Upcoming events

Online event: The China Challenge: Can a New Cold War be Avoided?

Thursday 27 August 05:00pm until Thursday 27 August 06:30pm

In 2020, the threat of a new Cold War between China and the United States deepened. A trade war between the United States and China is now being conducted. President Trump routinely blames China for the coronavirus pandemic. He refers to China not as a competitor but as an “enemy”. But what of Australia? For years, we claimed that Australia did not have to choose between the US and China. Recently relations have changed. Canberra angered Beijing by banning Huawei from its 5G network and calling for a truly independent investigation into the origins of the pandemic. Beijing responded by placing a ban on Australian imports and warning about Australian racism. At La Trobe’s Ideas and Society Program the former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and Linda Jakobson, the director of “China Matters”, will discuss three questions critical to the future. Why have relations between China and the United States deteriorated? Why has Canberra apparently followed the lead of Washington? Can a new Cold War between China and the United States and its allies be avoided?