impact of Ukraine's drone strike on Russia.