The kangaroo, the bear, and the dragon : Australia-Russia-China relations in the "Asian Century"

Paul Antonopoulos

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

With Australia and Russia increasingly seeing their future in the Asia-Pacific, neither can reach its full economic potential except under the guidance of Beijing's control of ports on its "Maritime Silk Road." Cold War cliches of the "Yankee lapdog" and the big bad "Russian bear" continue to dominate how Canberra and Moscow view each other. Yet when it comes to the future of Australia-Russia-China relations, one must look beyond Moscow, Beijing, and Canberra, but rather at Vladivostok and Darwin, symbols of an as-yet unrealized goal to shift emphasis onto each country's sparsely-populated regions bordering the Asia-Pacific. With the dawning of the "Asian Century," how does the United States change the geopolitical dynamics of the region, and how do China, Russia, and Australia react to "America's Pacific Century"? Rather than a capitulation to America's aggressive posture in the Asia-Pacific, China and Russia have consolidated the integration of their economies and militaries to counter such penetration. This emerging rivalry creates a challenge for Australia to balance its military alliance with the United States and its economic reliance on China. The necessity of finetuning this balance should be Canberra's primary foreign policy issue.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)411-428
Number of pages18
JournalChina Quarterly of International Strategic Studies
Volume3
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017

Keywords

  • Australia
  • China
  • Pacific Area
  • Russia
  • United States
  • geopolitics
  • international relations

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The kangaroo, the bear, and the dragon : Australia-Russia-China relations in the "Asian Century"'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this