Chinese and Australian International Relations 101

Is the growing presence of The United States military in Australia good for Australian – Chinese relations? The Gillard and Obama administrations recent announcement of a new deal between the two sixty year strong allies.

It involves a half yearly rotation of 2,500 marine troops training at Australia’s Northern Territory military bases. This could cause tensions between The United States and China, with Australia being caught in the crossfire. Chinese Government spokesman Liu Weimin made an unambiguous statement about China’s position on the deal, "It may not be appropriate to strengthen and extend this military alliance," he said. "Whether it suits the common interests of countries around the region and the whole international community remains under question." Prime Minister Gillard will be sourcing a meeting with Chinese Premier Wan Jiabao at this weekends East Asian Summit. To expel rumours that the Darwin deal is anything but positive reinforcement of the Asia-Pacific’s prosperity and stability. The ever growing economically orientated China, is the next super power in waiting. It has the second largest nominal G.D.P in the world (after the U.S) at over $40 trillion annually. And the countries population is fast approaching 1.5 billion people. With statistics like this, the Australian and American alliance would be smart to solidify Chinese relations as quickly as possible.