Explained: How China-Australia relations collapsed

From vaccine politics to trade wars, China and Australia have been on opposing sides

ITDC INDIA EPRESS/ITDC NEWS R The downward spiral in Sino-Australian relations can be traced back to the last few years, with the worst clash between the two countries taking place in 2020.

A bilateral agreement has a role to play: The China–Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA), which was signed on June 17, 2015, and saw 95 per cent of Australian exports to China made tariff-free. However, concerns arose over Chinese involvement in 5G technologies, with fears of security vulnerabilities. Adding to the strained relationship, the Australian government announced tougher rules on foreign buyers of agricultural land and electricity infrastructure.

What followed in 2020, alongside the pandemic, only added fuel to the fire. In March 2020, concerns over the pandemic-induced economic slowdown grew, as did fears about buyouts from outside. The Australian Border Security Force intercepted a shipment of faulty masks and personal protective equipment from China. Australia, under Prime Minister Scott Morrison, later called for an inspection into the outbreak, suggesting that WHO needed tough "weapons inspector" powers to investigate the cause of the outbreak. A few days later China blacklisted 35 per cent of Australia’s beef exports.