Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Australia has to realize who's actually undermining it

Australia has to realize who's actually undermining it

As Joe Biden’s administration accuses China of launching an economic war against Canberra, guess who is raking in vast profits from this Washington-fuelled spat?
According to the White House’s Indo-Pacific coordinator, Kurt Campbell, China is conducting “dramatic economic warfare” against Australia.

“China's preference would have been to break Australia. To drive Australia to its knees,” Campbell said in a speech in Sydney on Wednesday.

This take from the Biden administration is totally ahistorical and obfuscates the actual causes of the breakdown between China and Australia. It also omits the fact that the US is itself cashing in on the breakdown between the two, showing once again that Washington is a very unreliable partner.

For starters, there is no Chinese aggression against Australia. Australian media and various officials have tried to paint the current situation as one where Australia is valiantly defending its sovereignty against perceived Chinese aggression, using all the familiar Yellow Peril tactics we’re familiar with, when this is simply not true.

The reality is that China has always wanted closer ties with Australia. In 2014, for example, President Xi Jinping visited Australia and agreed to sign the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA), which ensured increased exports to China and more Australian jobs.

Whether it be raw material exports or middle-income consumer goods like lobsters and wine, trade relations with China have greatly benefited the Australian economy, with China now sitting as the country’s top trading partner.

However, things changed because of decisions by the Australian government, such as its politically-motivated decision to bar Huawei from building its 5G network or the Morrison government’s apparent endorsement of the “lab leak” Covid-19 conspiracy theory.

In response to these actions, the Chinese government came to the conclusion, as Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian said, that no country will be allowed “to reap benefits from doing business with China while groundlessly accusing and smearing China and undermining China’s core interests.”

It hasn’t been just the Chinese government’s retaliatory trade policies that have impacted Australia’s economy, but also regular Chinese consumers and business people that lost interest in the country thanks to the Australian government’s harmful actions.

This was not an escalation that China wanted or sought; it was initiated by Australia, and now Canberra has to deal with the consequences of its own actions.

But it also needs to be said that Canberra wasn’t acting alone but was obviously carrying water for Washington in its escalating New Cold War against China. The irony of this decision-making from Canberra is that it’s objectively against its own interests to do so. Another level to this irony is that the United States is actively benefiting from and economically exploiting the breakdown between Canberra and Beijing.

According to data from the US Energy Information Administration, the US exported 5.4 million tons of coal to China in the first half of 2021, compared to 531,000 tons for the same period a year ago – an absurdly high 920% year-on-year increase. In the same period in 2019, the US exported just over 771,000 tons to China.

This has helped Beijing fill the gap left after it imposed its retaliatory ban on importing Australian coal last year. Canberra shipped 35m tonnes of thermal coal to China in 2020, and around 50m tonnes in 2018 and 2019,. After November 2020, its coal exports dropped to zero, according to industry experts.

So while there has been an effective ban on Australian coal going to China, the US was certainly more than willing to fill this vacuum – even as it treats China like its sworn enemy.

The question is, why does Australia ignore this? If Australian officials are willing to put their country on a chopping block, economically speaking, for Washington’s interests, why does that relationship not go both ways?

Easy. Because the relationship between Australia and America is not an equal one. It is not a relationship of mutual respect; it is a relationship of subservience and domination. That is the exact kind of relationship that the Australian media and the Morrison government claim exists between their country and China ​​– but is actually, verifiably, the case between Australia and America.

Time and time again, Washington pressures allies like Australia into taking hardline stances that inevitably backfire, hurting their national interests and security. Enough is enough. Australia has to come to its senses and realize that allowing Washington to dictate its foreign policy only makes it less safe and prosperous.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Grok 4 Video plus Voice, can identify wildlife!
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
The UK Does Not Have a ‘Far-Right’ Problem
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
JD Vance Warns Europe Faces “Civilizational Suicide” Over Open Borders and Speech Limits
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
×