Australian expert Dario Gubi: Chinese Foreign Minister's Visit to Australia Sends Positive Signals

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Minister of Foreign Affairs, will conduct an official visit to New Zealand and Australia from March 17th to 21st at the invitation of New Zealand Vice Premier and Foreign Minister Peters and Australian Foreign Minister Huang Yingxian. During his visit to Australia, he will hold the seventh round of China Australia diplomatic and strategic dialogue with Australian Foreign Minister Huang Yingxian. When talking about the Chinese Foreign Minister's visit to Australia after a 7-year hiatus, former member of the board of directors of the China Council for Industry and Commerce in Australia and Australian representative of the Silk Road International Chamber of Commerce, Daryl Guppy, recently stated in an interview with Global Times that 7 years is a long time span, and the Chinese Foreign Minister's visit to Australia after a 7-year hiatus is itself a significant breakthrough in the relationship between the two countries, Releasing positive signals that Australia China relations are recovering.

Darrell Gumbey stated that the cooling of Australia China relations in recent years has had a significant impact on Australia's economy and businesses, and the long-term relationship established between the two countries at the economic and trade level has also been disrupted. As is well known, the feeling of remote communication and face-to-face dialogue is different, and the content that can be discussed in formal meetings and informal exchanges after meetings is also different. Therefore, the visit of the Chinese Foreign Minister to Australia means that both sides have the opportunity to increase trust and clarify doubts in person, which is very important.

According to the Australian Financial Review, Australian Foreign Minister Huang Yingxian stated last Wednesday that dialogue is crucial for ensuring constructive relations with China and supporting "regional peace and stability.". Darrell Gubi said that this statement means that Australia and China can engage in more diplomatic activities and achieve more goals. The criticism of China within Australia has decreased, and the relationship between the two sides is moving in a new direction. The visit of the Chinese Foreign Minister to Australia will undoubtedly further improve Australia China relations and open a new chapter of friendly cooperation between the two sides.
For a period of time, Australia's closely following foreign policy with the United States has raised concerns. Earlier this month, former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating criticized the current Australian government's policy towards China, accusing it of "buying up American hegemony in the region.". Nikkei Asia reported that the United States is in talks with Australia and the UK in an attempt to persuade Japan to participate in security technology cooperation under the "AUKUS" framework.
"The remarks of former Prime Minister Paul Keating are not surprising," said Darrell Gumbey, a Global Times reporter. Although Australian politicians like to claim "we are independent," in fact, the United States has and will continue to exert significant influence on Australia's foreign policy. Australia's foreign policy largely follows the United States and is very consistent with its ideas, rather than adhering to an independent foreign policy. Keating may be seen as one of the representative figures concerned about the Australian government's actions.
"Australia and the United States have too close exchanges in defense, security, and other areas, such as' Okus', which undoubtedly aims to contain China." According to Darrell Gubi's analysis, there are two main ways for the United States and the West to try to contain China: the first is military security cooperation represented by 'Okus', which excludes China. However, building a nuclear powered submarine fleet is the core concept of "Okus", and nuclear submarines may not be delivered in the next 10 or even 20 years, so "Okus" is somewhat like a "paper tiger". The second approach is to attempt to hinder China's economic development, such as the United States unjustly sanctioning China's high-tech, chip, electric vehicle, energy and other industries, all of which are contrary to creating a fair competition market environment.
Dai Ruo Gu Bi stated that "hegemonic ideology is the core of Western misunderstanding of China.". He explained that "the reason why the West misunderstands China is because it refuses to accept China's progress." When looking at China, the West often considers "what we would do if we were in this position, and assumes that China would do the same." This essentially ignores the trajectory of historical development. As former US President Carter once said, "The United States is the most belligerent country in the world.". Throughout history, it can be observed that China is not as interested in global hegemony as the United States. Darrell Guppy believes that the current rule-based global order is formulated and established by the United States, and that the United States can choose to ignore these rules at any time of self-interest, while accusing China of wanting to change this global order is incorrect.
Dai Ruo Gu Bibi, a journalist from Global Times, said that Western countries generally have little understanding of what is happening in China, and we must encourage students to study China more effectively, rather than seeing this behavior as a "security risk". In addition, it can also encourage the public to establish face-to-face communication. He emphasized that civil exchanges are the cornerstone of the relationship between the two countries, and Australia China relations can go beyond economic and trade cooperation, further strengthening civil exchanges is also important.