{"id":42710,"date":"2018-10-15T12:38:57","date_gmt":"2018-10-15T01:38:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=42710"},"modified":"2018-10-15T13:20:29","modified_gmt":"2018-10-15T02:20:29","slug":"learning-to-listen-to-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/learning-to-listen-to-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning to listen to Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

The 2017 foreign policy white paper<\/a> makes much of Australia\u2019s values. Malcolm Turnbull\u2019s introduction to the white paper says that \u2018Australia\u2019s values are enduring\u2019. Turnbull has now moved on, but the focus on Australia\u2019s values remains a core theme of official statements<\/a> about Australian foreign policy. That\u2019s hardly surprising; all nations have principles that guide their foreign policies.<\/p>\n

But the emphasis on values runs into two problems in our relations with our Asian neighbours. First, quite a few Australian values jar markedly with Asian ones<\/a>. Second, it often isn\u2019t clear that we\u2019re even aware of this clash. In short, we don\u2019t seem to be good at listening to the voices in our region.<\/p>\n

Just what are the values that we point to? The white paper lists support for such things as democracy, freedom, equality, the rule of law, and mutual respect. In the economic arena, Australian statements frequently mention such things as the need for stronger markets, free trade, the private sector and limited government.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s easier to espouse principles than to apply them. Most countries in the world say (frequently) that they subscribe to ideals such as freedom, democracy and free trade. However, these statements often mean little. And there\u2019s no shortage of examples in recent years of Australia\u2019s actions in Asia not living up to Australian rhetoric<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Australia has struggled to define a coherent set of principles to guide its relations with Asia for over a century. One of Australia\u2019s leading diplomats, Rawdon Dalrymple, wrote about a \u2018sense of unease\u2019 about Asia at the core of Australia\u2019s nationhood in his book Continental drift<\/a><\/em>. The subtitle of the book was \u2018Australia\u2019s search for a regional identity\u2019.<\/p>\n

And the situation is complicated by the awkward fact that there are around 4 billion<\/a> of them and only 25 million of us. Sticking close to our protectors\u2014first, the United Kingdom, and more recently, the United States\u2014has brought comfort but hasn\u2019t really solved the problem. After all, they may not be reliable. President Donald Trump, for example, might not respond if we call. And Asia is changing rapidly.<\/p>\n

Reform in our relations with Asia requires at least two major changes.<\/p>\n

First, we need to pay more attention to our neighbours. The problem with focusing on promoting our values is that while we\u2019re talking, we\u2019re not listening. Indeed, disagreements over values are not really the issue. There are key differences between Australia and our regional neighbours\u2014not over values but, rather, over priorities<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Energy is a case in point. In Australia, much discussion about energy policy focuses on the goal of shifting towards cleaner energy. But in developing Asia, there\u2019s a second priority as well: the urgent need to get much more electricity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Average annual electricity consumption in Australia is around 10,000 kilowatt hours per person. In India, Indonesia and the Philippines, the figure is below 1,000. So, as our Asian neighbours see it, top priority needs to be given to the rapid expansion of electricity supplies. And it seems inevitable that much of this expansion will be in coal-fired power plants<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For Australia to have an effective conversation with our regional neighbours about global energy issues, we need to recognise their priorities as well as talk about our own.<\/p>\n

Second, we need to find ways of being more open to the economies and markets of the region. Openness is a key factor<\/a> for any country in promoting economic success.<\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s policies of promoting open trade with Asia and the world have brought enormous economic gain to Australians. But an emphasis on openness needs to go well beyond trade\u2014it needs to extend to other markets such as capital and labour markets, and to all sorts of other flows, such as exchanges of ideas and technology.<\/p>\n

To share in the huge economic boom now gathering strength in Asia, we will need to continue making reforms to promote openness. The deregulation of the education sector<\/a> with the opening to overseas students in the mid-1980s, for example, transformed Australian universities from inward-looking institutions servicing a protected local market to a rapidly expanding export-oriented sector. Similar forms of deregulation are needed across other parts of Australia\u2019s service sector.<\/p>\n

And, difficult though it is, we need to consider carefully the economic implications of an expanded focus on security issues in our dealings with Asia. Increased security might provide increased protection\u2014but it is also protectionist. It\u2019s not possible to build walls and to open markets at the same time. We need to find ways of opening our doors to Asia, not closing them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 2017 foreign policy white paper makes much of Australia\u2019s values. Malcolm Turnbull\u2019s introduction to the white paper says that \u2018Australia\u2019s values are enduring\u2019. Turnbull has now moved on, but the focus on Australia\u2019s values …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":276,"featured_media":42712,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[354,17,285,365,444],"class_list":["post-42710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-asia","tag-australia","tag-foreign-policy","tag-trade","tag-values"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLearning to listen to Asia | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/learning-to-listen-to-asia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Learning to listen to Asia | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The 2017 foreign policy white paper makes much of Australia\u2019s values. 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