The China Question

Ted O’Brien says Australia’s greatest challenge is resolving the China Question. China’s rise is creating an unprecedented set of challenges for Australia. How we choose to respond will be the greatest determinant of peace and prosperity for future generations of Australians. The starting point to tackling the myriad complexities of the Australia-China relationshipis to recognise that a nation’s foreign policy is an outward expression of its values, its people, who they are and what they believe in. Resolving the China Question therefore requires us to, first, have a clear understanding of ourselves and, second, to have a better understanding of China. When we deepen our understanding, it becomes obvious that Australia and China are playing very different games. Reconciling these games is a prerequisite to resolving the China Question.