China-Australia relations: Beijing expects Canberra to make first move to repair relations, experts say
- Australian officials have not responded to comments from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday calling on Canberra to ‘reflect’ on its actions
- But current strong anti-China sentiment in Australia means Canberra is unable to make the first move to repair relations at this time, experts say
Australian officials have not responded to China’s clearest signal yet that Canberra was to blame for the rapid deterioration in bilateral ties between the two countries.
While Australian officials called again for clarification of Chinese policies toward imports of Australian goods, observers suggested the comments on Friday by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs made it clear that Beijing expected Canberra to take the initiative to improve relations.
“I think the Chinese export bans may serve the purpose of reminding Australia that [China] is expecting to reset the relationship, but they certainly are not going to lead to a change right away … the best that Australia could do in this situation is to let the Chinese know that they have noted their concerns,” said Hans Hendrischke, a Chinese business and management expert at the University of Sydney Business School.
China has to see the constraints under which Australia is operating and can’t expect sudden changes
“There will be some rethinking of the US-China policy taking place. Australia will not be able to pre-empt these policies. In other words, China has to see the constraints under which Australia is operating and can’t expect sudden changes,” he said.