The coming of age of Australia’s relations with ChinaThe coming of age of Australia’s relations with

The total loss of innocence in Australia’s bilateral relationship with China over the past few months reminds me of a scene in the classic 1986 coming-of-age film Stand by Me. When asked around the campfire what food he would eat if he could have only one for the rest of his life, Vern, the film’s most loveable character, emphatically says, ‘That’s easy. Pez. Cherry flavour Pez. No question about it.’ These are the questions that seem important to young boys until they discover girls, the film’s narrator observes.

With Vern-like enthusiasm (and even without the imperative to choose one) successive Australian governments hitched our prosperity to a single market, China. Ever-stronger economic and trade ties to China would benefit us ad infinitum, the loudest voices said, come what may—no question about it.

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