Stronger China ties urged for Australians

Australia should strengthen mutual trust with China by pursuing a more independent foreign policy, fostering a stable and constructive bilateral relationship amid growing geopolitical uncertainties, a leading Australian scholar said.

Australia's relations with China are quite good, and the current Australian government has "in some ways tried to improve them", but the relationship "could be much better", said Colin Mackerras, emeritus professor at Griffith University, noting that it has become "unnecessarily securitized" amid Australia's growing consideration of national security.

He attributed the situation to Australia's overdependence on the United States, and the negative impact of AUKUS, a trilateral security partnership formed in 2021 by Australia, the United Kingdom and the US, which has led to an increasing emphasis on national security in trade and investment, reducing mutual trust between Australia and China.

At a seminar titled "Update of Australia-China Relations" hosted by the Griffith Asia Institute on April 9, Mackerras said he opposes AUKUS, citing similar remarks made by former Australian prime minister Paul Keating in 2023, as he asserted that assuming that China is a military threat is unnecessary and that it "sends a bad signal to the world, and of course, especially to China".

Under the AUKUS framework, the Australian government in 2023 committed to spending A$368 billion ($260 billion) over 30 years to acquire and build nuclear-powered submarines.

"Australia has no control over these nuclear-powered submarines," Mackerras said, adding that the arrangement does not benefit Australia.

Negative impact

The professor said the negative global impact of tariff policies promoted by US President Donald Trump during his second term, as well as the current situation in the Middle East, also added to global uncertainty.

He said the tariff war launched by the US "has made it very difficult for various countries around the world", and added that the proposed 100 percent tariffs on pharmaceuticals would hurt Australia's pharmaceutical sector.

As a member of the Griffith Asia Institute and a foundation professor of international business and Asian studies at Griffith University from 1974 to 2004, Mackerras is a specialist in Chinese history, musical theater and ethnic minorities, as well as Australia-China relations, and is widely regarded as one of the most experienced international Sinologists in Australia.

A recipient of the Chinese Government Friendship Award in 2014 and the Special Book Award of China in 2016, Mackerras has written or edited more than 40 books and published nearly 200 scholarly articles on China, and has visited the country nearly 70 times.

In the face of challenges to Australia-China relations arising from shifting global geopolitics and the impact of AUKUS, Mackerras told China Daily that Canberra should seek to reduce its reliance on the US in managing its foreign relations.

"I think we should try and lessen our dependence on the US, and I don't think we are doing that," he said.

Mackerras said he was not suggesting that Australia should become an enemy of the US, but rather that it should maintain friendly relations with all countries. However, he added that "the relationship with the US has not been good for our relationship with China up to now".

Mackerras also highlighted the importance of expanding exchanges to deepen mutual understanding between Australia and China.

"I think we should have more cultural relations with China. I think we should have more people-to-people relations. I think we should learn more about China," he said.

China has been Australia's largest trading partner since 2009, maintaining that position for 16 consecutive years. In 2024-25, trade with China accounted for 24 percent of Australia's goods and services with the world, totaling A$309 billion, according to the Australian government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

In terms of exports, China accounted for 29 percent of Australia's global total, with shipments to China reaching $189 billion over that period.

Mackerras told China Daily that China's focus on high-quality development could create new areas of growth for Australia-China cooperation in environmental, technological and research fields.

xinxin@chinadaily.com.cn