‘Part of China’: Defence expert’s 6G warning after Chinese ambassador proposed co-operation with Australia
Australia has been urged to work with Beijing on cutting-edge 6G tech. But a defence expert warns it could have grave consequences.
The Chinese ambassador has suggested Australia should collaborate with China on cutting-edge 6G technology, but a defence expert warns it would give Beijing the power to “coerce and control” the Aussie economy.
The proposal threatens to re-open old wounds after Australia banned China from participating in its 5G rollout in 2018 due to national security concerns.
But Beijing still wants to collaborate with Canberra on mobile technology – and the next rollout will be far more powerful than the last.
In an opinion piece for the Australian Financial Review on Wednesday, ambassador Xiao Qian laid out China’s latest Five-Year Plan, an initiative used by the Chinese Communist Party since the 1950s.
In addition to strengthening Beijing’s traditional industries like mining, the plan called for “fostering new drivers of economic growth” such as 6G mobile communications, embodied artificial intelligence and quantum technology, Mr Qian wrote.
He argued China’s plan lined up with Australia’s own policies.
“These priorities are highly consistent with Future Made in Australia agenda, creating vast space for deeper alignment of development strategies and deepening and solidifying co-operation in various fields.”
However, Strategic Analysis Australia Director Michael Shoebridge said Australia was already “deeply embedded” in the Chinese economic system through trade and “probably the most exposed” of any OECD nation.
China accounted for roughly a third of Australia’s imports, and about the same share of exports.
Currently, Australia used a mix of Western-sourced technology in its communications infrastructure, and Chinese-sourced technology in growing sectors such as EVs and renewables.
But partnering with China on 6G would take that exposure to a new level, he argues.
“This would really make Australia a mainline part of China’s technological dominance,” Mr Shoebridge told news.com.au.
He felt China was “sensing an enormous opportunity” with a relatively friendly Albanese government, which had focused on stabilising relations after Australia’s call for an inquiry into the origins of Covid incensed Beijing.
“While the rest of the democratic world, notably Europe and America, are putting up obstacles because of the security concerns about really embedding Chinese technology in our societies and economies, Australia looks wide open to business with China, in a way that I think has surprised Beijing,” the analyst said.
“The danger is, Beijing sees the opportunity to double down on technological dominance of Australia, and the Australian government’s policy is to be more open than they ever expected. So we are being naive in this relationship.”
He said working together on a 6G network could carry grave consequences in the event of a conflict involving China and the US, in which Washington would expect to use Australia as a military staging ground.
“If Australia and China partner on 6G, it’s like we’ve built a common technological and economic nervous system between China and Australia – we’re living in China’s nervous system and they’re the brain,” Mr Shoebridge said.
“It’s not like passing trade items backwards and forwards. China could coerce and control any part of the Australian economy because we would be so embedded in China’s own system.”
He argued Australia “certainly should not be placing an increasing, all-in bet on the Chinese economic and technological system”.
“I think Beijing’s calculation is, as their economic penetration of America and Europe gets more difficult, Australia is a wide-open alternative,” he said.
The proposal comes after a 2018 decision by then-prime minister Scott Morrison to ban Chinese telco Huawei from participating in the build out of 5G after a national security review.
Beijing’s response was irate, with the CCP-run Global Times threatening legal action and vowing, “those who wilfully hurt Chinese companies with an excuse of national security will meet their nemesis”.
The US followed Australia’s lead a year later, with President Trump signing an executive order banning American companies from doing business with Huawei.
Both bans remain in effect, although it’s still possible to buy Huawei phones in Australia.
What is 6G mobile?
6G is still in the research and development phase, but it is expected to succeed 5G with a speed of up to 1 Terabit per second – 100 times faster than the current network.
The rollout would require upgrades to existing towers and the addition of many new, smaller ones to support its high frequencies.
And for the first time, AI would be integrated into the network itself, acting as a sort of brain to keep traffic efficient, fast and reliable. It would also provide better support to AI applications like autonomous vehicles and robots.
In all, it’s seen as a crucial next step in the AI revolution, putting countries without it at a disadvantage.
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Originally published as ‘Part of China’: Defence expert’s 6G warning after Chinese ambassador proposed co-operation with Australia
