Sino-Australia Relations under the Rudd Government
Professor Hou Minyue
Professor and Deputy of the Australian Studies Centre,
East China Normal University
Monday 10 August 2009
Hou Minyue, Professor and Deputy Director of the Australian Studies Centre at East China Normal University, Shanghai, China, gave a concise and interesting evaluation of political, economic and social relations between China and Australia. Particular attention was drawn to policies of the Howard government, and how these have changed under Rudd. Professor Minyue argued that strengthened bilateral relations between China and the US, among other things, have undermined the Rudd governments leverage in relation to security issues.
Focusing on the study of US-Australian defence alliance he was also a Georgetown University Fulbright Scholar from 2007 to 2008. Specialising in international relations, the Australian economy, Australian foreign relations and cultural studies, Professor Minyue is a leading expert on China-Australia relations. He is the author and editor of A History of Sino-Australian Relations (1999), Cultural Pluralism and Civil Society in the Asia-Pacific Region in the Era of Globalisation (2004), and The Impact of China’s Modernisation on Relations with Australia (2005).