Australia’s Relations with China: The Illusion of Choice, 1972-2022

Drawing on a wealth of interviews with more than fifty key stakeholders from Australia and China, including five former Australian Prime Ministers, David Fitzsimmons presents a history and analysis of Australian-Chinese relations since 1972.

Fitzsimmons systematically examines how Canberra formulates and implements Australia's China policy, and how PMs and key influencers have made that policy over the last fifty years. Next, it analyses the style, manner and effectiveness of Australian Prime Ministers and other key foreign-policy makers in making Australian policy on China. Next, it charts how Australian policy on China has changed over different political periods. It also highlights Australian policy to China as a global case study for other countries who are closely examining and learning lessons from how one Asia-Pacific middle-power has dealt with the Chinese colossus.

About the Speaker

David Fitzsimmons is an Assistant Professor at Sejong University in Seoul, South Korea and earned his PhD at the University of Sydney in Australia. He is also a soldier in the Australian Army Reserves in the 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers Regiment in Sydney. His research interests include Australia, the United States, China, and South Korea international relations.

The ANU China Seminar Series is supported by the Australian Centre on China in the World at ANU College of Asia and the Pacific.