Australia's "Pearl and Spice" website, August 30 article, original title: I Am Afraid of My Ignorance of China

The United States and its allies, such as Australia, are afraid of the prospect of their citizens gaining a better understanding of China through intellectual exchange and personnel exchanges. The Americans have artificially set up barriers to communication, and Australia follows suit. Recent adjustments to visa policies and cultural and academic exchange policies have accelerated the "decoupling" from China, thereby creating division and fragmentation. However, we need to understand China more than ever - its history, aspirations, and policies.

The distorted analysis and fabrications in the "China hawks'" policy toward China cannot replace genuine insights into the political complexity of China and this region. Regardless of political orientation, many people long for learning and exchange. As the chair of the advisory committee of the Charles Darwin University Confucius Institute, I recently awarded prizes to Australian youth studying Chinese, and also to Chinese students who chose to study in Australia. Both groups of students yearned to understand each other.

The desire for knowledge is not a recent phenomenon, nor is it one-way. I remember taking a private taxi during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. The driver learned English by watching American action movies and was eager to practice his language skills, even though some expressions were imperfect, but his enthusiasm for understanding foreign culture was undeniable.

The need for understanding once had support from the highest level. At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Leaders Summit held in Beijing in 2014, then-US President Obama announced 10-year visas for Chinese citizens, and I applauded with everyone else. This move promoted more convenient and frequent personnel exchanges, something Australia has yet to achieve.

At that time, interest in understanding China was at its peak. I gave lectures to Australian government officials and business delegations on (Australia-China) cultural differences, and the learning process was full of challenges. Those who accepted the challenge established lasting friendships and business relationships in China. Those who feared the challenge fell back into misconceptions and misunderstandings, and their outdated views could always be heard in the parliament halls. Now, Australia is following the US's path of retreating from China-related exchanges. Combined with the US government's continuous distortion of China, these factors collectively limit people's deeper and more comprehensive understanding of China. A field of ignorance becomes fertile ground for baseless suspicions nourished by fear.

Australia seems to have no intention of improving understanding of China, and the number of experts on China and the extensive knowledge of China is gradually declining. This negative attitude that hinders in-depth exchanges has left senior political leaders and the public lost in the sea of ignorance, easily becoming prey for those spreading anti-China rhetoric.

History has shown that when thoughts cannot be exchanged and differences cannot be discussed, humanity's darkest instincts will run rampant. I am not afraid of understanding China, I am afraid of my ignorance of China.

(Author: Dai Ruo Guobi, an Australian expert in international financial technology analysis, translated by Qiao Heng)

Source: Global Times

Author: Dai Ruo Guobi, translated by Qiao Heng

Editor: U072

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7544915494281789978/

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