How Australia’s China Connection Unravelled

NEW DELHI: Australia and China are two countries with deep economic linkages that go back many years. These linkages have been mutually beneficial for both countries so much so that Australia’s largest trading partner is China. And yet, regardless of this inter-dependence, relations between the two countries have nose-dived after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison demanded an investigation into the origin of COVID-19 and an overhaul of the World health Organisation (WHO), a UN-body that many see as leaning towards China. Expectedly, this angered Beijing with its envoy in Canberra making remarks that the latter saw as “economic coercion”. In this week’s ‘Talking Point’, StratNews Global Editor Surya Gangadharan and Deputy Editor Parul Chandra spoke to former Indian high commissioner to Australia, Navdeep Suri to find out what lies behind this current eruption of hostilities between two seemingly good friends. The former envoy who is now a Distinguished Fellow with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) takes us through the unravelling of relations between the two as well as the reasons behind it. He also gives a glimpse into the inroads by China Down Under to the great dismay of its security establishment. Watch this episode for more: