A Research Of Australia’s Debate Upon China Policy And Its Effect Since 2010

As two major powers in the Indo-Pacific region,the bilateral relations and the shifts in foreign policies of China and Australia have an impact on not only the national interests of both countries,but also the current regional order and security situations.Concentrating on the Australia’s debate among its different circles upon China Policy,this thesis elaborates Australia’s core strategic concerns about China in the context of“Indo-Pacific”.It also analyzes the potential effects brought about by the above-mentioned debate.To be more specific,the thesis mainly focuses on four parts:The first part mainly revolves around Australia’s core strategic concerns about China since 2010,ranging from economy,security,major power relations and regional order.Against the backdrop of China’s rise and global trade protectionism,Australia,which relies heavily on trade with China,has also suffered a lot.In the aspect of regional security,Australia is concerned about the so-called “freedom of navigation” in the South China Sea and worries about China’s growing influence in South Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia.As a medium-sized power,Australia is facing a dilemma when tackling relations with China and the United States.The above-mentioned core issues have profoundly affected Australia’s perceptions toward China,and have also served as important factors triggering fluctuations in recent China-Australia relations.Based on the analysis of Australia’s core strategic concerns about China,the second part mainly focuses on Australia’s domestic opinions toward China from the various perspectives of Australian political circles,military establishments,business communities,think tanks,media groups and the public,which also exhibits the complicated attitudes among them.In short,Australia’s domestic opinions toward China show a mixed feature of cooperation and competition.The bilateral relations between the two countries have been through ups and downs amid the mainstream of positive development.In the process of the above-mentioned debates,we can see that the decision-making of Australia’s policies toward China is the result of arguments and compromises among various stake-holders in Australia.All these factors are intertwined,which is not only having an effect upon Australia’s perception toward China,but may also promote or hinder the future bilateral relations.The third part analyzes the potential effects of the Australian policy debates on China.On the basis of various opinions,I conduct a systematic analysis on the different ways with which all those circles influence Australia’s China Policy.At the same time,I also explore the Australian political system,decision-making process,and characteristics of its policies towards China.Based on the current domestic and international situations of Australia,the last part analyzes the trend of Australia’s future policies towards China.The conclusion is that,in the foreseeable future,Australia will try its best to maintain an appropriate balance between China and the United States in pursuing its long-term economic and security interests.Although China-Australia bilateral relations have witnessed twists and turns in recent years,its foundation has not been undermined.Therefore,the author believes that China-Australia bilateral relations still has a promising future.