Welcome to our one-off special episode of The Readout. Recent events have put aid, China and the Indo-Pacific squarely on the map for many Australians. So there was no better a time for The Lab to host Anka Lee, USAID’s acting Deputy Assistant Administrator and Senior Advisor for the PRC, at our Situation Room just last week. He was in Australia on behalf of USAID who are creating a policy on countering China’s growing influence. The Situation Room is a Chatham-house style discussion with 25 provocateurs from the region, academia, development practice and Government. So we didn’t record the whole event. But with his permission, we’re bringing you Anka Lee’s opening address and a flavour of the discussion in this special episode. He dives into the challenges that USAID is trying to solve when it comes to China and development, and what principles they’ll take into developing a response. The Lab's own Bridi Rice then tackles what all of this means for Australia and how our own narratives determine where to from here. To learn more about The Readout and the work of the Development Intelligence Lab, head over to devintelligencelab.com and find us on Twitter and LinkedIn. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.