This is a very humble response from a University lecturer of many years in Hong Kong. It’s a response to various analyses to the Hong Kong protesters. Who are they and what motivates them to protest?
Category: China
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Australia, China and the weaponising of trade
The conflict between Australia and China worsens with each passing day. The latest piece of news, China’s ‘indefinite’ pause in coal imports from Australia shows just how dangerous is the game that Australia is playing. (more…)
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Undue influence? University grants questioned after ASPI US-funded research
The Australian Research Council launched an investigation into Australian academics solely on the basis of US government-funded research by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. (more…)
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The China Import Ban:The disturbing facts and figures.
It is yet to be seen if Australia’s establishment will come to repair its diplomatic relationship with China anytime soon in order to avoid losing 39 percent of our export income and adding one million workers to the unemployment queues. (more…)
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What’s old is new again: Problems of the past and the future in Australia-China relations
The process of conceptualising a new framework for Australian strategic policy will again be full of tension between the pulls of history and the imperatives of geography; between what is and what we would wish to be, between experience which calls for prudence in protecting the national interest and hopes, even if tentative, that a better world can be made. (more…)
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Many Australians with a Chinese background feel caught ‘between a rock and a hard place’
I was invited to give the annual 2020 Henry Chan lecture at a time when Chinese-Australians had well and truly become objects of suspicion and distrust. I have been doing research on Chinese-language media in the Chinese diaspora for two decades.
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What is meant by ‘democracy’ in Hong Kong.
Seeing the theatrics going on in the USA leads me to muse on “Democracy” and what it means in Hong Kong terms. Is there a template into which every model must fit, or is it a broad concept which encompasses not only its technical structure but also the values it seeks to uphold ?
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US Sanctions on China’s CNOOC Over the Top
The U.S. has sanctioned China’s third-largest oil company apparently because it has explored or drilled in an area disputed by third parties. This precedent could have serious repercussions.
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Here we go again – the anti-China merry-go-round
The enemy spin of the wheel begins when an Australian official or politician, pumped up with ‘Yellow Peril’ prejudices and US anti-China propaganda, sets out to condemn China and urge severe restraints on Chinese people working in Australia. (more…)
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Five Eyes, one tongue and hard of hearing – Australia and Asia in China’s Century
Chinese diaspora are the ones facing the foreign policy abuse at the moment—but don’t worry, racism is an equal opportunity affair—once your country falls from favour—they’ll be targeting your mob next. ANU – China in the World Annual Lecture 2020
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How Australia sabotaged its own interests in relations with China.
The destruction over the past five years of Australia’s mutually beneficial diplomatic and trade relationship with China was probably a successful ’Five Eyes’ information warfare operation, facilitated by the Australian political class’s own foolish arrogance and ignorance towards China. Australia is now back in the laager, an American strategic satellite and odd man out in the Asia-Pacific region and with a weakened economy.
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What’s behind China’s bullying of Australia? It sees a soft target — and an essential one (The Conversation Dec 2, 2020)
As the diplomatic fallout continues over the digitally altered war crimes tweet sent by China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, earlier this week, it’s important to note this inflammatory and offensive post is not an isolated case.
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Why Australia is on its own in its trade conflict with China (Australia-China Relations Institute Dec 2, 2020)
As China piles on the trade pressure, the reality of Australia’s economic place in the world has been laid bare: it is on its own.
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Ending permanent war, ending hatred of China
The rage of a prime minister against a modest ranking cartoonist in a foreign government is foolish for a number of reasons. (more…)
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The elephant and the mouse
China is much more powerful than Australia and no amount of criticism from us will change this. In a fight with China, we must lose. Calm analysis must replace jingoistic hot air. Why are they really attacking us and what can we do about it now? (more…)
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An all-out trade war with China would cost Australia 6% of GDP
China accounts for more than a third of export dollars earned by Australia. (more…)
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Australia against China: a face-off which must be avoided
It may be a statement of the bleeding obvious, but a face-off with the People’s Republic of China would not be a good idea. (more…)
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Morrison has misread China
The Prime Minister thinks he can set the terms with Beijing. But hard choices and compromises are required to manage our region’s ruthless great power. (more…)
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China-Australia relations: ex-Australia foreign minister says Canberra must drop adversarial approach to fix ‘frozen’ relationship (South China Morning Post Nov 24, 2020)
Only a herculean shift in foreign policy, a change of government or major external event will thaw a “frozen” relationship between China and Australia that has been damaged by a lack of diplomacy from Canberra that has compounded over the past three years, according to former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr.
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Australia and China: Getting out of the hole
The Scottish Independent Labour Party leader in the 1930s, Jimmy Maxton, summed up the challenge of political leadership as well as anybody ever has: “If you can’t ride two bloody horses at once, you shouldn’t be in the bloody circus”. (more…)
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Understanding ‘Beijing expansionism’
Canberra’s shift to anti-China rhetoric and expanded military spending is said to be due to China’s shift to expansionist and aggressive policies. And just in case there is some truth in the ‘Beijing expansionism’ claim let’s look at the claimed evidence.
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Australia has made itself an outlier in its dealing with China
The Prime Minister’s dash to Japan to meet the new Japanese Prime Minister – the first foreign leader to do so – should be welcomed. It is unusual in terms of diplomatic protocol for an established leader to visit a newly appointed leader, not the other way around, unless it is the US for which normal protocol seldom applies.
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Hong Kong is part of China. Our media fails to grasp this basic point.
Hong Kong was seized by Britain to facilitate its opium trade. After a century of humiliation for China, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 under a complex arrangement. Foreign countries should keep out of what is a domestic issue for China. CIA, take note. (more…)
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Henry Kissinger urges U.S. resumption of engagement with China
Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on Monday called for Joe Biden to restore communication with China and warned that otherwise the world would suffer a catastrophe like World War I. (more…)
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Media in the Asian Century. The past week’s regional diplomacy passed through the media in a blur.
Drop-catching in Canberra
China’s embassy in Canberra has belatedly woken up to the way things are done in our capital, it seems, and got into the business of “dropping” newsworthy material into the laps of selected press gallery members. (more…)
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Academic engagement with China is not a security risk: it is an investment in a shared more liberal world
The Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Bill 2020 currently before the Parliament would require State and Territory entities to seek the approval of the Minister for Foreign Affairs for any proposed ‘arrangement’ with a ‘core foreign entity’; existing ‘arrangements’ would also be subject to approval. The bill may be presented as ‘country agnostic’ but there is little doubt that its intent is to constrain ‘arrangements’ State and Territory entities have with China in particular. Included in the definition of ‘entities’ are universities. (more…)
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Brace for impact: Back to wearing seat belts in relationship with China
China continues to bamboozle us every step of the way. But how we respond to the latest escalation is important. We must remember that our bipartisan position on China has served Australia well and that a political split is exactly what China wants. (more…)
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China’s marginal RCEP gains will not offset trade war impact on economy, studies show
Studies show the benefits of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will not outweigh the negative impact of the long-running US trade war on China’s economy. However, analysts agree the trade pact, which covers 30 per cent of the global economy, is far more strategically significant than in direct economic impact.
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Peter Drysdale and Yongjun Zhang. How Australia and China can begin the great defrost
Australia and China may find it helpful to look to Asian cooperation centred on ASEAN for the circuit-breaker needed to begin repair in their bilateral relationship.
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Downfall of Hong Kong’s Gang of Four
When the Hong Kong government disqualified four members of the Legislative Council, prompting the resignation of all other pro-democracy legislators, the Council was effectively turned into a rubber stamp. (more…)