Blame and frame: How Chinese Australians are counted when blamed, discounted when needed
Fred Zhang

Blame and frame: How Chinese Australians are counted when blamed, discounted when needed

We say we want to understand China. Then we glance past a million Chinese speakers at home and start counting somewhere else.
A masterclass in agency: What Singapore can teach Australia about China
Fred Zhang

ANTI-CHINA MEDIA WATCH

A masterclass in agency: What Singapore can teach Australia about China

Singapore’s new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong sat down with the ABC on 2 October and offered something rare in Australia’s China debate: clarity, confidence, and a middle-power strategy that doesn’t involve shouting or submission.

We killed our car industry and now we're drafted to fight against Chinese EVs (again?)
Fred Zhang

ANTI-CHINA MEDIA WATCH

We killed our car industry and now we're drafted to fight against Chinese EVs (again?)

The call is getting louder and louder: Australia needs to join allies in restricting Chinese electric vehicles.

Blaming China won’t keep the lights on – or pay the power bill
Fred Zhang

ANTI-CHINA MEDIA WATCH

Blaming China won’t keep the lights on – or pay the power bill

Sky News is back on the beat with a familiar headline: “The $20,000-per-person climate tax: Cost of Australia's green agenda to become astonishingly clear this week when new emissions targets are set.”

If we want to win the Pacific, we must first listen – and stop blaming China for everything
Fred Zhang

ANTI-CHINA MEDIA WATCH

If we want to win the Pacific, we must first listen – and stop blaming China for everything

A 9 September editorial in The Sydney Morning Herald, titled China and Australia in a high-speed race to win control of the Pacific, offered a vivid picture of the daily contest for influence in the region.

Miners want to go green, then we hear News Corp's 'China!' scream
Fred Zhang

Anti-China Media Watch

Miners want to go green, then we hear News Corp's 'China!' scream

Another week, another national security threat, cooked freshly with local ingredients, News Corp’s signature technique, a lot of aged China-threat cliché, and a hint of unprofessional typo.

Australia is one trade deal away from backing authoritarians, says Taiwan
Fred Zhang

Anti-China Media Watch

Australia is one trade deal away from backing authoritarians, says Taiwan

In the grand tradition of diplomatic overreach, Taiwan's deputy foreign minister recently offered some sweet and spicy talking points to our media: semiconductors are tanks, China is akin to WWII Germany, and if Australia doesn't fast-track Taiwan into the CPTPP, we might all wake up speaking Mandarin under a fascist AI regime, as reported by News Corp and 7 News.

Pay up, shut up, speak up against China, or we won't get the subs (some wise Americans demand)
Fred Zhang

Anti-China Media Watch

Pay up, shut up, speak up against China, or we won't get the subs (some wise Americans demand)

Australia's $368 billion submarine program is apparently wobbling again, not because US shipyards can't keep up, or because a future president could cancel the deal with the flick of a pen.

Breaking: Chilling ‘News Virus’ sweeps Australia
Fred Zhang

Anti-China Media Watch

Breaking: Chilling ‘News Virus’ sweeps Australia

Chikungunya is a virus first identified in 1952 in what is now Tanzania, carried by mosquitoes, long since a globetrotter.

Australia needs better China coverage. This ABC story just gave us less
Fred Zhang

Anti-China Media Watch

Australia needs better China coverage. This ABC story just gave us less

The South China Sea is complicated. The ABC made it simple – and not in a good way. When public media reduces regional disputes to black-and-white, it risks turning policy into performance.

Britain’s back, China’s the target. We’ll likely pay the price again
Fred Zhang

Anti-China Media Watch

Britain’s back, China’s the target. We’ll likely pay the price again

Britain's HMS Prince of Wales has docked in Darwin, flanked by other warships and declarations.

BREAKING: Albo doesn’t yell at Xi — (part of) nation panics
Fred Zhang

Anti-China Media Watch

BREAKING: Albo doesn’t yell at Xi — (part of) nation panics

Albanese in China: 6 days, 1 panda, 0 shouting. (Some) media outrage level: critical.

Round up the usual Chinese suspects
Fred Zhang

Anti-China Media Watch

Round up the usual Chinese suspects

It’s a big week for headlines – and an even bigger week for fear. With Prime Minister Albanese landing in China, our media wasted no time rounding up their usual suspects.