Our retreat from Asia has become a rout

May 29, 2025

John Menadue has written correctly and persuasively about Australia’s failure to engage with Asia, and about our failure to try to understand the region. The fact is that Asian studies, and, in particular, China studies, have gone backwards over the last two decades. He lists various attempts at progress, and there is no point in repeating them. But he is absolutely right to criticise the failure of these efforts and absolutely right that “it is time to do something about it”.

The reasons for these multiple failures are complex. But I believe the main one is the deeply-rooted Sinophobia in Australian culture. And it is an irrational phobia.

China’s is an ancient and deeply embedded culture, but a study of its history tells me that the Chinese are basically peaceful. China is not a threat to Australian security. This fear is kept alive at present by the American obsession at being overtaken by a country they have become used to thinking of as inferior.

Decades of engagement with China have taught me that the Chinese demand respect, but do not seek domination. They want not hegemony, but to be part of a multipolar world. And that seems reasonable to me.