Australia has followed the United States in announcing it will send athletes, but no officials, to the winter games in February 2022 - a move unlikely to make much political difference.
Under the shadow of World War II, Australia began to form its own foreign policy, separate from the British Empire. A legation in China was Australia’s third foreign outpost.
The region is already arming at the fastest rate in the world, but China and other nations can be expected to respond to AUKUS by further expanding their militaries.
In 1971, then-Opposition Leader Gough Whitlam made a significant trip to China. Now, with tensions between the two countries showing no signs of abating, it may be time to look to his example.
Australia’s Prime Minister wants reform of the World Trade Organization to rein in China’s ‘economic coercion’. But it also needs to constructively engage with China on that reform.
Increasingly strained relations between the two countries are adding to the challenges of teaching students enrolled in Chinese studies at Australian universities.
Getting the right “balance” is one of the main challenges when framing and executing policies. The difficulties of achieving this are being exposed currently on two fronts – the repatriation of Australians and relations with China.
A substantial minority of Chinese-Australians have experienced a backlash from the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 deterioration in bilateral relations, according to a survey from the Lowy Institute.
With Beijing signalling its interest in joining, the Trans-Pacific Partnership may offer Canberra an opportunity to end the trade dispute that is damaging both countries.
A formal resolution off Australia’s complaint about Chinese barley tariffs will likely take years. But at least it starts a structured process for dialogue.
The first batch of returning international students are due to fly in this weekend, but Australia has a lot of work to do to maintain its pre-COVID share of the global education market.
After a disastrous few years under the Trump administration, Australia must find a way to confront China on bullying behaviour while seeking its co-operation on climate change and trade.
Honorary Professor, School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, Canada; Adjunct Fellow, Olympic Scholar and Co-Director of the Olympic and Paralympic Research Centre, Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University