Anthony Albanese’s visit to China was a ground-breaking event – but its significance was largely overshadowed by the enduring strain of Sinophobia within Australia’s political and media landscape.
Despite its importance, mainstream Australian media gave the trip nowhere near the coverage it deserved. Albanese arrived in Shanghai on July 12, accompanied by journalists and a business delegation. His first official engagement was a meeting with Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining, a rising figure in Chinese politics.
From July 14 to 16, the delegation was in Beijing, where
Albanese met Premier Li Qiang, President Xi Jinping, and Zhao Leji. Zhao Leji,
the third-ranking member of China’s political hierarchy and the current
chairman of its Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress – in that
order. He also attended a CEO Roundtable hosted by the China Development Bank.
The final leg of the trip (July 16–18) took him to Chengdu,
including a visit to the famous panda breeding research centre – home to the
two pandas currently on loan to the Adelaide Zoo.
The backdrop to this visit is critical. Following the
COVID-19 pandemic and the Biden administration’s intensification of
China-containment policies, the Morrison government chose confrontation over
diplomacy, leaving Australia–China relations deeply frayed. It was during this
period that Sinophobia visibly intensified in Australian discourse.
Relations began to thaw only after Labor, under Albanese,
came to power in 2022. In early 2024, the press painted Albanese as politically
vulnerable, but he secured a surprise landslide victory in May 2025. Many
attribute his win, ironically, to Donald Trump, whom the leader of the Liberal
Party, Peter Dutton, is said to be ideologically aligned with.
Nevertheless, the Liberal Party and its supporters – many of
whom are wealthier, more conservative, and, frankly, racially prejudiced –
still wield significant influence. They remain intolerant of pro-Palestinian
demonstrations and view rapprochement with China with deep suspicion. It is
common for media and officials to pointedly refer to the Chinese government as
the “Chinese Communist Party” or “CCP” – akin to calling the entire Australian
government “The Labor Party” – a rhetorical device that implies authoritarian
menace.
Instead of focusing on the substantial goals of Albanese’s
visit – economic recovery, trade restoration, tourism, green exports, AI
partnerships, education, and soft power diplomacy – the media was preoccupied
with what Albanese didn’t say. They criticized him for not “confronting”
Xi Jinping on matters like the Darwin Port lease, the detention of Dr. Yang
Hengjun, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet, and China's naval drills near
Australia.
Such criticisms betray a fundamental misunderstanding of
diplomatic protocol. Sensitive issues are not tackled in the full glare of
cameras; they are discussed discreetly, often at lower levels of government or
in private sessions. Would an Australian prime minister, on a royal visit,
demand answers from King Charles about political disputes? Of course not.
Australian journalists also amplified minor incidents to
reinforce their narrative. In one case, some claimed they were harassed by
security while filming near Beijing’s Drum and Bell Towers. While I’m not privy
to the facts, I find such stories questionable. China’s security forces are
highly trained and unlikely to act arbitrarily—unless there was more to the
incident than reported. It seemed to me some journalists were actively seeking
controversy.
In truth, Albanese’s visit achieved meaningful outcomes:
- Trade
Restoration: Barley, wine, beef, lobster, and apple
exports are recovering, restoring billions in annual value.
- Green
Investment: Agreements on green steel, critical
minerals, and clean energy projects align with the “Future Made in
Australia” strategy.
- Tourism
& Technology: New tourism initiatives and cooperation
in AI, digital infrastructure, and education are under discussion.
These initiatives will bring jobs, exports, and strategic
partnerships – yet they remain obscured by media hostility toward China.
Albanese must balance pragmatic diplomacy with the political necessity of not
appearing to “kowtow” to Beijing. Nonetheless, his visit has clearly helped
stabilize bilateral ties.
A Mahathir Comparison
This episode reminds me of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. While I no
longer hold him in awe following his betrayal of the Pakatan Harapan coalition
during the 2020 “Sheraton Move,” I respect some elements of his earlier legacy.
In the 1980s, Mahathir promoted a “Look East” policy, encouraging Malaysians to
emulate Japanese work ethics. He once observed that in Western systems,
subordinates often undermine leadership decisions—even good ones—whereas in
Japan, they rally behind their leaders, ensuring even flawed decisions succeed
through collective effort.
Much of “Australianness,” in my view, mirrors the former: a
culture prone to self-sabotage and divisiveness.
This is one of the rare moments I find Mahathir’s
reflections worth revisiting.
Caution, Not Celebration
That said, I am not rushing to celebrate Albanese’s
success. In Western democracies, governments change quickly – Australia holds
elections every three years. The curse of incumbency is real. If Labor falls
and the Coalition returns, foreign policy may swing sharply back to a pro-U.S.,
anti-China stance.
Even in the U.S., anti-China measures have proven
stubbornly durable. Biden retained many of Trump’s policies. Australia’s
federal government did the same – Victoria’s Belt & Road Initiative, signed
under Premier Daniel Andrews, was swiftly terminated by the Morrison
government.
Who Helps to Fuel Sinophobia?
Two illustrative cases show how Sinophobia is sustained.
The Case of Dr. Yang Hengjun
Yang Hengjun, an Australian
citizen, was formerly a Chinese diplomat and reportedly worked with the
Ministry of State Security. He emigrated to Australia in 1987, became a citizen
in 2002, and later earned a PhD focused on China’s internet and information
warfare.
In 2024, Yang was sentenced to
death with a two-year reprieve, convicted of espionage for allegedly passing
state secrets to a foreign intelligence agency. His personal property was
confiscated. While Australian media claim he is innocent, we must remember that
China’s intelligence services are among the world’s most formidable. They do
not make such charges lightly.
The Case of Cheng Lei
Cheng Lei, a former CGTN news
anchor, was detained in China for three years. Upon release, she now publicly
condemns China. While I do not dismiss her personal experience, it’s worth
noting how quickly narratives shift once a person relocates or becomes politicized
in the Western media landscape.
Self-Loathing Among the Diasporas
I still remember a 2008 image I keep on file – not for the
issue it portrayed, but for the expression of deep-seated hostility from the
person in it. That image captured the face of pure Sinophobia.
Many overseas Chinese, particularly those who left China in
the wake of Deng Xiaoping’s 1989 Tiananmen “crackdown” and the return of Hong
Kong to China in 1997, idolized the West. Some developed contempt for their
compatriots in China—mocking their rural manners and lack of polish. This
internalized racism has often passed to their children.
Some, like Miles Yu Maochun, became high-level aides
actively working against China. Others operate within think tanks, media
outlets, or academia—acting as voices of opposition. Why should China allow
them free access if their intent is to undermine its legitimacy?
Among the diaspora, a subset truly believes China is a
dystopia. They justify their own emigration by vilifying the land they left
behind. Many even joined Falun Gong! They refuse to believe China is freer or
more modern than the West in certain respects.
One relative even asked whether it was “safe” for me to
travel to China. His Ivy League-educated husband still uses the term
“Chinaman,” as though Chinese people were somehow lesser beings.
These individuals are not ignorant—they are highly
educated. But they have consumed only Western narratives and dismiss all others
as fiction. To them, even the US-China trade war is China’s fault.
Final Thoughts
Sinophobia in the western world in general, and in
Australia in particular, is complex. It
is perpetuated not only by politicians and media but also by diaspora
communities who have internalized the West’s superiority complex. But amid the
noise, progress is still being made. The question is: how long can it hold?
* * * * *
Albo had wasted tax payers' money to fund his trip to China!
ReplyDeleteFederal elections once every three years is too frequent for meaningful changes in governmental policies to complete. By the third year, prior to the next elections, many may view the Prime Minister as a lame duck.
ReplyDeleteSo well written and so true. I enjoy your blog Yu Book. Keep it coming.
ReplyDeleteLatent racism has always been in Oz. The Asians are tolerated, not fully accepted unless they show that they have been assimilated in the white culture. Penny W is an example
ReplyDeleteIt's the scale and the record that matter. China, 5,000 years and 1,400 million; Australia 124 years and 27 million. And because of China as its main buyer, Australia's economy boomed for decades.
ReplyDeleteSo, when Australia out of the blue and openly called for an inquiry into China's handling of Covid when official backdoor channels were not exhausted, what was a trusting and profitable relationship for Australia built over time immediately was whitewashed (pun intended) of all PAST collaborative spirit which next diminished the potential of future sovereign interactions.
In short and just as what Lithuania had done, Australia tried to smear the sovereign image of China, and since China's only government is the CPC, that political body as well which has a membership of 100 million.
Why is China's CPC so worked up about its image, someone at the back and leaving asks? Could it be because it is the only vehicle to erase the memory of that century where the country and her peoples, certainly more diverse than many others, were defiled by the whites and one yellow in coattails?
We can't have one fifth of the human race be made to think they are only to work subserviently for the G7, for that matter the eight-nation alliance that had planted boots on her soil before.
Without China's rejuvenation, Chinese Exclusion Acts of 1882 would proliferate all over like bush-fires (pun also intended) especially when Australian battleships and air recon planes prowl near China shores and with a Taiwan she reclaims, in China's backyard pond, the Taiwan Straits. Thus the circumnavigation of the Australian continent by the PLN - but only as a pointed message in retaliation.
Today, many countries admire China's relentless rejuvenation inasmuch they decry the self-immolation of the United States the big brother of Australia, politically, socially and internationally. Note that China neither deigned it opportune nor lifted a finger to cause that. Used to seeing others fold but here's China which doesn't, the US combusted on its own accord - like Rumpelstiltskin.
Surely, Canberra would have seen all that - so the only logical reason why the sinophobia persists - despite white Australians today rubbing shoulders with Chinese Australians from many countries not just China - must be because the forefathers of the present-day white Aussies who were heading for Louisiana and the Carolinas on British steamships had to be diverted to the coast of Perth, later Sydney after the redshirts lost that continent. Iron shackles were presumably plentiful on those ships.
In a nutshell, it's a culture thing.
Which may explain why some of the tag-along's in Albanese's entourage had to show their unreconstructed recalcitrance.
Otherwise, how can they keep face with their fellow mates back home now that their leader is following his New Zealand's counterpart, Luxon, in brimming with new enthusiasm for China so soon after Morrison-Dutton-Howard. Right, Penny Wong?
2/2
ReplyDeleteBut whether for show or for real, time will show.
The wax and wane of sovereign relationships? That's why China has consistently followed her set principles even oftimes at personal costs and despite one NTU Sg's Tang theorizing that China practices strategic ambiguity.
Others will say she has been too stubborn for their liking but one must ask, what be their credentials?
On the matter of human rights, there are two aspects.
Domestic? London of his majesty's human rights department has tons of surveillance CCTVs but is not labelled a surveillance state; the western media couldn't lap it up enough that China is - with all their fumancu connotations. Yet, Londoners in broad daylight are swiped off their handphones, and lately knived too. China, rarely.
International? the notion that China is an authoritarian state. When as Mahbubani pointed, over a hundred million can go out of the country as tourists only to return happy after their shopping sprees (and durian and seafood fests), shouldn't a referendum be submitted for more states to be authoritarian? But that would require their governments be run by officials schooled in by meritocracy and up by proven experience.
China as not democratic? for her size and complexity, doesn't her system feature democratic elections at grassroot levels but without the fanfare of trumpian dramatics including ear-piercing - else where do those officials come from?
Her peoples suffocated by controls? But her social media are a marvel of millions of views on everything and thousands of babellian comments.
Let us therefore endeavour to make blogs such as this achieve proportionate glory too.
Anglosaxon, British lordships and von der Leyen/Baerbeck democracies? Lately, seig heil!
Lastly, detentions. One of the two Canadians who were detained but released charged that his government hadn't paid him for subversive activities in China. It was also understood much earlier BP Australia contrived to win a huge contract to supply to China after spying on her buying price range, later causing her to lose a few hundred billions to the end of the contract. And the latest case involves an American financier who scammed her China clients. But the US has made threats unless she be released.
Such be the sewer of riff-raff western machinations that one can be excused for wanting to retire like Laozi and ride off on a buffalo.
Also, excuse the ranty tone. Pain is the only constant these days...