The visit of China’s third-ranking leader should have prompted serious discussion about diplomacy and economic relations. Instead, Australia’s media fixated on security theatrics and fed a familiar cycle of fear.

An official visit to Australia from China’s number three leader Zhao Leji, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, should generate some news.

But this is Australia with, what in terms of mainstream media, must be somewhere near the most slavish in the world in parroting predictable narratives.

So what did we get instead of analysis concerning the visit? Some breathlessly excited commentary about the security risk of Chinese visitors wandering the halls of Parliament.

So dangerous was the visit, there was a leaked secret email from the Department of Parliamentary Services containing strict security protocols, including instructions to stay off Wi-Fi networks due to fears of potential hacking attempts.

“Suites and offices adjacent to the delegation movements may wish to ensure doors and blinds are closed during the visit for privacy,” the message read.

“Within the identified areas, Internet-connected devices including phones, tablets and laptops should be powered down.

“Where devices must be used, please ensure phones and iPads are updated with the latest software version and placed in lockdown mode, and laptops should have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth switched off.”

Exactly what Maxwell Smart and ’99’ would have recommended on the advice of Agent 43, who after spending the last 20 years hidden under the Speaker’s chair knows everything.

Perhaps the delegation was carrying a mini Pine Gap with them. Now there’s foreign espionage in Australia!

Given Zhao also visited Queensland Premier David Crisafulli, and the Governor-General Samantha Mostyn, a careful sweep may need be made for any listening devices left. Those devious Chinese do that sort of thing, which of course we never would. Whoops, who dared mention Timor Leste?

Wasn’t it just 11 years ago in 2014 that the Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed Parliament? Doesn’t paranoia grow when given oxygen!

Little wonder former PM Paul Keating has scathingly judged Australia’s intelligence agencies, notorious for their Sinophobia, as being “the nutters in charge” creating “hysteria” concerning China.

Mainstream media, including the public broadcaster, lapped it up. So taken were they by the security angle, they forgot to mention anything else, though the koala pics made good copy.

To find any information regarding the intent of the visit, and the events that transpired, one needed to turn to Chinese media.

There you have it, Australia’s largest trading partner by far, a nation on whom our economy is so dependent, and all we get is what we got.

One wonders to where the blame should lie: intelligence agencies, buffoons pretending to be boffins, or a media growing ever more docile and servile?