Kazimier Lim

Sydney

Public Policy Consultant and Writer at Freelance

Management consultant-turned-MPhil/PhD Scholar at the @LSEIRDept. Everything aviation politics, global south, hierarchies, prestige, urbanism, & queer issues.

Featured in: Favicon

eastasiaforum.org Favicon

samoaobserver.ws Favicon

lowyinstitute.org Favicon

internationalaffairs.org.au Favicon

worldpoliticsreview.com Favicon

channelnewsasia.com

Articles

Commentary: China’s jetliner dreams are getting real, but it's too early to celebrate

Jan 16, 2025 | channelnewsasia.com | Kazimier Lim

LONDON: To ring in the new year, China’s homegrown jet, the C919 – nicknamed “daifeiji”, or “Great Airplane” – took its first regularly scheduled passenger flight outside the Chinese mainland. The new daily route, linking Shanghai Hongqiao and Hong Kong, has been hailed by Beijing as a landmark milestone in showcasing the C919 to the world. Until now, the aircraft had flown exclusively on domestic routes operated by Chinese state-owned airlines. At first glance, this flight seems momentous.
The great leap skyward: China’s jetliner dreams are getting real

Jan 12, 2025 | lowyinstitute.org | Kazimier Lim

To ring in the new year, China’s homegrown jet, the C919 – nicknamed “daifeiji” (大飞机), or “Great Airplane” – took its first regularly scheduled passenger flight outside the Chinese mainland. The new daily route, linking Shanghai Hongqiao and Hong Kong, has been hailed by Beijing as a landmark milestone in showcasing the C919 to the world. Until now, the aircraft had flown exclusively on domestic routes operated by Chinese state-owned airlines. At first glance, this flight seems momentous.
The Downing of Flight 8243 Could Jeopardize Russia-Azerbaijan Relations

Jan 3, 2025 | worldpoliticsreview.com | Kazimier Lim

Russian President Vladimir Putin rarely apologizes. So when he personally did so to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev just days after preliminary evidence suggested Russian involvement in the downing of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 last week, it attracted almost as much attention as the tragedy itself. One might expect Putin would dismiss the idea that Russia had any role in the incident, as he has done in similar situations in the past.
When the friendly skies above go dark, rockets light up

Oct 7, 2024 | lowyinstitute.org | Kazimier Lim

Just after sundown on 6 October, Tehran issued NOTAMs for 41 Iranian airports, stating: “AD CLOSED, EXCEPT FOR EMERGENCY FLIGHT, FERRY FLIGHTS AND STATE AIRCRAFT” from 6 October 17:30 to 7 October 02:30. For those unfamiliar with aviation speak, the notice informed airlines and airports that Iranian airspace was temporarily closed to regular civilian air traffic.
Why Australia needs more flights to Latin America

Jul 4, 2024 | lowyinstitute.org | Kazimier Lim

November will be an exciting time for Australia’s relationship with Latin America. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to meet his Latin American counterparts at the APEC summit in Peru followed by a trip to Rio de Janeiro for the G20 summit immediately after.
In the Olympics of Drag, Taiwan just took the gold

Apr 22, 2024 | lowyinstitute.org | Kazimier Lim

For Taiwan, which often finds its international participation constrained – barred from a World Health Organization membership and competing under the “Chinese Taipei” flag at the Olympics – the triumph of Nymphia Wind, a charismatic drag queen from Taiwan, on Season 16 of RuPaul’s Drag Race American television reality competition is a moment of significant cultural and political resonance.
By the numbers: China’s nuclear inventory continues to grow

Feb 27, 2024 | samoaobserver.ws | Yoko Kamikawa |Kazimier Lim |Uale Tofilau |Enid Westerlund

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists’ 2024 Nuclear Notebook estimates that China now has about 500 nuclear warheads, and more are being produced to equip future delivery systems. Of the nine nuclear-armed powers, China is thought to have one of the fastest-growing nuclear arsenals at present. Last October, the US Department of Defence in its 2023 Annual Report made two forecasts: First, as of May 2023, China has more than 500 active nuclear weapons, exceeding earlier estimates.
The bigger political game in the Pacific

Feb 25, 2024 | samoaobserver.ws | Enid Westerlund |Kazimier Lim |Uale Tofilau

Nic Maclellan’s critique of our Lowy Institute policy brief, Geopolitics in the Pacific Islands: Playing for advantage, offers not so much of an alternative argument, but more a list of players omitted. With more than 65 countries active in the region, our paper was not intended to be a survey of all players or present an extensive history of every issue.
Geopolitics, but what of other Pacific players?

Feb 25, 2024 | samoaobserver.ws | Enid Westerlund |Kazimier Lim |Uale Tofilau

A new Lowy Institute policy brief, Geopolitics in the Pacific Islands: Playing for advantage, by Meg Keen and Alan Tidwell argues for better coordination between Australia, the United States and other “traditional” donors, as they seek to assist Pacific Island nations and constrain China’s influence in the region. There’s plenty of interesting material in the report, but what’s missing is just as interesting. This study is targeted at policymakers in Canberra and Washington.
Japan in the shadow of China

Feb 20, 2024 | samoaobserver.ws | Yoko Kamikawa |Enid Westerlund |Kazimier Lim |Uale Tofilau

On a trip to Japan last month, I was struck by the surreal combination of stubborn continuity and laboured change. Compared to all major Asian capitals, Tokyo seems broadly unaltered from when I first visited the great city in the early-2010s. Nevertheless, Japan is a country on the move. There is, of course, the imprint of the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic), which ushered in a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure upgrade in Tokyo.