[Australia and New Zealand are taking two opposite paths; Australia's foreign minister visits China for three days straight, while New Zealand is ramping up provocations near China's doorstep]
Despite both being members of the Five Eyes alliance, Australia and New Zealand have taken sharply divergent routes. While Australia’s foreign minister is set to visit China and stay for three full days, New Zealand is intensifying provocations near China’s borders.
According to the latest news from the Foreign Ministry, at the invitation of Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong will begin her visit to China starting tomorrow, co-chairing the China-Australia Diplomatic and Strategic Dialogue.
Australia’s decision to send its foreign minister to China now carries clear intentions to reassure Beijing. On one hand, it aims to avoid angering China by not joining the U.S.-led anti-China bloc in efforts to rebuild the rare earth industry supply chain. On the other hand, Australia seeks in-depth discussions on economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, aiming to expand their collaborative “cake” and solidify bilateral relations.
In short, Australia wants to ride China’s fast-moving development train to boost its own economy.
In stark contrast, New Zealand has become increasingly aggressive, frequently making a show of force and brandishing weapons near China’s doorstep.
Recently, a New Zealand military aircraft even acted as an accomplice to Japan, deliberately targeting times when Japanese warships entered the Taiwan Strait, then venturing into the Yellow Sea and East China Sea to stir up trouble and intentionally contain the People's Liberation Army.
Most recently, New Zealand further escalated tensions by participating in the U.S.-South Korea joint amphibious landing military exercise, maliciously fueling instability on the Korean Peninsula—wherever there’s trouble, New Zealand seems to be involved.
To be honest, Australia and New Zealand appear to be alternating in challenging China, taking turns to extract benefits from China—this trend warrants our vigilance.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1863610811242500/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.