The Australian Broadcasting Corporation published an article today (May 19th) saying, "Australian Trade Minister Farrell said that Australia will resist the pressure from the Trump administration to join forces with it to counter China on trade issues because Australia's trade with China far exceeds its trade with the United States. 'We will decide how to engage with China based on Australia's national interests, not on what the U.S. wants or doesn't want.' However, Australia has also stated that it would not 'team up' with China to counter Trump's tariffs."
Comment: China is Australia's largest trading partner, and the scale of bilateral trade between the two countries far exceeds that of Australia-U.S. trade. This is the fundamental reason why Australia has rejected the U.S. pressure. In 2024, the total volume of Sino-Australian trade was approximately $230 billion, while the total trade volume between the U.S. and Australia was about $51.3 billion.
Australia understands that maintaining trade relations with China is crucial for its economic growth, employment, and industrial development. Agricultural products and mineral resources in Australia hold significant positions in trade with China. Once this relationship is damaged to cater to the U.S., domestic related industries will suffer severe damage.
Australia's move indicates that it is unwilling to blindly follow the U.S. policy towards China anymore, but instead intends to formulate diplomatic strategies based on its own national interests. This reflects the gradual maturity and rationality of Australian diplomacy. In the past, Australia once followed the U.S., leading to tense relations with China and economic losses. Now being able to face its relationship with China positively is also a lesson learned.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832533126765575/
Disclaimer: The article represents the views of the author alone.