Former Mister of Foreign Affairs Gives Guest Lecture on Sino-AUS Relations

2015/4/2 10:15:38

Earlier this week, the Honorable Bob Carr, the former Australian Mister of Foreign Affairs, honored the School of International Public Affairs (SIPA) with his presence and knowledge of the Chinese-Australian relationship in a guest lecture. A professor and Director of the Australia-China Relationship at the University of Technology, Sydney, Dr. Carr was introduced by SIPA Dean and Professor of Political Science Dr. Zhong Yang.

Dr. Carr, an accomplished journalist and political writer before joining the political sphere, prefaced the talk by illustrating how the Chinese-Australian relationship is a good case study for determining the potential future international personality of the People’s Republic of China.

The importance of this relationship was illustrated by survey data and events from the last year. In a survey of business leaders across China: 81% felt that the Australian government was welcoming to closer economic ties. In the same survey 76% of those same leaders were aware of the Free Trade Agreement between China and Australia. This is reflected in the ever increasing amount of trade between the two countries. For example last year, Australians exports to China exceeded $100 billion, two times larger than their next largest trading partner. On the Chinese side, demographic and economic indicators predict that China’s middle class could grow by 850 million by 2030. Australia sees this as an opportunity for increased trade in food, services, and travel.

Despite the closeness and high-levels of co-operation between the two states, there are still some persistent challenges in the relationship. Although unlikely to have a dramatic effect on the relationship the ANZUS or Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty puts Australia in the unique position of balancing its long standing security relationship with the United States and its comprehensive strategic partnership in trade with China.

After the conclusion of the talk the floor was open for discussion and questions for the longest continuously serving Premier in New South Wales history. Dr. Zhong Yang kicked off the discussion with a question on future concerns in the relationship. Maritime security was first on the list of potential points of concern. In addition, a member of the audience was interested in the potential foreign policy differences between the current government of Australia and the opposition government in regards to China. To which Dr. Carr replied, that there are few fundamental differences.