Kevin Rudd is one of Australia’s leading authorities on the United States’ relationship with China. In his latest book, The Avoidable War: The Dangers of a Catastrophic Conflict Between the US and Xi Jinping's China, the former Prime Minister breaks down the likely outcomes of a war between the two nations and proposes solutions based on his own diplomatic experience. 

At his only Melbourne-based event to celebrate the book’s release, Rudd will share his in-depth analysis of Australia’s position in relation to China and the US, and offer new ways of thinking about current geopolitical crises amid an overwhelming news cycle. 

The event will be introduced by Philipp Ivanov, CEO of the Asia Society Australia, and Professor Christopher Ziguras, Deputy Dean, International, RMIT School of Global, Urban and Social Studies. Hosted by Louisa Lim. 

Date: Tuesday 26 April 2022  
Time: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. AEST  
Venue: The Capitol, 113 Swanston Street, Melbourne

Tickets are $30 general / $25 concession / $25 Asia Society Members, plus $4.40 transaction fee. 
Ticket and book (collected at event): $65 general / $60 concession, plus $4.40 transaction fee.

For any enquiries, please contact [email protected] 

About our Speakers 

The Hon. Kevin Rudd AC, President and CEO, Asia Society 

The Hon. Kevin Rudd AC is President and CEO of the Asia Society, and inaugural President of the Asia Society Policy Institute. He served as 26th Prime Minister of Australia (2007 to 2010, 2013) and as Foreign Minister (2010 to 2012). He is Chair of the Board of the International Peace Institute in New York, and Chair of Sanitation and Water for All – a global partnership of government and non-governmental organizations dedicated to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6. He is a Distinguished Fellow at Chatham House and the Paulson Institute, and a Distinguished Statesman with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is also a member of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization’s Group of Eminent Persons. 

Louisa Lim, Senior Lecturer, University of Melbourne

Louisa Lim is an award-winning journalist who reported from China for a decade for NPR and the BBC. Her first book, The People's Republic of Amnesia: Tiananmen Revisited, was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing and the Helen Bernstein Prize for Excellence in Journalism. She co-hosts The Little Red Podcast, an award-winning podcast on China. She works as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Melbourne, teaching audio journalism and podcasting, and has a PhD in journalism studies. Her latest book, Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong, will be released in April 2022 from Penguin Random House. 

This event is in partnership with

Asia Society Australia acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government.