Identity Politics and the Poverty of Diplomacy: China in Australia's 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper (original) (raw)

Chinese views of Australian foreign policy: Not a flattering picture

Australian Journal of International Affairs, 2016

The economic importance and strategic significance of Australia’s relationship with China means that bilateral ties have become a major focus of attention in the scholarly and policymaking communities in this country. Understandably enough, perhaps, less attention has begin given to the way the relationship is understood in China. This paper addresses this absence in the literature by providing an overview of some of the more important contributions to the discussion in China. The most important point that emerges from such an analysis is that there is an ‘asymmetry of interest’ in the two countries, with Australia occupying a far less prominent place in Chinese policy discussions than China does in Australia. Equally noteworthy is the fact that the study of Sino-Australian relations in China is characterized by a greater variety of perspectives than it is in Australia. Appreciating this diversity is an essential part of developing a more accurate understanding of the policymaking milieu in China

China’s Rise and its Implications for Australian Foreign Policy

Papua Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations

This article places a particular emphasis on the rise of China and its implications for Australian foreign policy. It qualitatively examines the perceptions of China’s rise, its intentions, and the Australian responses, based on government and international organisation reports, and secondary sources such as books, journals, and media articles. Using realism as a theoretical lens, this article argues that Australia’s foreign policy still reflects an ambiguity, as a result of, on the one hand, the economic opportunities China creates, and on the other hand, uncertainty regarding China’s intentions, whether offensive or defensive, peaceful or aggressive. Facing this condition, this article demonstrates that Australia adopts several important policy strategies. First, it maintains a hedging strategy to balance its economic interests and its security concern. Second, Australia continues to rely on the protection of the US. In the long-term, however, this reliance may be changed. For thi...

Book Review: China's Grand Strategy and Australia's Future in the New Global Order

Australian Journal of Defence and Strategic Studies, 2021

China is the conundrum of our time. Since becoming General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, Xi Jinping has fundamentally changed China’s relationship with the world. This tectonic shift, from China ‘bidding its time’ to an aggressive assertiveness, has significantly impacted Australia. Given these momentous changes, Geoff Raby, Australia’s Ambassador to China (2007–2011), decided to sum up his 30 years working in and on China in a book: China’s Grand Strategy and Australia’s Future in the New Global Order. His book is incisive, insightful and informative and has already attracted many favourable reviews. Given this journal’s readership, this book review will principally discuss the strategies and strategic thinking that Raby discerns China following, and that which he thinks Australia should adopt in response.

China-Australia Relations and China's Policy Choices toward Australia: A Chinese Perspective

Since 2016, Australia's attitude toward China has taken a turn for the worse, and Sino-Australian relations have seen a signi cant decline. With regard to the change in Australia's attitude toward China, Chinese scholars initially analyzed it mainly from the perspective of the U.S.-Australia alliance and the China-U.S.-Australia triangle, viewing U.S. in uence as the key reason for the change in Australia's policy toward China. Later, Chinese scholars have become increasingly aware of the signi cant policy autonomy in Australia's China policy and the inadequacy of viewing Australia's China policy from the U.S. perspective. On the one hand, Australia's unique threat perception and interest perception have shaped the characteristics of its China policy; on the other hand, how to e ectively balance security interests and economic interests is a long-standing dilemma faced by Australia under the strategic competition between China and the U.S. e Australian government has shown a degree of policy exibility in its approach. e limited coercive economic measures taken by China against Australia have sent clear policy signals to Australia and have become a factor in uencing its policy towards China. In the coming period, although no obvious opportunity for improvement in China-Australia relations is in sight, both sides may be more prudent and pragmatic strategically, and China-Australia relations can be expected to remain basically stable at a low level.

Politics of Accommodation of the Rise of China: the case of Australia

Journal of Contemporary China, 2012

In the context of the rise of China, Southeast Asian countries and Australia have begun shifting towards an accommodation policy. Robert Ross examines the accommodation policy in South Korea, Mochizuki discusses Japanese accommodationists, and Manicom and O'Neil show some evidence of Australian accommodation of Chinese strategic preferences. The scholarship has, however, narrowly focused on and overestimated the role of security. Through a study of the origin, process, structural conditions and impacts of accommodation policy, this paper broadens the concept of accommodation to capture its multiple meanings and practices. It finds that a selective accommodation policy and strategy toward the rise of China developed in Australia is a sign of the changing power relations under which the mainstream paradigms of containment and engagement, hard balancing or bandwagoning, have proved inadequate to the task of dealing with China, and that economic interdependence has driven the politics of accommodation in Australia and several Asian countries. Over the course of just a few decades, China has progressed from being a relatively marginal member of the international community to being a key participant in economic, political and security issues at both regional and global levels. 1 A rising China has created a mishmash of opportunity, uncertainty and risk for secondary states that have, in turn, adopted mixed strategies of balancing, engagement, hedging and accommodation in the Asia-Pacific region. The pace and nature of China's ongoing ascendancy also generate serious US anxiety about China as a potential rival, and in Australia there are concerns about being caught between the US and China. Scholars and policymakers have discussed a variety of measures to deal with the 'rise' of China including containment, engagement, 'congagement', 2 hedging strategy, 3

The Political Performance of Contestation and Adaptation in Australian-Chinese Relations

The China Question, 2022

Australia's neighbour to the north, China, has posed a series of complex challenges to the identity politics of Australia throughout the Twentieth Century and continues to do so today. Paranoias include those regarding Chinese investment into local property and its supposed impact on increasing property prices (Rogers et al. 2015), Chinese investment into Australia's agricultural and mining infrastructure industries (McCarthy and Song 2018), Chinese migration (Forrest et al. 2017), the potentiality of a Chinese military threat (Glaser and Szerlip 2011), and more recently Chinese infiltration into Australian politics (Head 2018). The Chinese question for Australia is therefore multifaceted and ranges from concerns

Coming to Terms with China: Managing Complications in the Sino-Australian Economic Relationship

Security Challenges, 2015

The ascent of China has irrevocably changed Australia’s external strategic environment. While China became Australia’s top trading partner during the mid-2000s, tensions in the bilateral economic relationship have posed a series of complications for Australian policymakers. In this article, we explore four areas where these complications have become salient: economic asymmetries, Chinese state capitalism, the so-called resource curse, and tensions with geopolitical imperatives. We argue these demonstrate that China’s rise is not only a security challenge for Australia but also an economic one, which demands new strategies that are sensitive to the challenges and vulnerabilities of the Sino-Australian economic relationship.

Htein Win. No 69. China-Australia relations: Then, Now and Future

International Relation , 2024

This paper explores the evolution and future trajectory of China-Australia relations, focusing on the critical themes of economic ties, political diplomacy, security cooperation, and people-to-people engagement. Beginning with an examination of historical developments from the 1970s to the 2000s, the paper traces key moments of cooperation and tension, such as Australia's role in China's economic modernization, human rights controversies, and strategic alignments with Western powers. Moving to the present, it analyzes the significance of China as Australia's largest trading partner, alongside the challenges posed by trade disputes, regional security concerns, and political interference. The paper concludes by emphasizing diplomatic efforts, trade diversification, and cultural exchanges as pivotal components in stabilizing and deepening the relationship between the two nations in the coming decades, highlighting the complex balance between economic cooperation and strategic competition. Ultimately, the paper suggests that while challenges remain, there are substantial opportunities for both nations to build a more resilient and productive partnership moving forward.