Evolution of Australia's East Asian Policy

Author: Liu Pande
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-03
Features: Australia's perception of East Asia has undergone a process from isolation, gradual understanding, approaching, facing and integrating, to the current degree of estrangement. The formation and evolution of Australia's East Asian policy reflect this change in Australia's understanding of East Asia. From its founding to the full outbreak of World War II, Australia's foreign policy relied entirely on Britain for protection, without an independent foreign policy, let alone a well-formed East Asian policy. However, the rigid colonial mentality that had been ingrained in the Australian people during this period was an important root cause of their later formation of a rigid East Asian policy. After the full outbreak of World War II, Britain was unable to guarantee Australia's security, leading to a major turning point in Australian foreign policy history: a shift from dependence on Britain to dependence on the United States. This turning point laid the foundation for Australia's East Asian policy, both today and for the foreseeable future. At the same time, it began the process of shifting its focus to regional countries, particularly those in East Asia. The United States' defeat in the Vietnam War led Australia to adjust its East Asian policy accordingly, and the establishment of diplomatic relations with countries like China marked the first time since World War II that Australia had a comprehensive East Asian policy in the full sense. Overall, Australia's East Asian policy underwent three major shifts after World War II: First, during World War II, marked by the alliance with the United States to fight Japan. The reason for this shift was primarily the direct threat to national security posed by Japanese fascism. Second, in the early 1970s, marked by the establishment of diplomatic relations with China. The reasons for this shift were mainly the easing of East-West relations, the contraction of U.S. strategic forces in the Asia-Pacific region, and the sustained economic growth in East Asia. Third, in the mid-1990s, marked by a degree of estrangement from East Asia and a renewed inclination toward Europe and the United States. The reason for this shift was primarily Australia's hesitation about its regional identity, and the root cause of this regional identity crisis lay in a lack of confidence, racism, and conflicts in values.