Why Beijing picked the wrong battle with its boycott call
Picking on Australian exports will only scare others away from trade and investment with China. That's hardly going to help Beijing win the post-virus peace.
We all know the adage: if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. That is the folly of Beijing ordering ambassador Cheng Jingye to issue the threat that Chinese consumers might boycott Australian products and services in retaliation for Australia pushing for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and its initial spread.
If Beijing’s objective is to minimise criticism and deflect responsibility for its recklessness in unleashing a devastating pandemic, then it has erred with respect to target, issue and timing.
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Dr John Lee is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC. From 2016-18, he was the senior adviser to the Australian foreign minister.
