Rethink the Rhetoric

The author is an assistant research fellow with the China Institute of International Studies

Intelligence sharing, military alliance, political loyalty, among other areas of cooperation, have tied Australia and the U.S. together, but also made Australia less independent or even fragile.

During an interview in May, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo threatened to “disconnect” ties with Australia in intelligence and telecommunication if Australia’s Victoria State continued cooperation with China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, which was launched in 2018.

Pompeo’s bossing epitomized the prevailing U.S. influence on Australia’s policy toward China in recent years, which became more hawkish and led to escalated tensions. But it is unwise for Australia to unconditionally follow the U.S. lead rather than developing sound relations with China, its largest trading partner.