China would represent a paradigm shift as great as that of the industrial revolution of the 18-19th centuries: Australian historian author
Editor's Note:
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese kicked off his official visit to China on July 12 and it is set to conclude on July 18, 2025. The visit is viewed as an opportunity to strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, expand practical cooperation, and advance the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. As the Chinese and Australian economies are highly complementary, Albanese said in Beijing that Australia looks forward to deepening mutually beneficial cooperation in areas such as trade, agriculture, tourism, and culture, and enhancing people-to-people exchanges in education, civil society, and youth sectors, the Xinhua News Agency reported. What's the significance of Albanese's visit to China? What's the general sentiment of Australians toward China? How should Australia promote a fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises in Australia? Global Times reporter Xie Wenting (GT) conducted an exclusive interview with Australian historian author John Queripel (Queripel) on these topics and more.
GT: Australian Prime Minister Albanese kicked off his official visit to China on July 12, which is set to conclude on July 18. This will be Albanese's second visit to China since he took office, just two months after his re-election in May this year. How do you view the significance of Albanese's visit to China? To what extent do you believe this high-level visit can rebuild core mutual trust?
Queripel: These meetings are likely to encourage trust between the two nations, which is essential not only politically, but also commercially between nations so strongly linked through their large trade volumes with each other.
Prime Minister Albanese, while being questioned at a media conference just prior to his departure, pointed out very strongly Australia's dependence economically upon China, informing his questioners that China was by far Australia's largest export market, taking over a third of Australian exports, more, he indicated, than the next four countries - Japan, South Korea, the US, and India - combined.
Albanese has drawn plenty of flak, especially from Australian right-wing media and commentariat, for visiting China before the US during his second term. In the past, Australian prime ministers usually have traipsed off to Washington as first call after election, usually in a manner indicating Australian obsequience to an imperial master. Following his recent May election win, Albanese, however, made a point of visiting nations in the region, Australia's near neighbor, Indonesia, then Singapore and Fiji, before his current visit to China.
GT: Both sides hope to attract investments. How do you think Australia is able to send clearer, more stable, and non-discriminatory positive signals to Chinese investors?
Queripel: Australia has unfortunately developed a reputation for being overzealous in permitting security concerns to intrude upon commercial agreements. That concern is usually directed at Chinese companies. Initially the security concerns regarding China began with Huawei's involvement in the Australian telecommunications [industry]. It even extended first to the Chinese app TikTok, and then later DeepSeek, both banned from government electronic devices, while Chinese-made security cameras have been barred from government buildings.
The Australian Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) decisions have so heavily focused on China, that many industry figures are worried that wariness by the FIRB is seriously affecting the capital inflow needed to develop Australia, especially in the area of transition to clean energy. Some Chinese firms have been blocked from projects which would have helped Australia meet its clean energy targets. New wind and solar projects with Chinese money have also been blocked by the FIRB from making the necessary land purchases needed to establish them.
GT: Both sides emphasize the need to diversify economic and trade relations. In your opinion, what are the most promising specific cooperation projects or directions in emerging fields?
Queripel: Clearly clean energy is a field that needs cooperation. Australia was at the forefront in initial research around solar energy. Now, of course, China is the global powerhouse, not only in solar energy, but in all forms of clean energy.
Australian mining entrepreneur Andrew Forrest and his company Fortescue have been strongly committed to developing "Green Hydrogen," the development of which would revolutionize numerous fields, particularly the manufacture of steel. Some Australian states are at the forefront in developing clean energy power grids. South Australia has, on occasions, been 100 percent powered by renewables, with plans for that to be permanent by 2027. The development of photovoltaics, in which Australia has played a prominent role, will make this possible. Australian-developed green hydrogen and photovoltaics have great potential in the massive Chinese market.
China is likely to be the world's first electro-state, and given the rapid growth of renewable energy in China, it is likely that electro-state may well become a clean energy electro-state. Becoming such an electro-state, China would represent a paradigm shift as great as that of the industrial revolution of the 18th to 19th centuries. Just as that revolution fueled England to be a global power, so too is the advent of the electro-state likely to do the same for China.
With critical minerals or rare earths, both China and Australia hold large deposits. These minerals will grow in importance, due to their increased need in electronics, computing, communications, batteries, electric vehicles (EVs), wind turbines, medical equipment, and military applications. They are the minerals of the future. They need to be cooperatively used to facilitate ongoing human technological development.
GT: Based on your observation, what is the general sentiment toward China in Australian society today?
Queripel: Sentiment toward China in Australia is improving but there is still a long way to go. It is always easier to inculcate fear than build trust, so once those interested in stoking fear, politicians, the media and the Australian security apparatus, the latter totally dominated by and serving US interests, it was simple to turn public opinion.
With the election of a Labor Government in 2022 relations began to incrementally change. A recent poll by the Australian-based Lowy Institute shows that while the gradual warming is encouraging, the poll also shows there is still a long way to go to bring relations back to where they were in the halcyon days a decade ago.
GT: How do you view the hype over the so-called "China threat" by some organizations and people in Australia?
Queripel: Australian security agencies, heavily intertwined with their US counterparts through such things as the Five Eyes Alliance, perpetuate the idea of this threat, with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) being at the forefront. The media, always looking for a shock/horror story, is happy to run with what it is fed, while the Western "military industrial complex" has much to gain financially by hyping a "China threat." All this security talk ignores China having never shown any preparedness to threaten its neighbors, nor be involved in military adventurism. Hopefully Australians will eventually understand their security lies more with a stable, multilateral China, rather than an increasingly capricious and unpredictable US. Current US policies, especially around trade protectionism, are likely to strengthen that current trend, with the above referenced Lowy Poll showing a huge 20 percent loss of faith in the US by Australians.
GT: Climate change is viewed by both sides as an important potential area for cooperation. Do you believe that strengthening cooperation in green transformation, renewable energy, and low-carbon technologies can serve as an effective lever to shape a more positive relationship?
Queripel: In the struggle to maintain a clean, green, and livable climate, Australia and China are "natural allies." Many Australians falsely think of China as being the major cause of increasing atmospheric CO2. Unknown is the fact that China is very rapidly moving away from carbon-based power to clean energy. Two-thirds of the global increase in renewable energy in the past year came from China. This is a good news story which gets little attention in Australia. There is a massive change being undertaken in China, completely ignored by the Australia media. The large-scale de-desertification projects, the incredible growth in EVs, and the technological advances in renewable energy taking place in China are all too often ignored or unknown in Australia.
On this trip Albanese has met both Australian and Chinese industry leaders to discuss "green steel." Australia has made significant advances in decarbonizing steel manufacture, and given China's appetite for construction, developments in this field will be significant in the fight against climate change.
GT: China is seeking to join the CPTPP, of which Australia is an important member. How do you think Australia's position on this issue will affect the long-term prospects of bilateral economic and trade relations?
Queripel: At a time when open and fair trade is under attack, frameworks like the RCEP and CPTPP have increased relevance and utility. The RCEP, of which China is a member, has helped consolidate and grow trade in the Asian region. This has enabled Asia to become the economic growth engine now powering the world. With China at its heart, the RCEP has demonstrated its success. The CPTPP as a wider grouping spanning the Pacific Ocean, was originally to include the US. Under the first Trump presidency they, however, refused to ratify that, which at that stage was going to be the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership). With the US sidelining itself the name was changed to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership, a change picking up the idea that the process was not completed, and that other nations may apply to join the organization.
With Australia holding the chair in 2025, an ideal opportunity presents itself - to admit China as a member. It clearly makes sense for Australia to press for China's admittance, given the benefit Australia derives from Chinese trade.
GT: Besides visa facilitation, what do you think are the biggest opportunities currently facing the deepening of bilateral tourism cooperation? How can people-to-people exchanges better promote bilateral cooperation and understanding?
Queripel: There is an enormous opportunity for China to attract tourists. The natural scenery, rich culture, and fascinating history, along with ease of travel on amazing infrastructure make travel easy. Travel is also extremely well priced for flights, internal transport, and accommodation, while for Australians, China is also closer than most other destinations. For either individual travel, or as part of a tour, organized by one of the growing numbers of tour agencies, China is a very appealing and affordable destination.
China has just again extended its visa free entry to more nations. Currently, the greatest bottleneck to travel by Australians to China is the sort of fear generated by the propaganda of which I have spoken. But greater people-to-people interactions will help break that as obviously increasing interactions between people is the best means to overcoming fear and suspicion.