When Australia proposed an international investigation into the origin of nCoV, some politicians and businessmen opposed it out of concern that it would worsen relations with China.
Former foreign ministers Bob Carr and Gareth Evans also criticized Canberra for creating unnecessary tension, saying Australia should follow a quiet diplomatic approach, instead of making a big deal out of it.
But as Beijing increasingly increases pressure on important sectors of the Australian economy, the voices urging `making peace` with China gradually disappear.
Three weeks ago, China imposed tariffs on Australian barley and stopped importing beef from the country’s four largest slaughterhouses.
Australian Prime Minister ScottMorrison in Canberra on June 5.
James Laurenceson is director of the Institute of Australia-China Relations, established with contributions from Chinese real estate billionaire Huang Xiangmo and supported by China Construction Bank.
`China has behaved too far, this is their diplomatic failure,` he said.
Jeffrey Wilson, research director at the Perth USAsia Center, calls the current tensions an `Australia-China trade war`.
Although Beijing claims the barley tariffs and the ban on meat imports from four slaughterhouses are due to quarantine violations and unfair trade practices, these moves come after the Chinese Ambassador to Australia
`Australian public opinion is now so hostile to China that those calling for the two sides to make peace like mining tycoon Andrew Forrest are being called ‘traitors’,` said Salvatore Babones, a scholar at the Center for Independent Studies in
On June 11, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that Australia will `never falter because of threats` or abandon its values because of `coercive measures` by China or any other country.
If the number of Chinese tourists and students coming to Australia declines for a long time, it could be a major blow to Australia’s international tourism and education industries, which are already in trouble because of Covid-19.
Australia-China relations have been challenged in recent years as national security concerns have overtaken considerations of economic interests.
The situation has now reversed.
`Some businesses told me they were shocked and disappointed with the actions taken by Chinese ministries to smear Australia,` Lin said.
`China’s warnings surprised many people. Although this is not the first time the Chinese Ministry of Education has issued a negative warning about Australia, the language this time is completely different from before and it is intended to create
Dominic Meagher, an expert from the Australian National University with 15 years of experience promoting relations with China, said Australians’ attitudes toward China have changed.
`Now Australians care less about whether Beijing is angry with them or not,` he said.
Although Beijing has not acknowledged any connection between travel warnings and trade restrictions and tensions over the investigation into the origin of nCoV, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said earlier this week
Mobo Gao, a professor at the University of Adelaide, said Australians, including those of Chinese descent, increasingly assessed the possibility of improving bilateral relations as hopeless.
`In the past, China was often friendlier to other countries when relations with the US deteriorated,` said Yun Jiang, an expert at the China Policy Center at the Australian National University.
`China’s recent actions have also made Australians more antipathetic. In a context where many people already doubt China because of Covid-19, there will not be many voices in Australia calling for improvements in bilateral relations,`
Phuong Vu (According to SCMP)
