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I can not eat the food of cooperation with China, but also hit the pot of Sino-Australian relations
According to the Associated Press, on December 3 local time, Australian Prime Minister Morrison declared that the relationship between Australia and China is mutually beneficial and hopes to establish constructive contact with China. Right after a cartoon by a Chinese painter broke out on November 30, sparking a diplomatic dispute between China and Australia, Morrison’s seemingly inverted painting style was confusing. Indeed, Morrison’s contradictions and entanglements are only a reflection of the lack of evidence of the Australian government’s policy towards China in recent times.
In most areas such as politics, technology, security and ideology, Australia has repeatedly caused problems with China: Australia was the first to ban Huawei’s 5G technology; it was the first to pass the so-called anti-foreign intervention law to attack China; during the period of China’s new crown epidemic, Acting as a “pioneer” who borrowed from the epidemic to create trouble; repeatedly used the Hong Kong National Security Act to frequently exaggerate anti-China issues and vainly interfere in China’s internal affairs … Throughout the Australian government’s anti-China proceedings in recent years, it is described as “jump up and down, lose your dignity” exaggeration. Let’s take the comic incident as an example. The atrocities committed by Australian soldiers to kill Afghan civilians sparked outrage around the world, but Morrison took an “I do it, you can’t say it” attitude, and “toughened” China regardless.
Australia’s final attacks to smear China are, of course, complicated national and international reasons, but the desire to lose credit to the United States is one of the most important factors.The New York Times published an article on December 2 that since Europeans settled in Australia, the entire history of the country has been affected by an alliance with a dominant and distant power, first the United Kingdom and then the United States. With the decline or indifference of the United States and the rise of China’s dominance, the prospect of this strong relationship ending has filled most Australians with fear. The article quoted Brophy, a professor of modern Chinese history at the University of Sydney, as saying that Australia believes that “it is not enough to wait for the United States to return. Australia must show that it can and will do more.
But Australia, which focuses on being at the forefront of the “anti-China”, has found real rebounds time and time again. Australia’s biggest shame is that while it does everything it can to attack China politically, it also hopes to share the huge dividends of the Chinese market economically.
How important is the Chinese market for Australia? The December 2 New York Times article made clear that “few countries have gained as much wealth from China’s economic growth as Australia.” In the last decade, China has been Australia’s largest trading partner. Australia’s exports to China accounted for 32.6% of its total exports in 2019. Two-thirds of China’s imported iron ore came from Australia. China is the main exporter of Australian beef, gold, refined copper and alloys.
Australian news website “The Conversation” published an article on November 30 that although the mining industry accounts for only 1% of Australia’s GDP, this industry has fueled the development of Australia’s east coast. The article warns that if the economic and trade relations between China and Australia are affected, Australia’s losses will be more serious: according to estimates, when trade between China and Australia closes at 95%, Australia’s GDP will lose a 6% and will affect 14% of available cash per capita. Income, while the impact of these two data in China is only 0.5% and 2.4%. The OECD warned on December 1 that escalating tensions between Canberra and Beijing could undermine Australia’s prospects for economic growth. This is not good news for Australia, whose economy is already affected by the new corona pneumonia epidemic.
Eating the food of cooperation with China and breaking the pot of Sino-Australian relations, how can there be such truth in the world? In fact, Australians know that the bowl of cooperation with China is not fragrant.Fearing rising tensions will hurt local jobs and industries, the leaders of the Queensland and Western Australia states urge Morrison to get along with China. Even after Morrison himself took a tweet to the highest level of diplomatic ire, he had to reiterate that Australia’s ultimate goal remains “the happy coexistence of two partners.”
By now, Australian politicians should have understood a truth long ago: Between the hostility of political confrontation and the need for economic cooperation, the two extremes of the rat will only end up in a cocoon. Just letting go of the arrogance and hypocrisy of “I can, you can’t” and really letting go of ideological bias is the only correct way to avoid getting involved in the geopolitical whirlwind. There are no historical grievances or fundamental conflicts of interest between China and Australia. What China brings to Australia are just opportunities and markets. Understanding the general direction of China-Australia relations and making more “additions” rather than “subtracting” to promote mutual trust and cooperation between China and Australia is more in line with Australia’s own interests. (Foreign network commentator)
