Beijing’s Bullying Escalates Down Under The detention of an Australian citizen signals foreigners work in China at their peril.
Australia is the Western nation most exposed to China’s military, economic and diplomatic power, so their relationship bears watching as an indicator of how the Communist Party in Beijing wants to treat other countries. In the latest example of bullying, China has detained with no public explanation Cheng Lei, an Australian citizen and television anchor for a Beijing media outlet.
It’s becoming clear that foreigners work and travel in China at their peril. Australian writer Yang Hengjun has been held on vague “espionage” accusations since last year. And don’t forget the two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, held in China since 2018 as hostages to pressure Canada not to extradite to the U.S. Huawei’s chief financial officer for violating Iran sanctions.
Australia has faced the brunt of Beijing’s ire since the spring for daring to back an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus. A state media representative compared Australia to “gum stuck on the sole of China’s shoes” and in May China imposed tariffs on Australian barley and restricted imports of beef. Over the weekend China launched a new probe of Aussie wine exports, threatening another trade blow.
The message from tariffs and detentions is that if countries take political positions that offend China’s Communist Party, Beijing will use its superior strength to inflict reprisals. China also aimed its threats at the Czech Republic over the weekend, saying the country’s Senate speaker would “pay a heavy price” after he led a business delegation to Taiwan, the self-governing island that China wants to absorb.
China seems to think bullying diplomacy will bend other countries to its will on issues like Hong Kong, Taiwan, the coronavirus, human rights and the South China Sea. It’s true that China’s economic rise has given it more influence over governments and businesses like the U.S. National Basketball Association.
Yet the Communist Party’s demands of obeisance are awakening the world to the risks of letting China become the Pacific’s dominant power. China’s rulers have convinced their people that the world wants to keep them down, but they are threatening their country’s international gains by abusing countries like Australia.
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