Understanding and Engaging China is the way to improve US-China-Australia relations
27 February 2021 | CCCA (Image: Zhang Kaiyv)
Despite the shutting of the main valve in China bashing tap, the tap still drips with such stories intermittently. The last three drip fed were:
- 29 Jan 2021 Genocide in Xinjiang (Nine Newspapers)
- 3 Feb 2021 Torture in Uighur (Nine Newspapers)
- 24 February 2021 Security fears over state-linked company processing visas in China (Nine Newspapers)
This recent SMH article (24 Feb 2021) written by three well known China spin specialists, Eryk Bagshaw, Anthony Galloway and Nick McKenzie, raising concerns about the processing of Australian visas in Beijing by a Chinese company who had links or owned by the Chinese Security Bureau.
As usual, these stories were spun to give the desired effect – demonization. Fortunately, there are other medias in the world that portray a different picture, including vlogger FurMuBe and, retired British-Australian police officer, Jerry Grey.
Anybody who is really concerned about Xinjiang people should read and see all media about the place from both sides before coming to a conclusion projected by prejudices with hidden agenda of the West including BBC.
The last story about Australian visas, is another “scaremongering story” a great spin, again making a mountain out of a mole hill. Do the visa yourself and all problems solved.
Alternatively process sensitive applications at the Australian Embassy using Australian staff only and inform the potential applications of such a service. Such public spin in the story can only worsen Australia-China relations.
The other issue we wish to bring up for discussion, is the constant criticism that China does not adhere to a rule- based order. Please refer to the articles below.
Editorial published by Asialink: The liberal “rules-based” order – centred around political governance and the military – needs to remain flexible as China continues to integrate into world economy and rule-based international institutions.
An Unsentimental China Policy in Foreign Affairs, “Fifty years ago come July, US President Richard Nixon announced what would become his signature foreign policy achievement: the opening to China. The following February, in what the press called “the week that shook the world”, he flew to Beijing to meet Mao Zedong, the leader of communist China. So began a half-century of US engagement with Beijing.
Today, it has become an active member of all the major international organizations. Of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, it contributes the most troops, and the second-most amount of money, to UN peacekeeping efforts. In the UN Security Council, it rarely exercises its veto and usually votes with the United States.”
To this issue, our opinion is as follows:
China has been a rule base civilization for several millennium starting from Confucian teachings, Taoist teachings and dynastic laws. The adherence to the written word (law abiding) is not new in both East and West. Although both rule books look different, they essential have the same agenda, ie. to maintain law and order, dispensation of justice and morality (or allegiance). The current conflict between East and West is not about each party breaking the rules, but each party have problems adopting the rules not written by them.
Hence for world peace, all rules should be reviewed and a new set of consensus rules should be used and this set is then reviewed and improved on regular intervals. This way, all parties obey a universal set of rules.
A set of consensus rules is like a global constitution where participant countries take ownership of the rule. Once such an entity is set up, there is no more excuse to say these are not my rules. This global instrument should help bring peace to the world and work together harmoniously under the Charter of United Nations is a good start.
This commentary is supplied by the Chinese Community Council of Australia Incorporated: Founding President, Dr Anthony Pun OAM, President Mr Kingsley Liu. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors.
