Study On The Formation Of China-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

China and Australia are both major players in the Asia-Pacific region. Although influenced by the complex regional situation and differences in social systems, values and human rights, Sino-Australian ties have been generally stable since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1972. Especially from the 1990s on, China and Australia are increasingly closer to each other, bilateral relations growing from Comprehensive Cooperative Relations to Strategic Partnership and finally to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This growing friendship can be explained in many possible ways:increasing mutual trust in political and strategical affairs, growing needs for cooperating mechanisms, and demands for multilateral cooperation to strengthen regional governance. The establishment of the China-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will not only promote broader and deeper bilateral relations, but also facilitate peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific area. This by no means implies that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will not face challenges. In fact, differences in ideology and values, imbalances in bilateral trade, Australia's support for US Rebalance toward The Asia-Pacific, and its worries about the rise of China are all potential impediment to developing this Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.