Dear Foxy,

I'm sure that you would agree that Australia should be diversifying its export destinations far more than it has done. I'm puzzled why we don't put much more effort into cultivating far more diverse export relations with India, for example: by the time Australia gets around to it, say by 2030-2040, India may actually have the largest population of any country in the world, right on our door-step.

Indian immigration has been immensely valuable for Australia: where would we be without Indian health and IT professionals ? Many Australian farmers have been switching to cater for Indian markets, which are almost unlimited. An Indian steel industry could take vast amounts of our coal, gas and iron ore, not to mention other metal-oriented industries. And very many Indians speak English, although like us, with their own accents.

And as for India, also Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam: there's another four hundred million potential customers. A couple of billion people, all-up, all with growing middle classes.

Paradoxically, I suspect that we will come out of this Covid crisis with strongly renewed trade relations with China, in spite of the current huffing and puffing (and the US more of a bit player, still grappling with its incompetent handling of the crisis, perhaps for the next five years) - BUT if Australia had half a brain, we would be diversifying, building up relations with those other major countries in the region, all the way from India around to Japan.

Joe

Dear Joe,

We want good relations with both China and the
US but we must also invest in drawing closer to other
countries near us and in Asia. It would be foolish
to do otherwise.

and the belts and roads initiative by Mr Andrews?

Foxy, i have nothing against Chinese people. I have long believed that most people just want a decent life.

However, i loathe authoritarian nations; nothing more evil that societies that quash the rights of individuals if you do not follow the party line.

As far as i am concerned, a liberal democracy should not sell its soul just to stay rich.

It is now being said that China is threatening Australia and being brutally aggressive as an example to the rest of the world. Whatever. Australia must the line. Labor is already cracking via Penny Wong,who is suggesting the government do the same.

Dear Chris,

Over two centuries ago, Napoleon commented that
China was "a sleeping giant, and when she wakes
up she will shake the world."

Since the revolution of 1949, China has been a
communist-ruled socialist society. For much of
that time its former leader, Mao Tse Tung, kept
China in almost total isolation from the rest of
the world.

Mao died in 1970, and his successors were faced with
stagnation. Gradually, the new Chinese leadership
abandoned many of Mao's policies and cautiously
introduced reforms. The new regime was pragmatic
lavishly praising communist ideals but much more interested
in immediate results. As one leader dommented -
"It doesn't matter what colour a cat is, so long as it
catches mice."

Of course old-time Chinese communists are resentful of any
change. And China is still determinedly socialist
and authoritarian. It will be interesting to see how far
the country will stray from the socialist path and
whether economic liberalisation will in turn lead to
political democratisation. Given China's size and potential
its economic future will be of world historical significance.

Australia needs to maintain good relations with both China
and the US, but we must also invest in drawing closer
ties to other countries near us and in Asia.