Australian Australian Ambassador to China: If you have a willingness, there is a way

"Australian Financial Review" on September 26, original topic: As long as you have a willingness, there is always a way to repair Australian -China relations

Australia -China relations began to emerge from a small green bud. The latest signs are the Australian Foreign Minister to meet with Chinese Foreign Ministers during the UN General Assembly -this is the second meeting in several months.

The changes from winter to spring were almost difficult to detect. Chinese envoy Wang Denning faced hostile Australian National Journalists Club in Canberra last year. He speaks the temperature and the audience is not. Beijing later appointed senior diplomats in Jakarta Xiao Qian as the new ambassador to Australia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China sent a fluent and experienced diplomat with a task that made the relationship between the two countries back to a more constructive position. In Canberra, no one seems to notice this. After Xiao Zeng was in office, he was still rude to be rude at the reporter's club. He once again used the language of diplomacy and respect.

Australia's position is basically trapped in a briefing for the Morrison government. We all know that mantra: they are all Chinese faults. They have changed. We do n’t. We blame their behavior. We will not give up our values, we will not be faced with people, and so on.

That's right, in recent years, China has become more confident and confrontation, and adopts actions including sanctions on Australia's transition products. But Australia was not idle. For example, the Australian Security Intelligence Agency and the Federal Federation police harassed in Australian reporters in Australia. They canceled their funding due to a balanced position in the "Chinese affairs" of neutral think tanks and used unreasonable anti -dumping operations to make trouble in trade. Issuing visas, destroying university exchanges, and so on. In the final stage of the Morrison government, the two sides of the two sides have pushed the relationship between the two countries to a trough. The Labor Party is here. The question now is how to further heat up the relationship between the two countries and continue to develop in a more normal direction. Some challenges are that some people in Canberra do not want to see this happening.

Assume that there is a desire to restore a more normal relationship, the biggest direct obstacle in Australia is China's trade restrictions on the implementation of Australian wine, barley, coal, wood and lobster exports. Politically speaking, in the case of these measures, the Australian government cannot vigorously promote the relationship between the two countries. Similarly, the Chinese government cannot easily cancel these measures. One way that will not make people feel that any party is retreating is that Australia has abandoned lawsuits against Chinese wine and barley measures in the WTO in exchange for China to restore the trade of these products to the level before 2020.

This can be quickly completed at the technical level. Then, Australia can announce it, and restrictions on wine and barley will be canceled. China can also announce it to win because Australia has abandoned lawsuits against China. This will provide some motivation to move forward, which may be enough for leaders to hold bilateral meetings at the G20 summit in Bali. As long as you have a willingness, all this can be done. Diplomacy is the art of solving difficulties without giving up national interests. Huang Yingxian has called for returning to diplomacy. It's time to solve the difficult problem. (Author Jeff Rabbi is the Australian Ambassador to China, translated by Qiao Heng) ▲

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