According to reports, Australia is seeking assistance from its Five Eyes allies in response to the trade frictions it has initiated with China, and they are plotting to slap sanctions on China in a bid to “teach it a lesson”. The one that should have learned its lesson by now is Australia. But not content with taking a confrontational stance toward its largest trade partner, according to News Corp reports, Australia is trying to rope in the other Five Eyes alliance nations Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States for more than just supportive words. By doing so Australia no doubt hopes that China will stop responding to its provocations. Yet it would be naive of Canberra to believe that even collective pressure from the Five Eyes will force China to make a U-turn on trade issues with Australia. After all, it is Australia that has damaged bilateral relations by adopting an increasingly hostile attitude toward China. It would be better if the other Five Eyes countries reined in Australia’s belligerence and acted as mediators between China and Australia, rather than encouraging its anti-China bias.
In fact, the world has seen enough of the US and its allies extorting benefits for themselves by bullying others. To a certain extent, the existence of the Five Eyes itself makes a mockery of the aspiration of the majority of the international community for a more just and equitable international order. The intention of the Five Eyes allies to contain China’s rise through the intelligence sharing mechanism has already drawn much ire from China. If it is true that the other four countries plan to throw their weight behind Australia, that will only prompt China to take countermeasures. For the five nations, China is an indispensable economic partner, and China’s quick economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic only makes its appeal even stronger. Australia is making a misjudgment if it thinks that the other Five Eyes countries will come to rescue its economy when it is reeling due to its own folly. And it is a wishful thinking that they will sacrifice their own economic benefits from trade with China to do so. News reports already have it that manufacturers in some Western countries, such as Canada, are eyeing the gaps left by Australian products in the Chinese market amid the trade tensions between China and Australia.
– China Daily
