Australia’s 16 Demands for China

Australian's need to think about what exactly is the nature of the relationship we want with China. The following are put forward for the purpose of kicking off this discussion.

Photo by Matt Botsford on Unsplash

Our Message To The Chinese Leadership:

Australians do not respect dictatorships and will never regard the Chinese Communist Party as being a legitimate ruler of China as it does not have the informed consent of its people, through freedom of information and expression, rule of law, independent checks and balances and democratic mechanisms of peaceful competition for power. The CCP has power, through a monopoly on the power “from the barrel of a gun”, and the “pen” (information).

Australians accept that entirely because of CCP rule, China is not a normal country and as such we cannot have normal relations with it in the way that we do with much of the rest of the world. Attempts at normalising engagement with China under CCP rule have led to China attempting to undermine our major political parties, our media and educational institutions. These mistakes can never be repeated. This is your fault. This has consequences.

Australia is nevertheless willing to have diplomatic relations with China, to permit trade and within special limits, investment, and at arms length engage with China in other ways, on a case by case basis.

We are willing to do this, subject to China’s adherence to the following conditions:

In China

Immediately release, compensate and apologise to Cheng Lei and Yang Heng Jun. An attack on one Australian, is an attack on all Australians.

Cease all oppression of ethnic minorities and close the infamous Xinjiang reeducation camps and their equivalents elsewhere. Begin the process of reconciliation and respect for their cultures and establish the autonomy they were promised when they surrendered to the Han army in the 1950’s.

Restore the rights and freedoms removed from Hong Kong in the past 4 years, create a path to Hong Kong’s domestic affairs to be governed by representatives elected freely by the citizens.

In the World

Firmly renounce the option of fratricidal violence to coerce Taiwan to become a province of China. Confirm acceptance of the principal that the majority of Taiwanese must voluntarily consent to any change in the political status quo.

Rule out militarisation of currently unmilitarised areas in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Remove the “knife at the throat” of all South East Asian countries, by removing all bases from the artificial islands stolen from South East Asian Nations. Commit to and undertake environmental remediation of the vandalism done through illegal dredging and creation of artificial islands in the Seas to the South of China. This occupation was illegal under international agreements China signed, and has been a stark reminder that Chinas word - written or spoken, is of no value. We need to see actions.

End all forms of support for murderous dictators in Russia, Myanmar and elsewhere. Accept that normally people want sovereignty, freedom, democracy.

In Australia:

Cease and desist United Front operation in Australia, allow Chinese community groups to be independent of Communist Party direction, influence or cooperation.

Acknowledge the fact that Chinese people who have settled in Australia are none of your business and that attempts to control them are a gross interference in our domestic affairs and that those who collaborate with your attempts to influence and interfere will be rightly described as traitors.

Close Confucius Institutes, or if you prefer, provide funds for the state departments of education to provide and promote Chinese language education in Australia.

Cease using Chinese language media to mislead and confuse Australian citizens who read or use Chinese media. Work with Australian authorities to have a content moderation system for WeChat independent of any government, subject to Australian laws. Or don’t complain when we have no choice but to block it.

Cease infiltration of universities and think-tanks that promote Chinese propaganda goals to confuse and mislead Australians. As a dictatorship, you must accept that you have no dialogue rights  / 话语权 in a civilised nation. Since we cannot communicate and persuade people in China, it logically follows than China has no right to a voice in Australia, since reciprocity is a fundamental of any relationship, and we can never accept asymmetrical rights in any area of human or national relations.

Cease all and any attempt to build party to party relationships with Australian political organisations. Only nation to nation relations are acceptable. The Labor Party will need to accept and deal with it’s past mistakes in this area in due course.

Cease trying to undermine the federal government with piecemeal belt and road agreements with states.

Immediately cease trade based coercion tactics and open the Chinese market to Australian value added products，cease using trade restrictions to force us into a colonial raw material supply relationship, rather than a modern free trade relationship based on comparative advantage.

Australia must be a safe haven for those fleeing persecution: Cease and desist harassment and intimidation of those who were your people, who are now, by their choice, ours.