Is Australia Fully Aware of China’s ChAFTA Aspirations?

China and Australia have developed a free trade agreement, one of many as China forges new economic alliances through programs and investments like the Silk Maritime Route and the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank. “The ‘Chinese Dream’ that modern China is pursuing under Xi Jinping involves the reassertion of the economic and political primacy which China claims to have enjoyed among neighbours for millennia,” writes Geoff Wade for the Drum. “Given that today the neighbourhood is global, it is increasingly obvious that this dream is heading towards contention for global dominance with the United States.” Completed or proposed, Chinese deals with ASEAN, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Australia could pose challenges for US alliances. Wade contends that China is Australia’s biggest trade partner and a source of “strategic anxiety.” Countries cannot neglect deals with the world’s second largest economy, yet workers and leaders fear economic domination. Wade urges countries that enter into such trade agreements to develop large numbers of China-literate citizens. – YaleGlobal