Writer
Jocelyn Chey
Jocelyn Chey is Visiting Professor at the University of Sydney and Adjunct Professor at Western Sydney University and UTS. She formerly held diplomatic posts in China and Hong Kong. She is a member of the Order of Australia (AM) and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs.
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A funny thing happened on the way to Beijing: Reflections on spy recruitment practices
An innocent invitation to a conference could turn into a nightmare. Next month I shall be on my way to an Australian Studies conference in Beijing, but already I am nervous about my travel plans because of recent stories about the attitude of Australian spy agencies to information exchanges with China. Friends, if I fail Continue reading »
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China: Perspectives beyond the mainstream media
China looms large in the Australian psyche. On a practical level, what happens in China largely determines the success of global action to deal with climate change, the profitability of our rural economy and the financing of our universities. Our national leaders are concerned about rising tensions in our region and the interplay of US-China Continue reading »
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Yes for the Voice: How to translate into Chinese?
The Yes for the Voice campaign must work harder on a multicultural education campaign in the last weeks leading up to the referendum. The Chinese-Australian community is still uninformed about the issues and open to rumours and disinformation. The outcome could well depend on achieving understanding and consensus between disparate ethnic communities. Continue reading »
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Pearls and Irritations covers important stories that would otherwise be ignored
In an age when the mainstream media scene is monotone and superficial, Pearls and Irritations covers important stories that would otherwise be ignored, and offers a refreshing diversity of opinion. It needs your support to survive and grow. Continue reading »
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Lithuania and Taiwan: “Don’t Fight, Don’t Win, Don’t Surrender”
Uzupis, a historic district of Vilnius, Lithuania and a vibrant artistic community, had unilaterally declared its independence from the rest of the country. It adopted three mottoes: “Don’t Fight,” “Don’t Win” and “Don’t Surrender.” These seem particularly apt for the ambiguous status of Taiwan with its anomalous international status and phantasmic national identity. Continue reading »
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Hong Kong and the rose garden promise: Thoughts on the “Fugitive Eight”
Eight Hong Kong dissidents now living abroad are subject to arrest warrants, including Kevin Yam, a Melbourne-based lawyer, and Ted Hui, a former politician who now lives in Adelaide. Continue reading »
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Wagner and China: The final curtain or an encore still to come?
For a few days, China, like the rest of the world, was transfixed by the Wagner Group’s tactical advance on Moscow, threatening the stability of the Russian government and the rule of President Vladimir Putin before the challenge collapsed suddenly. Continue reading »
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Dear Secretary Blinken: Some advice from an Australian old China hand
We do not want there to be war over Taiwan. If such were threatened, we could never be involved. Continue reading »
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China and US power in Southeast Asia
China’s power has replaced the United States’ in the eyes of most of our Asian neighbours, according to the latest Lowy Institute Asia Power Snapshot. What are the implications for Australia? Continue reading »
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Vale Sir Les Patterson
The passing of my distinguished predecessor, Sir Leslie Colin Patterson deserves a tribute. Continue reading »
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China has put the US in the “too hard” basket
“Keep Calm and Carry On” posters should be put up in all Canberra government departments. The British Ministry of Information produced the original of this meme in 1939 to prevent public panic about widely predicted German air attacks. A new version is needed in Australia in 2023 to counter fears of imminent invasion and subversion Continue reading »
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The defence establishment and Fairfax take on China
Hysteria over a supposed immediate China threat is being peddled by the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in the first of a series of three reports titled Red Alert. Not since Menzies’s days, have we seen anything like the papers’ dramatic image of an air force fleet emerging from a supersized China to dominate Continue reading »
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Whom can we trust? some reflections on social trends in China and Australia
China continues to lead the world in trust, according to the influential Edelman Trust Barometer. The 2023 latest survey repeats similar previous rankings and gives the lie to commentators who continually maintain that the Communist Party of China is losing its legitimacy in the eyes of its citizens. Continue reading »
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Australia, Penny Wong and the UK: shades of empire?
Foreign Minister Penny Wong invoked the power of shared colonial histories in a speech during her recent visit to the United Kingdom. Continue reading »
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The tale of the Rabbit and the Tiger: China 2023
The Lunar New Year comes early in 2023, and the incoming Year of the Rabbit offers possibilities of significant changes in personal and national fortunes. Those responsible for formulating Australia’s China policy are advised to watch developments carefully and be flexible in their responses. Continue reading »
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Half a century: Australia, China and the United Nations
On December 21 it will be fifty years since Australia established diplomatic relations with China. The anniversary has already been marked by several events across the country. It is also prompting some reflections in the media. Many draw comparisons between 1972 and 2022, noting that in both years there were significant shifts in Australian foreign Continue reading »
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The party decides: review of the CCP National Congress
More of the same. That’s the outcome of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which concluded at the weekend. The implication for Australia is that we had better get used to it. Continue reading »
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China: How do I fear thee? Let me count the ways
A deep-seated ontological fear is complicating any possible moves towards restoring some semblance of normality in relations with China. There are many strands in this tangled skein. Let me try to pick some of them apart. Continue reading »
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The Defence Strategic Review: China is not a military threat
Australia’s defence policy is based on an assumed “China Threat”. If this assumption is maintained, it will be used to justify increased defence spending and a closer defence engagement with the United States and other “like-minded” countries, including Quad and AUKUS partners. Continue reading »
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What to do about the Treasure Island of Taiwan
“Sir, with no intention to take offence, I deny your right to put words into my mouth,” Captain Smollett said in Stevenson’s classic Treasure Island. Continue reading »
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When words matter: Reviewing the Wong-Wang meeting
Failure to recognise linguistic nuances partly explains the misinterpretation of the meeting by Birtles and other journalists. Continue reading »
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China’s peace keeping soft power and its new MOOTW regulations
On 15 June President Xi Jinping signed into force new regulations regarding China’s Military Operations Other Than War usually abbreviated as MOOTW. Eryk Bagshaw of the Sydney Morning Herald immediately declared them to be “an expansion of his country’s military capabilities, giving the defence forces the power to protect its interests abroad”. The Herald offers Continue reading »
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Dogfight over the Paracels: Is this how to avoid a Third World War?
The dogfight may belong to the days of the Red Baron, but close aerial manoeuvres are still dangerous and can quickly escalate. Let us hope that is not going to happen between China and Australia. Continue reading »
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Bachelet in China: Insights into Human Rights and Xinjiang
UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s recent visit to China did not impress an international press that has made the treatment of the mainly Muslim Uighur people of Xinjiang province a major ground for the West’s political attacks on China. Their negative comments have missed the main point of the visit, which has opened a Continue reading »
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Bachelet in China: Will the truth about Xinjiang be uncovered?
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet arrived in China on 22 May, the first such high-level visit since 2005. During her six days in China she will visit the far west province of Xinjiang where the Uighur minority people have been subject to several rights violations, as admitted by her office last Continue reading »
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The Taiwan dilemma: A stark choice
American foreign policy seems to be moving inexorably towards recognition of Taiwan as a sovereign nation. This would greatly heighten the danger of armed conflict between the US and China and would make Taiwan not more but less secure. The incoming Australian Foreign Minister should consider policy options and their long-term consequences carefully, for our Continue reading »
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“South Flows the Pearl” Book launch speech about Chinese Australian voices
Chinese people have been in this country almost as long as the British. …Unfortunately, from the 1980s on, following an increase in immigration from Hong Kong, South-East Asia and mainland China, there have been new waves of racism, so that even today the Chinese community still feels marginalised. Continue reading »
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China’s Ukraine dilemma
China has clearly been vacillating about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, abstaining from votes in the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly and in various public pronouncements avoiding any reference to “war” or “invasion.” Continue reading »
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Russia, China and the Game of Weiqi. Ukraine is not a predictor of Taiwan
Scott Morrison is beating up fear of an Arc of Autocracy in a bid to boost his electoral chances. This short-term objective will not help Australia win the complex game of Weiqi chess currently being played in our region. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is not a predictor of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, and Continue reading »
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It is hard to dismount from a Tiger
The well-known Chinese proverb, “When you’re riding a tiger, it’s hard to get off” is a particularly apt description of Australia’s relations with China in 2022, the Year of the Tiger according to the Chinese calendar. Continue reading »
