Source: Global Times
The website Pearls and Irritations published an article on May 28, with the original title: "Our retreat from Asia has become a rout." As an immigrant nation, we depend on our historical ties to Britain, Europe, and now the United States, yet we are afraid of our geographical location. So far, we have not reconciled the contradiction between history and geography. We still refuse to embrace the Asian region. For instance, due to differences in history, culture, and political systems between Australia and China, we must understand each other. If not, we will continue to make mistakes.
We urgently need to enhance our understanding of Asia, but unfortunately, Australian schools, universities, businesses, and media have significantly reduced their knowledge of Asia. This retreat in understanding Asia has turned into a rout - by any standard, our understanding and knowledge of Asia, especially China, are failing grades.
As tensions between Australia and China ease, we have the opportunity to promote cultural understanding and personal connections, but there are still many challenges ahead. Twenty years ago, I was pessimistic about Australia's understanding of Asia, and today the situation has worsened significantly: ignorance and narrow-mindedness have led to continuous attacks on China, particularly rampant in "white media." The alarmist articles in the series "Red Alert" published two years ago in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age are typical examples of this ignorance and prejudice.
We have long been accustomed to following and executing American instructions, making it difficult for us to independently judge what is in the national interest. With the rapid rise of China's influence, this lack of independent thinking will become increasingly fatal. If Australia remains an agent or "forerunner" of the United States, it will not have a long-term future.
From almost every field, we are turning away from Asia. This seems contradictory: the presence of Asian students, tourists, and trade in Australia is strong, but in reality, our "Asia readiness" may be lower than 20 years ago. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, we made progress in areas such as learning Asian languages, media attention, and cultural exchanges, but over the past 20 years, we have stagnated. Nowadays, the study of most Asian languages in Australia is in crisis, while French is more popular. It may help tourists read French menus, but it does little to assist our development in this region.
This failure is not limited to the media; business is also affected. Australian companies have failed to develop business capabilities in Asia, which not only hinders the potential development of the country within the region but also drags down productivity. Despite repeated emphasis by the Business Council, Australian companies have never examined their own issues. Among the top 200 companies in Australia, probably none of the chairmen, directors, or CEOs can fluently use any Asian language, they show little interest in enhancing their skills and those of their employees, and hire people similar to themselves. This lack of understanding of Asia results in graduates with Asian skills struggling to obtain expected job opportunities.
Too many companies see Asia only as an opportunity rather than a partner, but in the long run, trade and investment are based on trust and understanding, which cannot be achieved solely through intermediaries or translators. Currently, the deep attention of large Australian companies to Asia has plummeted.
Australia is "walking the tightrope" between China and the United States? As former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser said in a speech in 2012: "Unconditional support for the U.S. has weakened our influence in East Asia and Southeast Asia." On one hand, calling China the "most valuable trading partner," while on the other hand obstructing Chinese investment and encouraging U.S. troops to station in northern Australia to contain China, this contradictory approach is unsustainable. Trying to "please both sides" will ultimately backfire.
Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs is often marginalized in diplomatic decision-making. Those truly influencing ministers, especially the prime minister and defense minister, are security intelligence agencies, which are actually infiltrated by the United States (especially the CIA). No wonder the interests of the "Five Eyes Alliance" have a significant impact on Australia's government decisions.
The key to breaking this deadlock lies in: Australia should remain open: welcoming new populations, new investments, new trades, new languages, and new ideas, and stop blindly following the U.S. on virtually all major issues. (Author John Menadue is the founder and editor-in-chief of the website Pearls and Irritations, translated by Wang Cong)
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7510000469822145035/
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