The current coronavirus crisis offers an opportunity for Australia to be more confident and assertive in its relationship with China, according to the head of the ANU's National Security College.
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Former diplomat Professor Rory Medcalf told The Canberra Times that the way the epidemic has been dealt with by the Chinese authorities had undermined the people's confidence in the government in Beijing.
That, he felt, had revealed that the Chinese government was not as strong as outsiders had imagined it to be.
This realisation offers an opportunity for Australia to act, along with other significant middle-sized powers in the region like Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and India, in a more confident way in dealings with Beijing.
He did not want Australia to be aggressive or antagonistic but he saw "the current phase as an opportunity to reduce tensions and transcend strategic differences to meet a common threat, rather than a chance to pressure China".
It didn't need to be too meek. Professor Medcalf thought the Australian business lobby, for example, often wanted the government in Canberra to be softer in any criticism of China.
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The current crisis, the ex-diplomat felt, showed that a bit more confidence was a better attitude.
He thought the Australian government should emphasise that it wanted a relationship of mutual respect between Canberra and Beijing but also a relationship where China accepted the limit on its ambitions.
"The challenge now for Australia and other 'middle players' between the United States and China is to redouble their efforts to build security cooperation and define a future based on mutual respect for sovereignty of nations large and small," he said.
"This prolonged crisis could hasten the day when China will need to find a strategic settling point for its regional ambitions."
He thought there was interest in his ideas from both sides of the political divide in Australia and he thought that was hopeful.
He is to publish a book about relations between countries in the region and his ideas on China will be central to it.
Both the Foreign Affairs Minister, Marise Payne, and Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister, Penny Wong, will be at the book launch at the ANU in Canberra.
Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
