Tag Archives: Australia-China

“When a scholar meets a soldier …”: Why I’ve decided not to speak to the senate inquiry on diaspora communities in Australia

Posted on 26 October 2020 by Wanning Sun

Last year, on an episode of The Minefield, I discussed a tendency towards “internal othering” in Australia’s public discourse, with particular reference to Chinese communities in Australia. In my conversation with Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens, I posed these questions: “At what point can we say that this person of Chinese heritage has been here … more

Senator Abetz’s loyalty test

Posted on 21 October 2020 by Yun Jiang

Chinese Australians are being singled out by overwrought politicians Little did I know that the very concerns I raised in my submission to the parliamentary inquiry into Australia’s diaspora communities would play out at the committee hearing in Canberra last Wednesday, the day I had been asked to attend and share my thoughts. I had … more

Where are the women in Australia’s China debate?

Posted on 13 October 2020 by Kate ClaytonTiffany Liu

Australia has a gender problem in international affairs demonstrated not only in government leadership, but also in related discourse. With Sino-Australia relations in the spotlight due to COVID-19 and increased tensions in the bilateral relationship, it is vital that we examine the debate through a gendered lens. Australia’s China debate reflects broader diversity issues within … more

Politicisation of teaching Chinese language in Australian classrooms today

Posted on 9 October 2020 by Michiko WeinmannRod NeilsenSophia Slavich

In a year dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asia-Pacific region is increasingly embroiled in an atmosphere of China scepticism. Diplomatic tensions between Australia and China have arisen in the past largely due to political and trade disagreements, but the provision of Chinese language programs in Australian schools has also ignited controversy. Australia’s education agendas … more

Pro-China nationalists are using intimidation to silence critics. Can they be countered without stifling free speech?

Posted on 1 October 2020 by Yun Jiang

Some pro-PRC nationalists use the potential threat of the Chinese Government as additional leverage when intimidating or threatening their peers who criticise the Chinese Government. But labelling all Chinese students who defend the PRC as “brainwashed” or “threats to democracy” is unfair and serve to alienate them. Australia needs to crack down on intimidation and … more

No one wins in a race to the bottom on national security: Let the Chinese academics back in

Posted on 14 September 2020 by David Brophy

Secret raids on four Chinese journalists and the effective exiling of two Chinese academics from Australia mark a new low in the state of Australia-China relations. They also take us across a dangerous threshold in the use of national security provisions to exclude non-citizens from this country. Far from upholding liberal values, heightened sensitivity towards … more

Neican: 13 September 2020

Posted on 13 September 2020 by Yun JiangAdam Ni

China Neican is a weekly column on the China Story blog written by Yun Jiang and Adam Ni from the China Policy Centre in Canberra. Neican 内参 or “internal reference” are limited circulation reports only for the eyes of high-ranking officials in China, dealing with topics deemed too sensitive for public consumption. But rest assured, … more

China sours on Australia’s wine

Posted on 3 September 2020 by Victor Ferguson

Why might Beijing have chosen to use anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations as informal economic sanctions? On Monday this week, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced it has commenced an investigation into whether Australia has been subsidising winemakers. This follows a parallel investigation launched two weeks ago to examine allegations that Australian winemakers have also been “dumping” their … more