Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is in India on his first foreign trip since taking up the post in March.

On Monday in Washington, there will be formal White House talks between Myanmar's president Thein Sein and President Barack Obama .

For the past decade Australia has hitched its economic wagon to China and the relationship has underpinned a protracted surge in growth.

The Australian government has increased funding for aid to Indonesia by 100 million dollars in this year's federal budget.

As the melting of the Arctic ice opens up new shipping routes and new opportunities for oil and gas exploration, the world is suddenly paying more attention to the North Pole.

Taiwan has imposed sanctions on the Philippines, rejecting as unacceptable an apology from Manila over the killing of a fisherman from Taiwan last week.

Aid organisations working in the Pacific have expressed disappointment with Australia's aid commitment in its budget.

On Sunday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will make his first foreign trip since taking up the role and has chosen to go to India.

China has recently put a toe into the troubled waters of Middle East diplomacy, hosting back-to-back visits from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leader of the Palestinian authority Mahmoud Abbas.

The Australian Government is again diverting foreign aid spending to boost its budget bottom line and pay for asylum seekers.

Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill have signed the new Joint Declaration for a new Papua New Guinea-Australia Partnership.

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister hasn't pulled any punches while outlining his thoughts on how his country's relationship with Australia can be improved.