Australia can do better with China, Asia ties in this milestone year
- Canberra needs to show genuine interest in Asia-Pacific in 2022, a watershed year that marks a half-century since the establishment of China-Australia relations
- Australia must meet aspirations set out in a groundbreaking 2012 white paper to become part of the Asian century and its transformative economic growth
It’s also been 10 years since a monumental white paper titled “Australia in the Asian Century” was put out by then-PM Julia Gillard’s government. The white paper was considered groundbreaking at the time, and regarded as the blueprint by which Australia would become part of Asia’s transformative economic growth.
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Australia would not just be financially richer but culturally wealthier, the paper said, suggesting more Asian languages be taught in Australian schools to aid better cultural understanding.
Unfortunately, what the white paper recommended has not come to pass. There has been a decline in the variety of Asian languages being taught in Australian schools and universities. Research by the Asian Studies Association of Australia has revealed some Australians find languages like Mandarin “too foreign”.
China’s assertiveness in the region and “anti-China” language by Australian officials have fuelled discrimination against Asians; there have been cases where Mandarin phrases like ni hao (how are you?) have been used to heckle people of Asian or Chinese descent on the street.
Asian-Australians, who make up 13 to 14 per cent of the population, have felt increasingly pressured to distance themselves from China – even those who are ethnic Chinese but are not from the mainland.
By and large, Australia today has not met the aspirations set out in the white paper to be part of the Asian century, unless you count the A$250 billion (US$186 billion) two-way trade relationship with China as the bellwether of success.
This is an opportune time to try to turn things around as a new government takes office.
Beyond managing ties with China, Australia should look to improving ties with Southeast Asia, a region that many Australians have connections to.
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The new Australian government must balance what I would describe as an Anglo-American infatuation with a genuine interest in Asia-Pacific rather than view ties through a geopolitical or security lens. A survey by think tank Lowy Institute said Australia should try and understand that people living in neighbouring Indonesia do not see the world “through a bipolar US-China lens”.
Australia can demonstrate sincerity by taking part in the region’s green economy transition since it is a renewables superpower. Australia has a major competitive advantage due to its significant renewable energy resources, Melbourne University Asia Institute’s Melissa Conley Tyler has noted, and Australia can also work with Asia on things that matter to the region, such as human security, health and education.
Forget geopolitics for a minute and look at what pragmatic bodies like Australia’s scientific research agency, the CSIRO, had to say in a publication about securing a better future for Australia – “find opportunities that embrace the invaluable resources in Asian and Pacific communities”.
