Australia’s lack of independent foreign policy will hurt China ties, own interests in long term: report

The Australia-US alliance and security concerns are ‘impediments’ to better China ties and will over time erode trade and people links, the think tank report notes

Australia’s strategic choices show it is under ‘significant pressure from the US’ and do not indicate they are driven by Australia’s own national interests, the report adds

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) arrives to a ceremonial welcome with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: dpa

Published: 8:30am, 8 Nov 2023

Australia’s inability to form an independent foreign policy as it plays hostage to its alliance with the United States will jeopardise long-term stability in its relationship with China, according to a new report by prominent Australian think tank China Matters.

While the relationship has improved in the past year, culminating with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s historic visit over the weekend to China, the report said the Australia-US alliance and increasing concerns in both countries over national security issues threatened long-term stability in relations.

“I make the case that … China’s deeply entrenched sense of victimhood and its continued dismissal of Australia’s capacity for independent foreign policymaking are impediments to better bilateral relations,” said Yun Jiang, AIIA China Matters fellow and author of the report titled “Can Australia and China have a stable relationship?”.

“The greatest risk to a stable long-term relationship is the expanding suite of issues deemed to be of national security significance in both countries, as they will over time erode trade and people-to-people links,” Jiang said.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Jiang noted that the mainstream thinking in China was that Australia had “firmly fallen into the American orbit” and become a vassal state.