Australia is a very special country. The country is isolated in the southern hemisphere, has no land neighbors, and is the only developed country in the southern hemisphere.
Recently, because of the G7 meeting, Australia has swept away its presence at home, but because Australia's remarks are disappointing, I have no good feelings for this country anymore. How did Australia, as a British colony, become a developed country?
Lee kuan yew
In response to Australia's development, Former Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew once said: "Australia will become a poor country in the Asia-Pacific region". What is the historical basis for this passage? It turned out to be so.
In 1980, Lee Kuan Yew visited Australia and expressed his disappointment in Australia
In 1980, China has embarked on a great reform and opening up, and has since embraced the rapid development of the world. Singapore, the world's second Chinese country, has become a developed country. Singapore's GDP was US$11.896 billion in 1980, compared to US$191.1 billion in China at the time. Australia is 149.775 billion.
Singapore's GDP is really small! Note, however, that Singapore is only an island nation with a population of no more than one million, and in 1980 it was already one-tenth of China's GDP. And because of its proximity to the Strait of Malacca, Singapore is Asia's most important financial, service and shipping hub. Singapore is the world's fourth largest financial centre after New York, London and Hong Kong. So Singapore is rich.
It was in this context that Lee Kuan Yew visited Australia with pride. But as a small country, Australia doesn't see him at all. And Lee Kuan Yew also saw Australia's problems.
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In 1972, Australia abolished the xenophobic White Australia policy, but at that time, the Australian people actually adhered to the "White Australian Doctrine". Australia is a sparsely populated and rich country of production and raw materials. In other words, Australia is a resource-based country. Australia does not have much tourism and services, nor does it have a strong industrial base and scientific and technological strength. Unemployment and inflation were high in Australia at the time, but Australia's policy was conservative. In other words, Australia is just a country with abundant resources but a weak economy.
Therefore, Lee Kuan Yew said disappointedly to Australia before leaving: "If you do not completely abandon the Australian policy, do not open up the economy, and carry out more exchanges with Asian countries, you will become a poor country in the Asia-Pacific region and become the 'white garbage' of Asia." ”
This statement caused a lot of controversy. The arrogant Australians repeatedly demanded an apology from Lee Kuan Yew. Forced by the small force of the country, lee kuan yew had no choice but to apologize and make a positive explanation afterwards, but Australia still did not spare. Decades later, when Lee Kuan Yew's son Lee Hsien Loong visited Australia, he still had to explain his father's words. O arrogant and arrogant Australians!
Today, Australia is still a resource-based country, relying on Chinese orders
Lee Kuan Yew's prediction of Australia may have come to fruition.
The Australian economy has undergone major structural adjustments, with tourism and services developing rapidly, and its share of GDP has gradually increased, reaching about 70% at present. But decades later, Australia is still a resource-based country. Australia's industrial strength is even inferior to that of South Korea.
In Australia's economic composition, services, manufacturing, mining and agriculture are the four leading industries. Australia is the world's largest producer of bauxite, alumina, diamonds, lead and tantalum, and the production of gold, iron ore, coal, lithium, manganese ore, nickel, silver, uranium, zinc, etc. is also among the top in the world. Australia is also the world's largest exporter of bituminous coal, bauxite, lead, diamonds, zinc and concentrates, the second largest exporter of alumina, iron ore and uranium, and the third largest exporter of aluminium and gold.
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There is no strong industrial structure, and there is no such technology giants as Qualcomm, Thor (military), Boeing, Microsoft, Google, Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, Sany Heavy Industry and so on. There were no Internet companies such as ByteDance and Alibaba. This means that Australia does not have strong industrial strength and has not kept up with the wave of the Internet. This is an Asia-Pacific country that is gradually falling behind.
In recent years, Australia has had rising unemployment, old railway lines, more than a decade of abandoned "northern development", and people's increasingly unaffordable electricity bills, far behind the Internet speed of Asian countries. Australia's economy has indeed continued to decline in recent years. Australia's per capita GDP in 2011 was $65,477, and today's Australian GDP per capita is $57,300, much higher than China's, but it has indeed declined.
At the same time, Australia is a country with a great need for export trade. At the trade level, Australia is increasingly dependent on China. His biggest trading partner has long since become China. In recent years, Australia's exports to China have accounted for a third or more of its total exports. In 2020, trade with China accounted for 47% of Australia's total exports, and major minerals such as iron ore and coal exported more than 60% to China.
This degree of dependence, even the "Australian Institute for Strategic Policy" (ASPI) researchers, who are known for smearing China, while falsely claiming that China has launched a "trade war" action against Australia, sadly said that this is also the reason why Australia has not been able to make the same countermeasures so far.
In other words, Australia is living on Chinese orders. It is true that thanks to the rise and demand of China, Australia has been able to enjoy a good time without recession for 26 years, but only without recession.
But we can leave Australia and find alternatives at any time
Someone said: "No matter how depressed Australia's mining industry is, how depressed the economy is." At the current rate, it is enough to feed these more than 20 million people for more than two hundred years. "That's true, but he can still become a poor country."
There are so many projects that the great powers of the East can sanction to repair Australia, and in 2020, due to Australia's arrogance, we have rejected Australia's red wine, lobster, coal, timber and barley exporters, which has caused them to lose money. We could have done more if necessary.
Australia's GDP has remained at around $1.4 trillion for several years, and in 2020, when the new crown outbreak broke out, the Australian economy also fell sharply. Total Trade between China and Australia accounts for 12% of its GDP, or about US$140 billion. If China-Australia trade is halted, leaving Australia's minerals and wool, there are many more raw materials that the mainland can replace. Wool can be imported into the vast Argentine steppes, and iron ore can also be imported into Africa, Brazil and India.
Former Australian Prime Minister Howard once warned Western leaders, including the United States, that she should be "welcomed to her rise" and that "hostility to and containment of eastern powers is not only harmful, but also dangerous." ”
To put it bluntly, Australia is just a resource-based country like saudi Arabia, with a little industrial prowess, nothing more. And Australians have always behaved like kangaroos, as stupid as ever.
Suspend trade talks for Australia indefinitely, and that's our attitude. We can't leave Australia, and we hope that Australia can leave us. At the same time, I hope that After selling out its resources, Australia can realize the prediction of Lee Kuan Yew 40 years ago.