The wisdom of Australia's fresh approach to China
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's recently concluded visit ('How deals are trumping port dispute on Australian PM Albanese's China visit',
July 17 ) is a welcome breath of fresh air in Canberra's approach to China.
Since the early 2000s, Australia's economic prosperity has been closely linked with China – Australians became wealthy selling China iron ore, coal and other natural resources that helped power China's extraordinary economic growth and societal transformation.
Under the previous Liberal-National coalition government, Australia took an unwise turn in its foreign policy by uncritically siding with the United States and needlessly antagonising China – which culminated in Canberra effectively blaming China for Covid-19 by
calling for an independent inquiry into its origins.
The past year has shown a world undergoing seismic changes. It is becoming clear that China will emerge as a dominant, if not the dominant, country that masters the industries of the future – such as renewable energy, electric vehicles, biotechnology and artificial intelligence, as most vividly demonstrated by the splashy emergence of
DeepSeek's AI model to public awareness.
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