Arabic version: مبعوث سابق يشير إلى فجوة في الرؤى العالمية في العلاقات مع الصين

According to SBS News, former Australian ambassador to China Graham Fletcher says Australia’s relationship with China is unlikely ever to become genuinely close because of diverging worldviews and national security agendas.

In an analysis for the Lowy Institute, Fletcher said the 2022 federal election had acted as a circuit-breaker after increasingly fraught dealings between the two countries. The Albanese government then sought to stabilise ties after diplomatic tensions peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic under former prime minister Scott Morrison.

China imposed $20 billion in trade sanctions on Australian exports, although those measures have slowly been wound back. China remains Australia’s largest trading partner and receives about a third of the nation’s exports.

Fletcher said China had not abandoned hopes of drawing Australia closer into its orbit, while Australia was focused on consolidating the current relationship. He said the mismatch of views left the relationship vulnerable to serious disagreements or conflict, including the use of force against Taiwan, though he did not consider upheaval or conflict a strong possibility at present.

He also said Australia would be in a stronger position if its China policies had cross-party support and politicians did not seek domestic advantage from difficulties. Fletcher was ambassador to China from 2019 to 2023 and led the negotiating team that helped secure the 2014 free trade agreement between the two nations.