Comments on: Ruddying relations

By: Now China wants to divide up the sea | The Acorn

Now China wants to divide up the sea | The Acorn — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:20:08 +0000

[...] Medcalf, over at the Lowy Interpreter flags a very important issue (via NRA). He draws attention to a media report that suggests China is considering maritime territorialism [...]

By: NotReallyAnonymous

NotReallyAnonymous — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:10:54 +0000

Of course, we're not really new this type of proposal coming from China. Link: I like one sentence Medcalf writes there: Ideally, India ought to be proactive in setting the tone for a cooperative relationship in its regional waters with its fellow rising power. But politically that will not be possible if China is essentially dismissive of India’s proper role in its own region. We must get our act together and get an Indian Ocean Littoral States Organisation started up as a forum to counter the weight China is bringing to the table. Come to think of it SILO would be a better acronym for it. The big question remains, will Australia be willing to play its role it in?

By: fchiramel

fchiramel — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:36:30 +0000

India and Australia are both liberal democracies with certain common Anglospheric political sensibilities and vulnerabilities. We should be able to identify synergies in dealing with the Islamist threat and a passive-aggressive China. The bigger unknown will be the latter, and the nature of its global and local ambitions. With its general insulation from modern liberal discourse and intermittent harking to its "glorious" historical pursuits- much of which had racist overtones- China will be a challenge to both. Especially in the near future when it is no longer economically constrained to maintain the 'peaceful rise' impression. A good start in the changed relationship could come in the form of exemplary punishments for goons involved in violence against Indian students, as Tharoor asks. Australia losing to India in cricket, as he also asks, is a distinctly less likely possibility : )

By: Vijay

Vijay — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:38:35 +0000

Excellent link Jai. Thanks.

By: Kannan

Kannan — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:56:56 +0000

Oz seeks an Asian friend Its like \link \

By: Jai_C

Jai_C — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:50:06 +0000

Please also read Ahok Malik’s informative piece “Oz seeks an Asian friend” in DC. (Sorry dont know how to paste cooked URLs). He says this is a swing back from a pro-China approach. He quotes Mr.Medcalfe as saying that Lowy polls show Oz attitudes towards China as steadily cooling over the last 2 years.

I found this part the most interesting:
“Today, Mr Rudd’s confidants argue both the Chinese and his critics misunderstood his knowledge of China for approval of the Chinese system. A nuanced version would suggest that the more outsiders get to know China the more difficult they find it to reconcile themselves to its political economy.”

Thanks,
Jai