The recklessness of Australian politicians and mainstream media and the damage which that has caused, is abundantly clear in the latest poll, carried out by the Lowy Institute on Australian attitudes to China.
The irresponsibility began with Clive Hamilton’s ‘Silent Invasion: China’s Influence in Australia’ (2018), with its provocative cover picture of a massive Chinese flag flying over Australia’s Parliament House. Since then the ‘white man’s media’ has indulged in an orgy of fear mongering, each trying to out do the other in whipping up a pliant populace into an hysteria of Sinophobia. Even Prime Ministers have not been immune, joining in, often leading, the chorus of fear.
A phobia is defined as an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation, divorced from reality, causing a type of anxiety disorder. It need hardly be said that such is not psychologically healthy. Such perfectly describes what the Lowy poll reveals concerning the Australian populace and their anxiety as regards China.
While the poll shows a slight softening of antagonism to China, it reveals attitudes still strongly estranged from reality.
Despite the role of China in sustaining Australian recession proof economic growth over the past two decades 52% of Australians see China as more of a security threat than an economic partner, 44% believing the converse. That compares to 2018 when only 12 per cent of Australians saw China as more of a military threat, with 82 per cent seeing it as an economic partner.
Despite the great benefits Chinese economic growth has given Australia only 47% view it as a positive while 53% view it negatively.
Fear of China’s military is high with 29% of Australians believing that it is very likely that China will become a military threat to Australia within the next 20 years, while 46% said that scenario was fairly likely. Again in 2018 the comparable figures were 14% and 31%.
To the question, ‘How much do you trust the following countries to act responsibly in the world?’ of China 44% indicated they had no trust, while 40% indicated they had not much trust. Only Russia rates lower.
Trust in China’s leader, Xi Jinping remains very low at 11 per cent, bettering only Russian leader, Vladimir Putin at 7% and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un at 3%.
Despite their distaste of China, Australians are resigned to its growing influence, 61% saying they expected that influence to grow in the next 10 years while only 10% thought Chinese influence would decline. Of the U.S., still strongly supported with 82% endorsing the alliance, the comparable figures were 22% for growing influence and 32% for less. That belief concerning China’s rise allied with distrust of it must be something causing great angst for many Australians.
The first thing which strikes one regarding the poll, is just how powerfully effective propaganda is when directed at a populace having little knowledge in foreign affairs and geo-politics. Propaganda directed at teaching Australians to loathe and fear China has been remarkably successful over these past 5 years.
One suspects there is also some racial fear exhibited in these polling numbers. Western nations, particularly the Anglo-sphere rate highly in trust, something which dips appreciably for those nations of different racial mix.
This fostering of fear by the media and politicians has been however, grossly irresponsible in several ways.
It has generated hostility directed to that segment of the Australian population with Chinese ancestry, most clearly evidenced by the Star Chamber performance of Senator Eric Abetz’s questioning of some Chinese Australians as to their loyalty.
Wider costs have been borne by segments of the wider community also. The price of this fear-mongering has been paid for by Australian vintners, timber workers, barley, lobster and meat producers among others. And how did such blocking of Australian products to China begin? Not as the ‘white man’s media’ would tell you, but rather by Australia imposing hefty duties on Chinese steel, aluminium and chemical products, something which was successfully appealed by the Chinese to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
When making inflammatory statements it may be good for politicians and journalists to take heed of the effects these statements. The economic and political effects have been disastrous for Australia, while most frighteningly they edge us closer to a cataclysmic war
They also induce an unneeded angst within the Australian populace.
As such they are deeply unethical.
As I have argued recently in Pearls and Irritations, China presents no military threat to Australia, and most certainly will not be invading this land. Would my analysis get published in mainstream Australian media? It wasn’t even worth trying!
As Daniel Ellsberg said, not long before his death, contrary his day, when the media got enraged about the duplicity of U.S. war making, he had uncovered, today mute and docile, it has become totally embedded as part of the established political and military complex. In Australia that also includes our public broadcasters.
Politicians, journalists and academics need to learn that inflammatory rhetoric has consequences.
John Queripel is a Newcastle-based historian, theologian, social commentator and published author of four books. His latest book, ‘In Wisdom and in Passion: Comparing and Contrasting Buddha and Christ’ has just been released. His blog may be found at www.johnqueripelblog.com.Substack / https://johnqueripel.substack.com