The Business Council of Australia has hailed the Albanese government’s “tremendous reset” with China as a breakthrough meeting was planned for Tuesday between the Australian prime minister and the Chinese president on the sidelines of the G20.
The BCA’s chief executive, Jennifer Westacott, told journalists on Monday night that Labor’s “huge foreign policy reset” with Indonesia and Pacific countries, and the “tremendous reset announced today with China”, was creating opportunity “for business to come in behind … and start building those business-to-business relationships”.
The lavish public praise from Westacott, who was part of an Australian business delegation in Bali, came as the US president, Joe Biden, and the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, met face-to-face for the first time in the Biden presidency.
Reset to what end? Deeper economic integration before we declare war on one another?
More hollowing out of the local industrial base so we’ll be unable to defend ourselves in that war?
Greater exposure to economic coercion in due course as the fundamental clash of political economies sunders the relationship again?
An increase in Chinese immigration to expose the political economy to fifth-column risks before and after it all goes south?
How about instead a strategic plan to rebuild Australian industry; diversify exports; kick China out of the South Pacific, block Chinese Australians from Beijing’s influence, and make any invasion of Taiwan so economically painful for China that it can’t do it?
That is the “huge foreign policy reset” we need. Not this soft touch Albanese cowardice.
