China-Australia relations

Even if the Digital Lord back downs, the real winner will not be public interest journalism but another media giant: News Corp, writes Benedetta Brevini.

The cause of the downward spiral in relations may not be Australian politicians’ unwise choices and China’s forceful reaction, but deeper structural forces at play in Australian society, particularly its cultural, political and economic ties to the US.

The big geopolitical game in Asia is not military but economic – and a massive economic ecosystem centred on China is evolving in the region.

Beijing should forget the hubris, rein in Wolf Warriors and be transparent about the Uygurs, writes Wang Xiangwei.

China is doing to Australia what the Brits did to China 200 years ago, when the Chinese learned a hard lesson about spending too much hard currency, writes Neil Newman.

If being met with hostility is a potential side effect of closer ties with China, it could impede Beijing’s ability to cultivate relationships with regional trade partners.

Chinese investment in Keswick Island, located in the tropical Whitsundays archipelago, has caused outrage among local residents who fear the popular holiday destination is being developed exclusively for Chinese tourists.

Australian governments have inflicted mental and physical harm on asylum seekers and Indigenous Australians, supported Israel in its treatment of Palestinians and lagged in the fight against climate change.

Medical supplies have been deployed to islands with no Covid-19 outbreaks, while Australia has withdrawn from the Green Climate Fund. Donor-driven approaches rarely deliver what a recipient needs when geopolitics is driving the agenda.

The row over Australian findings of war crimes in Afghanistan is part of a long chain of Australia-China disputes. Australia’s allies have understandably taken its side. Such double standards in the West’s approach to China are nothing new.

As tensions with Australia worsen, a speech by China’s vice-minister of foreign affairs suggests that in future diplomatic dealings there will be consequences for offending Beijing.

The Australia-China dispute and Trump’s divided America are important signs of a changing global system, where elite minorities are being challenged by the rest. More than ever, the world needs leaders who can set aside the ‘I’ for the ‘we’.