Taking stock of Australia’s asymmetrical relations with China: interdependence, tensions, and new dimensions

This article deals with the asymmetrical relations between Australia and China and explores their interdependence, tensions, and societal outlooks. Both countries are dependent on one another for trade to different degrees but attempt to diversify their supply chains. While there is no united positi...

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Main Author: Kizeková, Alica
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2021
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/95093
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author Kizeková, Alica
author_facet Kizeková, Alica
author_sort Kizeková, Alica
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description This article deals with the asymmetrical relations between Australia and China and explores their interdependence, tensions, and societal outlooks. Both countries are dependent on one another for trade to different degrees but attempt to diversify their supply chains. While there is no united position on China in Australia, there has been a bipartisan support for the counter-interference legislation there. The newly established security pact of the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia – ‘AUKUS’ – has brought a new dimension into these tensions and will most likely lead to an arms race. The author explores how a so-called middle power such as Australia balances the related economic and strategic interests and priorities. Although Australia has been vulnerable in its asymmetric relationship with China, it has shown that it is not a passive and helpless actor when facing an economic coercion. The interdependence has become a moderating factor in this strategic stand-off. Additionally, Australia demonstrates its tendency to reinforce its traditional reliance on its previous more powerful allies, the UK and the US.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-950932024-06-10T00:26:21Z Taking stock of Australia’s asymmetrical relations with China: interdependence, tensions, and new dimensions Kizeková, Alica This article deals with the asymmetrical relations between Australia and China and explores their interdependence, tensions, and societal outlooks. Both countries are dependent on one another for trade to different degrees but attempt to diversify their supply chains. While there is no united position on China in Australia, there has been a bipartisan support for the counter-interference legislation there. The newly established security pact of the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia – ‘AUKUS’ – has brought a new dimension into these tensions and will most likely lead to an arms race. The author explores how a so-called middle power such as Australia balances the related economic and strategic interests and priorities. Although Australia has been vulnerable in its asymmetric relationship with China, it has shown that it is not a passive and helpless actor when facing an economic coercion. The interdependence has become a moderating factor in this strategic stand-off. Additionally, Australia demonstrates its tendency to reinforce its traditional reliance on its previous more powerful allies, the UK and the US. 2021 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/95093 10.17477/jcea.2021.20.2.197 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ fulltext
spellingShingle Kizeková, Alica
Taking stock of Australia’s asymmetrical relations with China: interdependence, tensions, and new dimensions
title Taking stock of Australia’s asymmetrical relations with China: interdependence, tensions, and new dimensions
title_full Taking stock of Australia’s asymmetrical relations with China: interdependence, tensions, and new dimensions
title_fullStr Taking stock of Australia’s asymmetrical relations with China: interdependence, tensions, and new dimensions
title_full_unstemmed Taking stock of Australia’s asymmetrical relations with China: interdependence, tensions, and new dimensions
title_short Taking stock of Australia’s asymmetrical relations with China: interdependence, tensions, and new dimensions
title_sort taking stock of australia’s asymmetrical relations with china: interdependence, tensions, and new dimensions
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/95093