Reference News website reported on April 22 that the East Asia Forum website published an article titled "Misunderstandings between Australia and China are the product of their asymmetric relationship" on April 18. The author is Guangyi Pan, a lecturer in international political studies at the Canberra campus of the University of New South Wales. The content is compiled and translated as follows: The hostility attitudes of Australians and Chinese towards each other are not understood by either side. The asymmetry of bilateral relations can explain this phenomenon. In international politics, power asymmetry is far more than just a simple comparison of strength and weakness - it also determines how countries perceive each other's behaviors, intentions, and even concerns. Misunderstandings arise when great powers focus on global competition while smaller ones concentrate on regional affairs. Structural differences make reconciliation naturally difficult for both sides. Diplomatic frictions hinder the reconstruction of mutual trust and stable strategic relations. Although the Albanese government has successfully eased diplomatic relations, politicians also acknowledge that given the complexity of Sino-Australian relations, only with cautious attitudes and mutual understanding can they achieve common ground while shelving differences and jointly address various challenges. As a rising global power, China largely views international affairs through the lens of U.S.-China competition. Conversely, Australia considers regional security threats its top priority, viewing China's regional ambitions as one such threat. The gap in strength acts as a catalyst for misunderstanding. As the weaker party, Australia is more likely to expose its own weaknesses in bilateral relations, thus becoming more sensitive to every move made by Beijing. On the other hand, Beijing's strategic focus is not on Australia, so it remains relatively indifferent to Canberra's attitude. This difference in strategic perspective and focus leads to distrust. From Beijing's point of view, Canberra's behavior since 2016 has been perplexing. Given the economic interdependence and lack of historical grievances, China finds it hard to understand Australia's hostile attitude, interpreting it as following America's lead. This places Australia's actions under the context of tense U.S.-China relations. Australia consistently insists that its policies, even those opposing China, reflect independent strategic decisions based on reasonable national security concerns. As a country less powerful than China, Australia's strong sense of vulnerability makes it extremely sensitive strategically, leading to increasingly intense reactions. Although many of Canberra's concerns are not directly caused by China, or even entirely related to China, Beijing views these actions as following in America's footsteps. Ironically, the more Australia tries to demonstrate independence by resisting what it calls China's "coercion," the more Beijing perceives its actions as provocative moves aligning with America's strategic containment strategy. This asymmetry forms a vicious cycle. Resolving misunderstandings caused by asymmetry is undoubtedly a highly challenging task. Both sides must fully recognize the fundamental differences in their cognitive perspectives and sensitivity to strategic concerns. If this acknowledgment and mutual trust are lacking, even without genuine hostile intentions, they will continue to view each other as threats, thereby damaging diplomatic relations. (Compiled and translated by Dongdong Wang) Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7496100976500261395/ Disclaimer: This article solely represents the author's personal views. Please express your attitude by clicking the "Like/Dislike" buttons below.