Australia remains ambivalent about China’s rise, says Qu Caiyun, an assistant researcher at the National Institute of International Strategy under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, writing for
Haiwainet.cn, a news site owned by
People’s Daily.
Rising populism has seen China viewed as a threat, Qu contends. But the nation also needs to benefit from China's growth. By enhancing cooperation with the US and UK, Australia has strived to reinforce its dominance across the South Pacific to balance China’s growing influence in the region, Qu says. As China’s ties with South Pacific nations increase, so does Australia’s vigilance. Despite reducing foreign aid to island nations in the South Pacific, Australia now aspires to increase its influence in the region.
It has also strived to enhance its alliance with the US fearing China's possible impact on the existing geopolitical order in the Asia Pacific, Qu says. Since the end of World War II, Australia has benefited greatly from the Asia Pacific order dominated by the US, the scholar says.
Though US President Donald Trump's erratic political behavior has injected uncertainty, Australia has followed the US in imposing anti-dump and anti-subsidy investigations against Chinese products, the scholar says.
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