Jun 06,2020 Special Forum

Soft Power and Sharp Power: The View from Australia

Australians of late have been shocked by the unravelling of US soft power globally and China’s offensive use of sharp power targeting their country. At issue is the prospect of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific upheld by the norms and institutions of a liberal rules-based order. This matters because, while Australia is partly dependent on […]

John Fitzgerald

COVID-19 , free and open Indo-Pacific , Sharp power , soft power , the Quad , United Front

Apr 24,2018 Special Forum

Australia

The primary purposes of China’s influence and interference operations in Australia are to pressure business and government to accede to China’s policy demands in the region, to weaken Australia’s historical alliance commitments, and to secure science and technology assistance in areas of strategic priority to China. These efforts are well documented.1 A parallel purpose, not […]

John Fitzgerald

ABC , Bob Carr , CPC , Sam Dastyari , United Front

Oct 06,2016 National Commentaries

Can Australia Say “No”?

Growing trade and investment between their highly complementary economies ensures that Australia and China have a common interest in maintaining healthy bilateral relations. To be sure, Canberra and Beijing say “no” to one another every day of the week on consular matters of one kind or another. From time to time Canberra also vetoes Chinese […]

John Fitzgerald

China-Australia relations , Foreign donations , Foreign Investment , Political Institutions , South China Sea

Nov 17,2015 Open Forum

China’s Anti-Fascist War Narrative: Seventy Years On and the War with Japan is Not Over Yet

In China, the war that ended with Japan’s surrender 70 years ago is known as the World Anti-Fascist War. Chinese communities in Melbourne and Sydney have been trying to get their tongues around this phrase all year to demonstrate their loyalty to Beijing at local commemorative events. This is certainly not what these communities called […]

John Fitzgerald

China , History , Japan , Nanjing Massacre , National identity , World Anti-Fascist War

Jun 13,2014 Open Forum

Why Values Matter in Australia’s Relations with China

Returning to Australia last year after five or six years away I had a Rip Van Winkle moment. Back in 2007, Wall Street was awash with cash, Europe was booming, and China was humming along. Today China is still humming and Australia’s economy is ticking along in harmony. That much could be predicted. What I […]

John Fitzgerald

Australia , Central Propaganda Bureau , immigrants , surveillance , trade-security linkage , UN Declaration of Human Rights , universal values