Adamson’s speech reflects deep-rooted insecurity and anxiety of China
Frances Adamson, secretary of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), said on Wednesday that the Chinese government is “dogged by insecurity” and holds a “deeply defensive mindset perceiving external threats even as it pushes its interests over those of others,” according to Australia’s ABC News on Wednesday.
Adamson is in her final week as secretary of the DFAT, and she made the speech in Canberra before leaving office this week. About to leave her post, Adamson has spoken out her clear understanding of China. She was once Australia’s ambassador to China.
Even the Sydney-based Lowy Institute on Tuesday released its latest annual poll, which shows that China was seen as a threat by 63 percent, reflecting a 22 percentage point increase since last year’s poll. Canberra by knows the bullying tactics applied by China.
Adamson’s speech is to the fact. Why is China’s “insecure”? In today’s world, China is one of the most insecure countries, and the Communist Party of China is one of the most oppressive political parties. Though China has been trying to cover up its insecurity by impressing other through its technological advances. Thus China’s Shenzhou-12 manned spacecraft has just sent three Chinese taikonauts into China’s own space station. The aerospace achievements are another huge spur being given to the politically oppressed Chinese people. The people of China are now restive and this fact against the background that the Chinese economy has taken a huge beating from the COVID-19 epidemic. It is coming back on its track but very slowly.
China’s economy seems to have suddenly started wobbling and its stability and prosperity suddenly seems to be of no use. China is also facing accelerating series of social and economic problems, especially where it concerns the ethnic minorities and occupied territories of Tibet and Xinjiang. Instead of resolving them they are being further worsened through more oppressions. Chinese people have begun to suffer from shortage of beef, meat, soya products, good wines etc as now there are no imports from Australia and Argentina. This has led to unprecedented increase in prices of food products in the country.
Adamson’s speech shows that China has made serious mistakes with respect of Australia and now even India, which is one of the root causes of the worsening bilateral ties. She was Australia’s ambassador to Beijing from 2011 to 2015, and her oversight of the 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper was described as “instrumental” in guiding Australia’s foreign policy agenda by Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne.
She still has a deep understanding of China. No wonder Canberra’s overall perception of Beijing has now become very clear. Therefore Australia has now started looking up to India. Through such moves it is also not surprising that Australia trade which had been hit hard after the Chinese sanctions, has already recovered and now has started moving ahead.
Adamson’s speech is not only very much consistent with the facts, but also trying to shift contradictions away. Australia has always had a deep-rooted sense of insecurity and anxiety with respect to China. However the sentiment had been kept under cover over the years, so as not to affect the growing China-Australia trade because Canberra had become highly dependent on Beijing in the economic and trade field.
However after observing how China had started behaving with it’s neighbours and how it had started dominating the South China Sea, Australia began to think deeply of its security concerns because of its dark history of Chinese Communist Party.
After the Galwan clash between China and India, Australia Was highly worried and in fact terrified. However after seeing how confidently India stopped the PLA in its tracks and how India has hit back, Australia has also gained much confidence and is slowly getting ready to deal with China on all levels.
