U.S. Strategy in the Asian Century by Abraham M. Denmark

Author:Abraham M. Denmark
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: POL011010, Political Science/International Relations/Diplomacy, POL054000, Political Science/World/Asian
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2020-08-18T00:00:00+00:00

COMPETING WITH CHINA POLITICALLY

Australia has been on the frontline of confronting the realities of Chinese interference in its domestic politics and intellectual life. Most notably, former Australian Labor Party senator Sam Dastyari became embroiled in a campaign finance scandal that highlighted Australia’s lax political finance laws and ultimately ended his promising political career. Reports emerged that Dastyari had accepted political donations from Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo around the same time that Dastyari’s public stance began to soften toward China—toward positions contrary to the Liberal Party government and the Labor Party.20 The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation recently stated that foreign governments have been acting within ethnic civic societies and religious organizations that were “designed to diminish their criticism of foreign government.” It went on to further state, in its annual report, that “these activities…represent a threat to our sovereignty, the integrity of our national institutions and the exercise of our citizens’ rights.21 Additionally, Canberra and Washington have been concerned by Beijing’s deepening influence with the Pacific island nations, primarily achieved through infrastructure building and the promise of loans.22 Australia has become weary of Beijing’s encroaching interests in the South Pacific, specifically the proposed Chinese military outpost in Vanuatu.23

Washington and Canberra should identify opportunities to share information and coordinate policies designed to understand and mitigate Beijing’s efforts to influence their respective domestic politics. They should consider establishing an active and robust intelligence exchange working group dedicated to monitoring, assessing, and producing recommendations to mitigate the activities of the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party and other organizations that seek to influence the domestic politics of Australia and the United States. This working group would develop recommendations for legislators and policymakers in Washington and Canberra, and would produce an annual public report detailing its findings and recommendations.

Additionally, the United States and Australia should work to closely coordinate diplomatic and policy initiatives that would assist in a broader geopolitical competition with China across the Indo-Pacific, primarily by sustaining openness and liberalism across the region. From the United Nations and other international forums, common values and interests should enable cooperation and coordination on a wide variety of diplomatic issues, including continuing efforts to isolate and maximize pressure on North Korea, defending norms related to freedom of navigation and the peaceful resolution of disputes, and consolidating democratization across the Indo-Pacific.

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