Australia will always follows US - diplomat
By Kellee Nolan
September 19, 2008 06:28pm
Article from: AAP
Font size:
+ -
Send this article:
Print Email
- Australia still following America, says diplomat
- Relationship with China could be affected
- Americans "no idea" Australia has new government
AUSTRALIA'S relationship with China could be affected by the US election results, a US diplomat says, adding that Australia's influence is limited to reacting to US actions.
Former Clinton government official Derek Shearer said Republican candidate John McCain would be more forceful with China, while a Barack Obama Democrat administration was likely to be less confrontational.
Now visiting Australia on a US state department tour, the former US Ambassador to Finland, Clinton administration official and adviser to Hillary Clinton, said he expected tough foreign diplomacy from Senator McCain.
"McCain has said that he'll try and throw Russia out of the G8 organisation because of what they did in Georgia, they're going to stand up to the rise of the Chinese military, they're going to stay in Iraq until victory, whatever that means, so in foreign policy it will be a kind of revived, muscular version of Bush foreign policy," he said.
"If Obama's elected ... in foreign policy he will bring back in the Clinton professionals, who are less confrontational, stress diplomacy, stress working with multi-lateral institutions."
Mr Shearer said Australia's relationship with China could be compromised if a new US government took a hardline stance.
"Because one of Australia's big relationships, economically and diplomatically is with China it would be very hard for Australia if the US and China got into a military confrontation," Mr Shearer said.
"Under the ANZUS treaty, Australia would actually be obligated to go to war with us. So the last thing Australia would want is for us to get hostile with China."
But there were also opportunities, he said, as Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's knowledge of China may help influence America. However, Mr Shearer said
Australian politics realistically had very little impact in America.
"Well to be frank about it, most Americans, like 99 per cent, have no idea there's a new government in Australia," Mr Shearer said.
According to Mr Shearer, it never much matters who leads Australia, as their influence will always be limited to reacting to whatever America does next.
"I think the question for the Rudd Government, for any government in Australia is, will a new American government do things in the world, either these economic issues or foreign policy, that will affect Australia."
In terms of Iraq, he said, Americans don't care that Mr Rudd withdrew troops, in fact most don't even know former prime minister John Howard sent them there.
And with America this week hit by a finance market meltdown, Mr Shearer said Australia's banks may not be "light years" away from a similar crisis.
"I think the answer is right now they're in good shape, but they could be affected by the continuation of this crisis, because everyone's interconnected globally."
