Australian officials have not responded to China’s clearest signal yet that Canberra was to blame for the rapid deterioration in bilateral ties between the two countries.
While Australian officials called again for clarification of Chinese policies toward imports of Australian goods, observers suggested the comments on Friday by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs made it clear that Beijing expected Canberra to take the initiative to improve relations.
However, given strong anti-China sentiment in Australia at the moment, such moves are unlikely to come any time soon, they added.
“I think the Chinese export bans may serve the purpose of reminding Australia that [China] is expecting to reset the relationship, but they certainly are not going to lead to a change right away … the best that Australia could do in this situation is to let the Chinese know that they have noted their concerns,” said Hans Hendrischke, a Chinese business and management expert at the University of Sydney Business School.
To read the full article, click here.