POLS Alexander Whittle 837305

Tutorial Reflection

My argument for the statement A re-emerging China constitutes the greatest threat, ever, 

to Australia’s security rested on three points. First, that China’s contribution to climate change

threatens Australia’s interests. Second, that Chinese donations to Australian political parties

threatens Australian democracy. Finally, that the possibility of either Chinese economic stagnation

or emergence in front of the United States as the prominent power in Asia presents challenges to

the region that will inevitably affect instability.

It was difficult to find tenable examples of threats that China poses because ‘threat’ implies an

immediacy of danger that is currently unapparent for Australia. My first point clearly demonstrated

this difficulty in pinpointing direct threats – China’s contribution to climate change is more imminent

than to be a ‘risk’ but unintentional and not readily observed. My second concerned a stronger and

more salient threat that foreign donations to domestic political parties can result in unduly large

influence over Australian politics – though this is similarly difficult to observe relative to threats like

actual military conflict, trade dispute or diplomatic turmoil. My final point was more a ‘risk’ than a

‘threat’, because it is not inevitable nor impending.

Subsequent class discussion firstly focused on the definition of ‘threat’, and how the question could

more easily be answered with examples of ‘risks’ that China presents. It then shifted to a discussion

of Australia’s existing US alliance and potential new alliances that would alleviate risks of Chinese

aggression or set Australia up to sufficiently repel it. We briefly considered New Zealand, which

values its economic partnerships with Asian countries but does not have a standing military capable

of defending the nation. Then, we discussed Indonesia and other nations, but no one in the class had

enough of an understanding of any of them to assert a reasonable position.

This led to a debate on the possibility of Chinese invasion of Australia, where it was questioned what

China would gain, if anything, from attacking Australia militarily. This conversation was derailed with
POLS Alexander Whittle 837305

more informed discussion of the positive and compslementary economic partnership between the

countries and China’s recent trend of willing participation and obedience in international

institutions, rather than aggression. Bonnie Glaser of the China Power Project hypothesises this is a

non-aggressive avenue that China can undertake moulding of the international order to better suit

its strategic interests [ CITATION TuX19 \l 2057 ].

Armed with this understanding, the class critiqued anti-China sentiment, as in Clive Hamilton’s Silent

Invasion. We concluded that an unpredictable future in the Asian region is fuelling fatalist,

reactionary and xenophobic attitudes of China as a threat to Australian security.

Ultimately I decided that currently, China does not pose a threat to Australia – certainly not any

more than Japan did in World War 2. The unpredictable future is fuelling fears of China, aggravated

by cyber incursions against the Australian governments and universities, foreign political donations

and an arguable readily xenophobic national zeitgeist.

POLS Alexander Whittle 837305

Bibliography
Xinquan, T. (2019, July 16). Chian and the World Trade Organization: A Conversation with Tu
Xinquan. (B. Glaser, Interviewer)