Everyone loves a David and Goliath story. That is why we have all been cheering plucky little Canberra for standing up to the big bullies in Beijing. But how does the story end? In the Bible, David strides triumphant over the humbled Goliath. In reality it is much more likely that David gets a sharp lesson in the realities of raw power.
But it is too late to back out now. China’s crude threats of economic retaliation have made it impossible for the Coalition government to abandon its proposal for an independent international enquiry. That would make it look pathetic.
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Hugh White is the emeritus professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University.
