China’s ‘panda huggers’ speech preys on Australian divisions
A speech this week by a senior Chinese diplomat in Canberra plays up the idea that Australia is embroiled in a struggle between ‘friends’ and ‘enemies’ of Beijing. There appears to be no middle ground in the debate.
A man in the audience approached me last week shortly after I spoke as part of a public panel discussion on Australia-China relations.
He was surprised my comments about China that evening were not as hostile as he expected. He was unhappy, though, with some of my reporting while living in Shanghai, which he described as “anti-China”. Other Australian journalists on the ground in China were also biased, he informed me.
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Michael Smith is the health editor for The Australian Financial Review. He is based in Sydney. Connect with Michael on Twitter. Email Michael at michael.smith@afr.com
