March 22, 2015 – “Pragmatism rules in China relations: Australia is not being swept up by America’s anxious agitation at China’s rise” (Financial Review)
“The US may want to edge Australia into a trilateral arrangement to support Japan in any showdown with China. Of course, this may not be a considered US strategy, or a particularly high priority. It should nonetheless be a goal of Australian diplomacy to let down gently both Japanese and Americans if this is, in fact, a serious expectation.”