From Australia’s erstwhile foreign minister, Alexander Downer:
The government is going through one of those periodic times of diplomatic difficulty with China’s government. Don’t panic. Every so often Beijing arcs up and demands obedience. It’s a good tactic because it elicits a flood of advice from self-interested Australians demanding the government does more to keep China happy. If Beijing is cross with us, it’s our fault. I’ve noticed a fair bit of this in recent weeks. Consultants to Chinese companies tell the government it should downplay the relationship with America – to keep China happy. Exporters attack the government for provoking Beijing by complaining about interference in our domestic politics. Someone even said Beijing would be happier if the Prime Minister sacked the foreign minister.
What sort of a feckless, pusillanimous and gutless country we’d be if we did all that. We need to be grown ups and stand up for ourselves.
