Ms Wenting He1, Dr Minran Liu2, Dr Guangyi Pan3, Ms Wenting He1, Ms Geyi (Azure) Xie4
1Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, 2University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia, 3University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia, 4University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
Biography:
Dr Edward Chan is a Postdoctoral Fellow from the Australian Centre on China in the World, the Australian National University. With expertise in China’s foreign policy and maritime security, his current research focuses on China’s evolving influence in oceans governance, and Australia-China relations in the South Pacific.
Dr. Minran Liu is a Lecturer in International Relations at the School of Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS) at the University of Queensland. His teaching and research centre on Chinese foreign and security policy, Indo-Pacific security, Constructivist theory, and Australia-China relations.
Dr. Guangyi Pan is a PhD and a teaching fellow in International Politics at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. His research fields include Australia-China relationships, International Relations theory, politics of China and the Cold War history.
Wenting He is a final-year PhD candidate in International Relations at ANU. Her PhD project explores the rhetorical sources of China’s interests in financial reform and the international financial order during the reform era.
Geyi Xie is a PhD candidate in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Adelaide. Her PhD project examines China’s engagement with Pacific Island countries from a poststructuralist perspective.
Abstract:
Since the Albanese government took office in 2022, Australia-China relations have stabilised. It is marked by significant diplomatic visits: Prime Minister Albanese visited China in 2023, followed by visits to Australia by Chinese Premier Li Qiang in June 2024. Prime Minister Albanese has articulated Australia’s approach to China as one of pragmatic engagement: “cooperate where we can, disagree where we must, but always act in our national interest.” In contrast, China envisions a bilateral relationship that goes beyond stabilisation, with a focus on fostering further engagement.
Indeed, while economic ties between Australia and China have resumed, Canberra remains cautious about broader engagement, citing concerns over China’s “coercive tactics in pursuit of its strategic objectives” in the East and South China Seas. Ongoing discussions raise important questions about the future management of this complex relationship. This roundtable will examine how Australia might effectively engage and navigate relations with China following three years of stabilisation efforts, focusing on critical policy areas, including regional order, maritime security, economic and trade relations, and the competing interests in the South Pacific.