The 2009 Defence White Paper and the Rudd Government's Response to China's Rise

Abstract

This research note discusses the 2009 Defence White Paper, particularly its focus on the potential threat the Chinese military might pose to the security of the Asia-Pacific in the foreseeable future. It also examines Chinese responses to the White Paper's main theses. It concludes that the White Paper marked a departure from the Howard government's policy of de-emphasising differences in Canberra's dialogue with Beijing and, by re-affirming commitment to the alliance with the United States (US), delineated the limits of Australia's partnership with China. However, its poorly substantiated predictions regarding the rise of China's power, the US economic and military decline and Beijing's geostrategic objectives raise doubts about the Rudd government's capacity to formulate a coherent vision for the future of Australia's relations with China.

Notes

¹China lodged a ‘solemn representation’ to the US government in late March 2009 after the US Pentagon published its annual report on the Chinese military, which condemned Beijing for being too vague with regards to its military doctrine and capabilities.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Czeslaw Tubilewicz

Czeslaw Tubilewicz is Senior Lecturer in the School of History and Politics, the University of Adelaide. He has authored Taiwan and Post-communist Europe: Shopping for Allies (London: Routledge, 2007) and edited Critical Issues in Contemporary China (New York, London & Hong Kong: Routledge in association with Open University of Hong Kong Press, 2006).