The flaw in Australia’s ‘China threat’ thesis

AI Summary

Economist John Edwards argues that Australia’s preparations for a possible conflict with China rest on a superficial understanding of the strategic situation. He questions why Australia is preparing for such a conflict when several other countries are not, and points to broader US-China rivalry.

Australia’s preparations for a possible conflict with China reflect “a relatively superficial understanding”, argues prominent economist John Edwards. Europe, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia and India, he notes, are not preparing for such a conflict. Why should Australia? Edwards, a former senior economic adviser to former Labor prime minister Paul Keating, makes the observation in a Lowy Institute paper released in October and in a newspaper interview. Instead, he sees US-China rivalry as a...