Australia’s relationship with China becoming a two-track affair

Australia is evolving a two-track relationship with China. As world tensions rise around security — from cyber hacking to military issues, fuelled by populism and a more belligerent, anti-China administration in Washington — Australia will inevitably be drawn into some prickly times with China.

But a strong fundamental drive in Australia to do business with China, already the country’s largest trading partner, is fostering a much healthier strand of the relationship.

Under Scott Morrison, who has been quietly getting some ticks from Beijing for his more carefully chosen rhetoric, it may be possible to work a more constructive way through the issues, recognising that having some different strands of the relationship is the reality of modern diplomacy.

The two strands were evident in the Foreign Ministry press conference in Beijing this week.

In one breath, spokesman Lu Kang was lavishly praising Victoria’s move to become the first Australia state to sign up to President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative. Minutes later, he was attacking the federal government for banning Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei from the next generation 5G network.

The comments show Beijing is capable of seeing its links with Australia as having many strands, with ties to the federal government and individual state governments.

Having many different strands of the relationship with China is going to be the road ahead for Australia.

Next week’s grand import expo in Shanghai will show another side of the Australia-China relationship as Australia works its way through a new world order.