Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott shake hands at the start of their bilateral meeting in Parliament House in 2014. Credit: AP Photo/Mike Bowers, Pool
China’s relationships with several nations, from the U.S. to India, have soured in recent times. The decline in its ties with Australia has been particularly sharp — and carries risks for both sides.
Not so long ago, Sino-Australian relations seemed on a much healthier track. China’s leader Xi Jinping addressed Australia’s parliament in 2014. The two countries got cozier still with a Free Trade Agreement enacted in 2015. Bilateral trade jumped and China continued to invest heavily in Australian resources and other sectors.
But as the global mood towards China darkened, the Australian authorities grew suspicious of Chinese encroachment. Australia became one of the first major countries to effectively ban Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei in 2018. A key point in the two countries’ deteriorating relationship came with Australia’s call for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 in spring 2020.
China hit back with tariffs on Australian barley in May,
Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
A weekly curated reading list on China from David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Shanghai correspondent for The New York Times.
A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our Subscriptions page for details.
Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. Trade Representative under Donald Trump, reflects on his decision to launch the trade war with China and begin the process of "strategic decoupling" — a process he says the U.S. must see through to the end.
