Beijing’s public diplomacy: From soft power to sharp power and the Australian experience

Hayes, Anna

Abstract

Sharp power has become a critical feature of Chinese international relations (CIR). Australia was one of the first states to experience and respond to Beijing’s sharp power, resulting in a reset of the Australia-China bilateral relationship. While Australia sought to protect itself from espionage and foreign interference by passing new legislation and banning questionable technology companies such as Huawei and ZTE from bidding on Australia’s 5G network, Beijing was planning its response. From 2018, Beijing used its ‘wolf warrior diplomats’, then economic coercion and sanctions to try to coerce Australia to abandon such safeguards for its sovereignty and independence. This chapter argues that sharp power is a central feature of CIR, and Australian responses provide a model for other states in identifying and responding to acts of sharp power penetration by aggressor states like China.

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Chinese International Relations Theory: As Emerging from Practice and Policy

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ISBN/ISSN

9780429197697

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Routledge

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Publisher Location

London, UK

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DOI

10.4324/9780429197697-10