Okay, so we don't understand the Chinese classics. Many more students study Latin and ancient (European)history in their final year than study Mandarin or Asian history. Like it or lump it, Australia is culturally orientated to US-Europe, and this isn't changing even for the children of Asian immigrants. What is happening, is a Chinese shift to the west, notably in popular culture. Many of their TV shows, for example, are basically imitations of Western shows with local variants. My half-Korean daughter watches a Chinese dating show which turns up on pay TV here (with sub-titles)because its so idiotic its entertaining.

Maybe Mr Little should stop talking to high-powered diplomats and start watching TV. He would be less censorious.

I agree with previous post.

Further, there are many aspects of Western culture that others should not take for granted in this supposed claim of the rise of Asia and decline of the West.

Sure, the west is struggling, but i dont rule out dramatic policy change in line with democratic expectations, should they arise.

I am an Austalian, but proud to be a Westerner, albeit we must also address our faults like any other culure.

Reg Little tells us that Chinese traditional thought and teachings are superior to the educational structures of the West and cites the success of Chinese scholars and academics in Western universities. This success comes not from traditional Chinese rote learning, but when they throw off this restrictive practice and apply their qualities of hard work and dedication to the flexible, innovative methods of thought that have served the West from the days of Ancient Greece.

Where on earth does he get his idea that Chinese thought and education is vital and flexible? Certainly they are very good at assembling Western components on their cheap-labour assembly lines, and they have developed a certain skill at hacking into Western websites to create mischief and steal secrets.

I have spoken to educators who have the task of untangling newly-arrived Chinese students from their educational past. How these newcomers see nothing wrong in plagiarising massive chunks of work from the internet and presenting it as their own in their essays; how they routinely crib from each other; how they have to be taught to speak out in class, to literally think for themselves rather than reciting the sterile facts and figures crammed into them by their Chinese teachers.

Little peppers his article with references to China’s peaceful rise. Ask the Tibetans about China’s peaceful rise Mr Little; ask the Uighurs; ask the Indians about the 1962 war and the fact that China still lays claim to great swathes of their territory.

The West has problems, but it has survived worse. In the meantime China will have to cope with the fact that 400 million of its population are over 65. Yes Confucianism will say that traditional Chinese family values will take care of the elderly, but Confucius never knew about the One Child Policy, surely the most ham-fisted method of population control that the wit of man has devised.

In a little while I will be making my 23rd visit to Hong Kong, that brilliant blending of the best that East and West has to offer.

Hong Kong is what China should be.

Timmy has got his rose coloured glasses on. Like a Michael Jackson fan he can't understand why others are not fans as well. We clearly are ingnorant or missing something.

One of those things that truly puzzle our Asian neighbours, is our allegiance to a foreign nation's Queen!
It Put us into the former all conquering colonist's camp?
Our defence alliances are with other partners!
And should we ever travel back to the old dart, we are just aliens, with less rights than Germans, or Italians!
You know, those nations we sacrificed 60,000 young lives fighting against, in loyal empire servitude.
Moreover, the Brits had no compunction in dumping us, our former trade alliance and our position as a larder for Britain, in exchange for entry into the European common market.
The old ties or apron strings need to be completely undone, and new one sort and created in Asia, which is clearly where our prosperity and future lies.
Ignorance is an issue, therefore, all Australian students ought to have a working knowledge of at least one Asian Language, history and cultural norms or mores!
Rhrosty.

In his article Mr Little said "Australian understanding of the character of China's rise today is unbelievably shallow." The same might be said of the comments thus far on the article, most of which it seems to me completely miss the point that Mr Little is making.

It is easy to seize upon one point, eg, the rote learning that is spreading rapidly, and then use that to illustrate some generalised point about the alleged group think of Chinese students in Australia. The more important point being made, it seems to me, is that Chinese learning in modern China is having extraordinarily good results. Compare China in 1949 at the time of the revolution, with India in 1948 at the time of independence. Which country has massively transformed the lives of the ordinary masses on almost any measure of welfare and living standards one cares to cite? It sure isn't India.

A second broader point that Mr Little stresses is that we in the west, including Australia, having an abysmal level of understanding of the culture and traditions of this immensely important country. We persist in seeing it through the eyes of the UK-US imperial framework and seize upon perceived transgressions (eg Tibet) as a stick to beat them with. For what purpose? Among many other failings it ignores the actual history of China-Tibet where the Tibetans in turn claim vast tracts of Chinese territory. A similar myopia is evident in the boundary disputes in the south and east China sea. Taiwan has an identical view to the PRC as to its territorial rights in the region yet that fact is completely missing from western media accounts who prefer to portray it as Chinese expansionism. Given the west's imperial history that is more pathetic than funny.

@ Graham Cooke. According to the 2012 Census in China, their population over 65 years was 9.4% of the total. The total population was 1.344 billion which makes the >65 population 126.33 million. Sure the one child policy has created problems but not as great as the problems associated with untrammelled growth.