Original Article
When the Kangaroo Encounters the Flying Dragon: The Growth of Balancing Elements in Australia's China Policy
Jaebeom Kwon,
Corresponding Author
Jaebeom Kwon
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea
Email: jkwon1983@hufs.ac.krSearch for more papers by this authorJaebeom Kwon,
Corresponding Author
Jaebeom Kwon
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea
Email: jkwon1983@hufs.ac.krSearch for more papers by this authorFirst published: 16 December 2020
The earlier draft of this article was presented at the Annual Conference of the Korean Association of International Studies in Seoul, South Korea, in December 2019. The author appreciates the valuable comments and feedback on this paper from Dr Ross Miller, Dr In-han Kim, Dr Nam Kyu Kim, and Dr Kitae Lee. He also would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their recommendations on the earlier draft of this paper.
Abstract
Since the late 2000s, China's growing naval power and maritime assertiveness has resulted in a security environment unfavorable to Australia. Facing this situation, how has Australia responded? This study sheds light on Australia's recent balancing strategies against China. It analyzes Australia's recent China policy and argues that there have been growing balancing elements in that policy, including Australia's active military build-up, enhancement of its alliance with the United States, and diversification of its strategic and defense partnerships with other regional powers.
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