Australia and China: Framing an Ambivalent Relationship

ABSTRACT

Australians have become increasingly familiar with China in the decades since the Whitlam government (1972–1975) formally recognised the People’s Republic of China. The government instructed its first Ambassador that Australia wanted “friendship, cooperation and mutual trust, comparable with that which we have, or seek, with other major powers”. This represented a significant shift in the way that China was framed in Australian discourse. However, Australian ambivalence towards China persists. The main argument presented in this article is that the persistence of ambivalence is linked to Australia’s transactional economic embrace of China. This embrace is neoliberal orthodoxy, which shapes Australia’s understanding by the creation of meaning in the China discourse. Evidence for this proposition is drawn from research in the field of Cognitive Science. The article concludes that this orthodoxy, within which all policy approaches are framed, means that Australian engagement with China broadens but cannot commensurately deepen – leaving ambivalence towards China relatively unchallenged.

KEYWORDS:

• Ambivalence
• engagement
• neoliberalism
• China fear
• common sense
• economic diplomacy
• China literacy
• frame

Acknowledgments

The author thanks the anonymous reviewers for Asian Studies Review for their constructive criticisms and comments on this article. The careful editorial work of editor David Hundt is greatly appreciated. There are no funding or conflict of interest matters to report in connection with this research.