The escalating row between China and Australia holds important lessons for India and, indeed, for the broader international community. Each incident and utterance, by the Chinese Communist Party spokespersons or by a designated proxy, peels away a fresh layer of the carefully cultivated veneer of the allegedly peaceful rise of China. The mask is off and the naked aggression, in words and actions, is on full display. Chinese assault on Australia Ostensibly, it was the Australian demand for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus in April 2020 and China’s apoplectic reaction to the demand that set the once-booming ties on their current trajectory. But on 18 November, the ‘wolf warriors’ at the Chinese embassy in Canberra helpfully leaked a document that lists 14 grievances that Australia must address to bring relations back to even keel. Outrage over the virus inquiry is only one of these. Others range from unhappiness over positions taken by Australia on South China Sea and Hong Kong, to the negative portrayal of China by Australian media and think tanks, and restrictions imposed by Australia to keep Huawei and ZTE out of its 5G telecom network. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison responded saying he had seen the unofficial document and that Australia’s values, democracy and sovereignty “are not up for trade”. Meanwhile, Beijing continues to ramp up its pressure on the Australian economy. In its latest move on 27 November, China slapped an unprecedented anti-dumping duty of up to 212 per cent on Australian wines. Since the Chinese market accounted for 40 per cent of Australia’s wine exports, the impact on the struggling viticulture industry will be devastating. And it comes on the heels of other restrictions on key Australian exports like beef, barley, seafood, coal, and timber.
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