After Kevin Rudd stepped down, Sino-Australian relations entered a long period of tension. Until June this year, another Australian who can say Chinese became the new prime minister, and everyone was full of expectations for a turnaround in China-Australia relations.
Foreigners who can say Chinese do not mean that they are pro-China, and Albanes has been in office for less than two months and is still clamoring on some sensitive issues.
However, from a recent interview, Albanes' attitude toward China has shaken somewhat. So will this "wavering" really change the future relationship between China and Australia?
First, can not sleep
Australia has a standard adjective for the country it poses a threat to, called sleepless nights, and elegance is called sleepless nights.
The term first originated in World War II. At that time, Japan was aggressive in Southeast Asia, as if it were going to attack Australia in the next second. John Curtin, then Prime Minister of Australia, withstood pressure to deal with a possible Japanese attack.
He often did not sleep for days and nights, and when his secretary advised him to rest, he replied: "How can I sleep when our men are surrounded by Japanese submarines at sea?" ”
Since then, "can't sleep" has become a special word for a country that threatens Australia's survival. Now for Australia, it is China that is suitable for this word.
The Australian News Network recently interviewed the then prime minister Albanes, and the reporter asked: Has there been a sleepless night in response to the China issue?
Defense Secretary Mars was also asked about this question before, and the latter said yes.
Albanes' answer is that there are indeed some uncertainties in China-Australia relations, but our responsibility is to maintain the country's security in the era of strategic competition.
The reporter was obviously very dissatisfied with this answer and continued to ask: Is there a risk of war between Australia and China?
Albanes eschewed all the points of the issue: "The government cannot let the public misunderstand. I can't answer questions that have sparked wild speculation among the population. ”
Albanes has a label that cannot be ignored, he is "Rudd's little brother". During Rudd's administration, Albanes served as Minister of Transport in the Cabinet. Later, there was an "internal coup" in the Labour Party, and Kevin Rudd was ousted from power, and later succeeded in taking office.
Throughout, Albanes was a staunch supporter of Rudd. He also served as vice premier for several months because of the merit of "protecting the lord".
Although there is no information on when he learned to Chinese, it can be boldly guessed that he must have been inspired by Rudd's inspiration and actively studied Chinese. It also officially criticized Australia's racial discrimination against Chinese.
Judging from these points, Albanes' attitude toward China is good, at least not as an enemy. Therefore, after he officially took office in June this year, everyone was willing to think that the change in China-Australia relations is today.
Second, the dilemma in which the variables are located
But now the times have changed, and there is no good background between China and Australia during the Rudd period. Especially during the Liberal Party administration that began in 2013, from Tony Abbott (hereinafter referred to as Tony) to Morrison, the relationship between the two countries fell to a freezing point without direct conflicts of interest.
The main reason is that Australia has openly pointed fingers at China on issues such as Taiwan-related, Xinjiang-related, Hong Kong-related, and the South China Sea, and has acted as a vanguard of US interests in the Asia-Pacific region. The relations between China and Australia have completely fallen to the bottom.
Especially the Prime Minister Tony, who did everything he could to deal with China. Shortly after taking office, he visited Japan, and during his talks with Shinzo Abe, he personally praised the "heroism of the Japanese army in World War II."
The problem is that Australia also fought Against Japan during World War II. Is the blatant praise of Japanese militarism in World War II a denial of their own heroes? Whether John Curtin's "can't sleep" became a joke.
Under the bombardment of domestic and foreign media, Tony said his remarks were only to increase relations with Japan and confront China with a more united pace.
In fact, it is also very well understood for Australia's approach. Due to geographical reasons, if Australia is crazy anti-China, it can make the United States play a multiplier effect with half the effort.
The U.S. reward was also very generous, and the British were also co-opted to provide Nuclear Submarine Technology to Australia. It is not simply a matter of stealing business from France, but the United States and Britain have specially customized nuclear submarines for Australia plus cruise missiles.
Australia was previously a non-nuclear state with no capacity to build and maintain weapons-grade nuclear reactors. Britain and the United States need nuclear fuel. But if these nuclear fuels are not used as reactors, they are directly converted into nuclear warheads, and they are combined with the cruise missiles obtained. Australia became an atomic bomb-possessing country overnight.
The "nuclear submarine" project is only a microcosm, because Australia is anti-China, and the United States has opened the door to political, economic, and military convenience. Seeing these conveniences, why not enjoy Australia?
At that time, China needed not only australian iron ore, but also natural gas. Natural gas imports accounted for half of the country's imports in 2018.
In the eyes of Australians, China cannot do without its own resources. "Eat enough to scold the cook" thing, they do not have a little psychological burden.
But China launched several rounds of sanctions against Australia in the years that followed, hitting the Australian economy hard. It is precisely because of Australia's economic fatigue that the Labour Party, which represents the interests of the grassroots people, has regained its authority.
The dilemma Albanis is now facing how to make Australia's small boat run smoothly between the two major powers of China and the United States.
Continuing to be tough on China is tantamount to pushing Australia's economy further into the abyss; Easing relations with China may require the doubling of the preferential treatment received from the United States.
Albanes flashed his words in front of the media, indicating that he did not see China as an enemy. However, whether we can still uphold the principle in front of the Americans, we can only wait and see how it manifests.