Illustration: Xia Qing/GT

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation provoked a question over the just concluded weekend: will China-Australia ties settle into a "new normal" with a prickly diplomatic relationship? 

It's certain that China-Australia relations have become thorny. And the responsibility falls squarely on Australia. 

In spite of the differences in political systems, ways of governance and social patterns, China and Australia had been able to seek common ground while reserving divergences and to deal with their disputes diplomatically. Their bilateral relations had progressed into a mutually beneficial comprehensive strategic partnership since the two countries established formal diplomatic ties in December 1972.

However, Australia has regretfully abandoned its diplomatic tactics and subtleties when it comes to China policy today. Instead, the Liberal-National Coalition government has adopted an overtly confrontational, provocative posture since June 2017 when Australia started to fabricate and hype up China's alleged threat to Australian politics. Canberra has been provoking unwarranted and oftentimes insulting attacks on China through some media outlets, so-called think tanks and scholars. From the introduction of new foreign interference laws to the blanket ban on Chinese tech giant Huawei, to the ill-intentioned attacks on China over COVID-19-related issues, Canberra has consistently and methodologically magnified and intensified the conflicts between the two countries. This has progressively poisoned and damaged their bilateral relations. 

Whether this "prickly diplomatic relationship" between China and Australia will become a "new normal" depends on Australia. Beijing has released goodwill on multiple occasions that it is willing to see China-Australia relations return to a normal, mutually beneficial state. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, for example, said in December 2020 that he hoped China-Australia relations could return to the track of normal and healthy development. But disappointedly, all we see now is still hostilities from Down Under. If Canberra does not start to put an end to such detrimental conduct, the bilateral relations could careen to a further downward spiral.

For years, there have been forces in Australia advocating diversification of its trading partners. This is obviously a move to appease Washington's attempts to decouple with China. However, in spite of such wishful thinking, with political and economic tensions between Australia and China spiraling out of control, China will be forced to find alternative import markets. In contrast, Australia may not easily find another export market like China. Neither the size of China's economy nor its growth rate can be matched by any country.

It takes two to tango. A trade partnership cannot last by maintenance from one side only. Australia is supposed to cherish its partnership with China, rather than constantly jeopardize bilateral ties politically while hoping to maintain a self-interested economic relationship at the same time. Australia should not have any calculated ruse to completely separate politics and economics. Such thinking is unrealistic. 

Canberra is paying a heavy price for its reckless China policies. A key question to ask is: Does the Morrison administration have the sincerity to repair ties with China? What concrete measures will Canberra take to turn the table of such a predicament? This is a pressing puzzle Australia must ponder immediately. 

So far, the Chinese side has not seen any sincere gestures of good faith and concrete moves from Australia in this regard. Morrison has called for dialogue with China. 

But Morrison said Australia was "always open" to talks with China if there are no preconditions. This means that none of Australia's injurious policies or deleterious acts against China should stand as obstacles for future talks.

According to Morrison's logic, China has to unconditionally engage in such an Australia-proposed dialogue while Australia will not change either its words or deeds in any aspect. That being said, not the slightest bit of sincerity from Canberra about mending frayed relations between the two sides has been expressed. 

When it comes to China policy, Australia has been dancing to US tunes. President Joe Biden's rhetoric suggests that the sitting US administration will unlikely continue the extreme and adventurist polices toward China that the Trump administration carried out.  

Instead, Biden may likely adopt a more diplomatic and normal way to handle US ties with China. So Australia now is confronting a realistic dilemma: while China-US ties are seeing positive steps of interaction, China-Australia relations are locked in a deep freeze. Unfortunately, the Morrison administration has done nothing to escape such an ice age or prickly diplomatic relationship.

The author is a professor and director of the Australian Studies Centre, East China Normal University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn