China-Australia Antarctic Relations:Status Quo And Challenges

In 1980,the Australian Antarctic Research Team invited two Chinese scientists to participate in an Antarctic expedition,marking the beginning of China-Australian collaboration in Antarctic research.China and Australia have collaborated for more than 40 years in the pristine continent hitherto in order to advance the idea of humanity’s shared destiny of global climate surface warming.However,after 2018,China-Australia relations deteriorate,with Australia frequently targeting China on issues such as economic and trade exports and the Xinjiang problem.The Australian side has gradually turned the Antarctic into an arena for political games,distorting China’s Antarctic affairs objectives,suspending cooperation projects with China,and trying to find allies to "monitor" China.Under these circumstances,it is worthwhile to reconsider how to maintain the long-term stability of the partnership between China and Australia in Antarctica,while safeguarding China’s Antarctic endeavours.On 22 February 2022,the then Australian Prime Minister Morrison announced an increase in Antarctic expenditure and the creation of an "Antarctic Eye" to keep "certain countries" under surveillance.Although it was a crucial event in the history of China-Australian Antarctic development,which suggested that the Australian government had formally included Antarctica on its geopolitical map,the domestic academic community has not yet responded.In addition,in domestic academia,even the subject of China-Australian Antarctic connections hasn’t been thoroughly examined,explained,or analysed up to this point.China and Australia should cooperate as parties to the Antarctic Treaty in order to safeguard the peaceful exploitation of the continent.On the occasion of the 50 th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia,the maintenance and re-establishment of Antarctic cooperation may be a breakthrough in conciliating China-Australian relations.Therefore,this paper is dedicated to give a comprehensive and detailed study on China-Australian Antarctic cooperation,exploring the current challenges to cooperation,making predictions,and offering potential counter-measures for its future in the framework of the Indo-Pacific strategy.In order to show the potential of China-Australian Antarctic collaboration,the article first compares the development process and key policies of China’s and Australia’s Antarctic endeavours,which state that both countries share a common interest to keep Antarctic a peaceful place.Also,it found that China’s powerful infrastructure capabilities and Australia’s rich scientific research experience laid the foundation for Antarctic cooperation.The article then examines the history of China-Australian Antarctic cooperation,from Australia’s guidance of China’s Antarctic cause to the two nations’ equal cooperation for mutual benefit,illuminating the necessity of international cooperation in Antarctic governance and the viability of China-Australian Antarctic cooperation.In light of the current China-Australian tensions,the third section focuses on the challenges to China-Australian collaboration in Antarctica.These challenges include Australia’s shifting views of China and Australia’s ambitions to implement the Indo-Pacific strategy in Antarctica.The research also offers predictions on whether cooperation between the Indo-Pacific alliance in Antarctica is feasible.The paper concludes by assessing the potential consequences of the China-Australian Antarctic relationship’s decline and urging both countries to depoliticize and re-establish trust in their cooperation in Antarctic research.In order to prevent the uncertainty and inefficiency of the current Antarctic governance and to consolidate bilateral cooperation,the two nations should jointly experiment with several options,such as the creation of a new Antarctic governance system.As a new perspective in the study of China-Australia relations,this paper reflects on the possible interactions between China-Australia political and diplomatic relations and Antarctic cooperation between the two countries,which can be instructive to comprehend China-Australia relations in the new context.