assessment 1

The podcast discusses the ongoing China-Australia trade war, analyzing the reasons behind it from historical, economic, and political perspectives. China has imposed economic sanctions on Australia, impacting Australian exports and causing shortages and rising prices in China. There are differing opinions on the effectiveness of these sanctions. The article mentioned in the podcast criticizes China's actions, while another article highlights the easing of tensions and record high exports from Australia to China. The trade war has had economic and diplomatic consequences, and there are concerns about it escalating into a military threat. However, through dialogue, trust, and cooperation, both countries can work towards resolving their differences and building a more stable trade relationship. Hello everyone and welcome to our podcast. I'm Steven and I'm here with my co-hosts Sherry Lu and James. Today we are focusing on a much talked about topic, the China-Australia trade war. The relationship between Australia and China has been in the spotlight in recent years as it has gone through a series of ups and downs. Today we will analyze the past and the future of relations between the two countries from a number of perspectives including historical, economic and politics. Can you give us an idea of the main reasons that exist at the moment? China has stopped accepting Australian timber in 2020, setting quarantine risks and in the interim has also restricted the imports of Australian wine, barley, beef and coal in what the Australian government sees as a calculated form of economic coin. Yes, it was nothing that in 2019, the year before the trade ban become into effect, Australian timber exports to China reached 600 million. This is a considerable loss. This has caused problems for Australian exports and relative introducts. At the same time, Chinese consumers and business have been affected by the shortage and rising prices of Australian products. Absolutely. I saw an article by Jia Lingyang, a reporter for the Diplomate entitled China-Australia trade war shows no sign of abating. I noted that he says Beijing's economic sanctions against Australia are ineffective. He said the Chinese Communist Party has been forced to live with an increasingly crackly Australia. How do you guys feel about that? I noticed that this too. I thought the article was sharply worded, too obviously subjective and although extremely biased. What do you think about it, Shane? Yes, these statements are not well supported by facts and evidence and are clearly the personal opinion of the journalists. Yes, news stories are an important way for us to access information and learn about the world. As such, if they are influenced by the personal or black politics stance of a journalist, editor or media organization, this can lead to subjective assumptions about the content of the story. The impact of a trade war is detrimental to both countries and this article turns its fire on China, parting the fold on China while seeing it as the looter. The use of the words cynical and cold vision is clearly impudent and inappropriate. To be honest, it seems very petty. I don't agree more. It's clear that the article is very detrimental to the health of both countries. In February this year, China and Australia talked trade official met for the first time since 2019. While Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao described the recent meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Don Farrell as an important step in getting bilateral economic and trade cooperation back on track, neither side's policy has changed. This means that any significant improvement in both economic relations between the two countries is unlikely. An Australian side says Chinese efforts to force Australia's hand could backfire as it has to find new markets for its exports. Yes, by shifting its exports to countries such as India and Mexico, Australia could also reduce its dependence on a single market that is proving increasingly unreliable. Both Australia and China remain as deeply divided and suspicious of each other as ever, diplomatically, militarily, and even in terms of their fundamental values. Precisely until May when the Chinese government officially lifted a trade ban on 600 million worth of Australian imports, the list signs of a soaring, progressive, frosty relation. In contrast, Marshall Cannot's article in the Sydney Morning hailed a headline, China extends olive branch, left trade ban is objective. Yes, we can see that the article is basically quoted from exports and is supported by enough facts without too much personal opinion. I also saw a CNN report with the headline, Australia's exports to China hit record high, as relations soar. This news gives a positive signal of the easing of relations between Australia and China. It means the relations are gradually easing as a dialogue and cooperation between the two sides gradually develops. And this is reflected in the growth of Australia's exports to China. That's right. The record innovation shows that three remains strong, complementary, and potential for cooperation between Australia and China in the economic and trade sector. Australia and China are the world's largest exporter and consumer of coal, which provide the best scope for cooperation. In addition, Australia is also an important supplier of architecture products and one of China's source of energy resource. One of the key factors behind the increase in exports has been the dialogue and efforts between the two countries. Both sides released the importance of resolving differences and issues through dialogue and cooperation, which had aligned the foundation for an improved trade relationship. By strengthening high-level exchanges and building mutual trust, China and Australia have been able to drive growth in trade cooperation and later sow the foundation for future cooperation. So apart from that, will the tensions between Australia and China perhaps have any impact on other areas? Of course. The China-Australia trade war has had an economic impact on both sides. In addition, the China-Australia trade war has sparked tensions between the two sides. Tensions between Australia and China have created a number of challenges for both countries, and a recent poll shows that three-quarters of Australians believe that – believe China could become a serious military threat within the next two decades. Australia is growing anti-China sentiment of serious problem for any normalization process. Bilateral economic disputes appear to have degenerated into a diplomatic fray. Overall, Australia's record high exports to China are a positive sign of the easing of relations between Australia and China. Through enhanced dialogue, mutual trust, and cooperation, China and Australia have further expanded their trade relationship and achieved a mutual development. I believe that it is feasible to find mutually beneficial ways to resolve differences through dialogue and cooperation. Resolving the China-Australia trade war will require both sides to work together to reduce tensions, restore mutual trust, and build a more stable and sustainable trade relationship. That's right. Thank you all for listening. Thank you so much guys.