Engaging China: How Australia can lead the way again (ed by Jamie Reilly & Jingdong Yuan, SUP)
Alarmism in both the media and popular politics over China has done a disservice to Australia’s relationship with the neighbouring nation. So argues Engaging China, an academic essay collection that advocates for renewed direct engagement with China to advance our national interests. ‘The Australia–China relationship is characterised today by a sense of drift and uncertainty,’ opine the book’s editors. Essays by esteemed China experts—including former diplomats and renowned scholars—then examine the fledging relationship and argue for a welcome corrective to be found in more judicious diplomacy. The editors first acknowledge recent concerns that countries such as the UK and Australia have had with China, including over Huawei 5G technology and ‘Belt and Road’ infrastructure-building initiatives. But they argue these concerns are often sensationalised and misplaced, with negative consequences ultimately to our own diplomatic relations. Assessing our recent political alignment with the US over China (as well as other key policy positions), contributors assert that Australia should avoid the ‘pitfalls’ that this over-reliance on the US risks and instead pursue independent solutions. While some noticeable notable issues are not covered in detail—Taiwan, the Uyghur people and TikTok—Engaging China is still a detailed and compelling assessment of China and the state of our relations with the country today. It soberly unpacks the myriad complex considerations between Australia and China (trade, investment, higher education), and cautions the Albanese government against subscribing to past alarmist positions to instead take a more active, even-handed role now in pursuing regional diplomacy. This book will surely interest China academics, international relations students and government policy makers.
Books+Publishing reviewer: Nathan Smith is a freelance writer. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.
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Category: Reviews
