More Contact, Less Trust? Why Australia-China Military Engagement Cannot Sustain Itself
Description
In today’s Australia, China has been securitised to such a degree that it is difficult to recall that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) maintained one of China’s most extensive military engagement relationships with a US ally for more than two decades. Massive joint programs were conducted even when political mistrust has risen. This research examines the evolution of Australia-China military engagement since the 1990s and explains why it ultimately undermined itself. In many ways, the military relationship was neither simply a thermometer of political ties nor an insulated professional exchange. Instead, it demonstrates the unique value China attached to engagement with the ADF among US allies, while also revealing the consequences of misaligned policy objectives during periods of political turbulence.
The ANU China Seminar Series is supported by the Australian Centre on China in the World at ANU College of Asia and the Pacific.
Image: Australian Department of Defence
About the Speaker
Guangyi Pan
Dr. Guangyi Pan is a Lecturer in International Political Studies at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, UNSW Canberra. His research primarily focuses on asymmetric politics, China's alliance/alignment policy, Sino-Soviet (Russia) relations, and the Indo-Pacific security. He received his PhD in International Politics from UNSW Sydney in 2024. Previously, he studied at Nanjing University and worked at UNICEF China.
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