Behind the political donations debate is the important issue of the rise of China, and how this communist power is choosing to exert its power. Defenders of China typically adopt a “business-as-usual” model, pointing out that US and British foreign investment in Australia is higher than Chinese investment (for the moment), and that there should be no discrimination against china because there is no morally relevant criteria to discriminate between nations in the free trade love-in.
Bob Carr, former foreign minister (The Weekend Australian, September 10-11, 2016, p. 18), pushes this style of argument: “Chinese-Australians are not Maoists and the rulers in Beijing are hardly fanatical jihadists.” Why, if all the criticisms now appearing in the media were correct, then Australia should not have entered into free trade agreements with China at all, Carr says. And in reply to this rhetoric, one can heartily agree: yes, it is a profound mistake.
Carr is a believer in the China destiny model, where we need to hook our wagon to China’s rising star and sail into the heavens. Only Australians could believe this – the rest of South East Asian is deeply concerned about the rise of China, and especially China’s activities in the South China Sea.
Carr briefly skates over this issue, seeming to accept China’s claims, in his mockery of the “fear China” position: “Australia would now be running naval patrols up close to claimed Chinese territory.” That, of course would be unjustified, he believes. But what happened though is that China threatened Australia with “ramifications” if it was to follow the US and send warships on freedom of navigation missions in the disputed waters, and Australia, shaking in fear, backed down.
This is not a partnership based on equality, but one based on domination and control, and this is just the beginning.
The issues of Chinese influence in Australia cannot be ignored given China’s stated claim that it is seeking to be No 1, that is, to rule the world: “In Time, This World will be China’s: Business Anticipates Profound Power Shift”.
Contrary to Carr, this is not business-as-usual and there is a profoundly serious issue at foot here that has been ignored by the establishment, only until recently. Chinese investment is a concern not only in Australia, but also in the United Kingdom: http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article56401.html.
What will the world ruled by a communist superpower be like? Most of Asian believes that this will not be the sort of world they want.