Jul 10, 2020, 14:54
Australia has repeatedly ignored China's warnings that its moves are pushing bilateral ties to breaking point. If it continues to do so, it should be prepared to reap what it has sown.
In just the past few days, Canberra has taken several steps that have further poisoned the atmosphere for bilateral cooperation. Australia's travel advisory on China, which alleges that Australian visitors could be at risk of arbitrary detention, for one, has drawn the ire of the Chinese Foreign Ministry which condemned it as defamation.
The Aussie travel alert on China is ridiculous: Foreigners in China have no need to worry as long as they obey the law, and their legitimate rights and interests are guaranteed in accordance with the law. Not to mention that China has virtually contained the coronavirus pandemic on its soil, making it a safe destination for international travelers. Of course, international travelers still need to observe virus prevention and control measures when traveling in China, but this is a requirement of all countries given the virus is still raging in many parts of the world.
Apart from issuing its unwarranted travel alert for China, Australia also chose to take a tough stance over the East China Sea and South China Sea issues in a recent virtual trilateral strategic summit with the United States and Japan, despite it not being party to the maritime disputes.
Canberra's meddling solely serves its purpose of joining the US bandwagon of containing China's rise and development. That is true of its meddling in Hong Kong affairs as well.
Canberra has joined the US in trying to distort China's justified moves to strengthen national security and improve law enforcement in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and extending the visas for Hong Kong residents from two to five years offering a pathway to a permanent residency visa.
As a key US ally, Australia has always looked to the US for leadership at the expense of an independent foreign policy. There are some in the country who still covet the role of it being the "deputy sheriff" of the US in the latter's strategic maneuvering in the Asia-Pacific region.
As a result, with anti-China sentiment running high in Washington, politicians in Canberra have been more than happy to join the US chorus.
Yet if they are speculating that China has no choice but to accept Australia as a politically hostile partner for economic reasons, that is a losing bet. Australia is not irreplaceable, as it will find out to its cost if it persists with its adversarial stance.
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· Kevin Rudd, president of the Asia Society Policy Institute and the former Australian prime minister said the U.S. has presented an opportunity for Beijing to seize global leadership during the coronavirus pandemic.
· From China’s perspective, looking “at the debacle of the U.S. domestic management of Covid-19 and the failure of the U.S. to provide global leadership and response to what is a global public health and economic crisis, then it’s very difficult sitting in Beijing not to identify a leadership vacuum and to walk right into it,” Rudd told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Monday.
· The developments come as China’s foreign policy has morphed under President Xi Jinping’s administration, said Rudd, who said the change started toward the end of 2013.
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It is without any doubt that ex-PM of Australia, Mr. Rudd, is sort of instigating and/or fueling the burning tempers of US Congressional folks or the Trump Admin through his interviews at this very sensitive moment of US & China relationship which is already firing red-hot. By rubbing shoulders with the USA to hand out such comments is so unnecessary, Mr Rudd, at this conjunction.
Rudd should instead get back to Canberra to offer his outlook about Australia and China relationship which is at the coolest point in Aussie histories. He should know well that for more than 30 years of Aussie economic resiliency and financial strength despite of several rounds of global financial crisis during the period, China had been and was behind Australia by investing and trading with it; and still is trading favorably with it. Such Chinese "gifts" to make Australians and Australia great ought to be patted with fair dinkum " gratitude " to say the least.
Who else in the said period, has done more for Australia and Aussie businesses than China ? Australia has been spending far too much in purchasing arms and fighter planes from the USA and warships from EU States; but to counter or invade who ? Situated in the buzzing hub of East Asian region, a new century of growths, it should merge itself in the activities to garnish peace, stability and shareable prosperity. This candid picture is very well displayed in front your nose and eye-balls; and it cannot be mistaken or taken for granted unless other actors wish to mess it up and get messed up.
Notes:
The China's domestic affairs embrace Hong Kong's affairs which must be mutually respected; so it is useless and hopeless to find faults with China and Hong Kong. Every nation or State in this world needs to be governed soundly with proper laws and orders in place. You cannot hide and bide time to be silent when and if shits hence your fences truly hard and viciously or can you ?
Truth is 'Slavery, Colonialism and Colonization' are all evil things done by evildoers. Asia has been under attack from Anglo British, ever since they sailed half way around the world from jolly old England, and looted this vast bountiful so-called Australia Continent in Asia-Pacific region in late 18th century. Why didn't they occupy beautiful fertile Iceland, right above them just a short distant away, with hardly any people there, even today?
Moreover, all these invaders Colonizers doing is digging and emptying out all the bountiful abundant natural mineral resources from the looted giant resourceful Continent in Asia-Pacific region, and selling them back to Asia-Pacific nations. True, it has been their largest exports, earning several hundred Billion Dollars, every year.
More at, http://blog.chinadaily.com.cn/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=711807
"Another high-profile anti-China think tank is the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). ASPI is funded by Australian Department of Defense, military contractors and foreign governments including NATO, the US State Department and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Since Peter Jennings became ASPI's executive director in 2012, the think tank has gradually become the vanguard of slandering campaign against China, spreading the "China threat theory" wantonly, and producing a large number of untrue "reports" on Xinjiang and other issues. Geoff Raby, former Australian ambassador to China, said that he sees ASPI as "very much the architect of the China threat theory in Australia". Bob Carr, former Australian foreign minister and New South Wales premier, has accused ASPI of pumping out a "one-sided, pro-American view of the world". The Australian Financial Review pointed out that the ASPI foments anti-China hysteria to the benefit of its benefactors. "
While there are numerous sensible or rational Aussies such as Bob Carr who together understand the values of China's investment inputs that in the last 2 to 3 decades of Australian resilience against global financial ill-healths is a damn good proof of this bilateral relationship of mutual respects. However, the current leaderships in Australia have allowed themselves and itself to fall prey to the USA's sticky tricks in fierce themes of " decoupling from China ". Retrospectively, China has been a great benefactor to the good lives of Aussies and Australia for more than 30 years by investing and encouraging its Chinese citizens to gain Aussie ( English ) educational upgrades ( though nothing more hitech comparable to China's own advance technologies ).
It is a real shame that the current leaders of Australia are so damn blind-minded domestically and internationally in which they allow and/or encourage mud slandering and smearing while fomenting hatreds against China and its goodwill. Alas, China to sue them all may be a good and proper way to justify sovereign fairness and civic rationality.
Please do not blame AUSTRALIANS!
They are living down under!
Majority of Australians think that they are in Europe as Japan does!
Good for both Australia and Japan to go hand in hand but may discover that no European will really believe that Australian and Japanese know geography.
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