The Echidna: Full and frank discussion is better than no talk at all

You have to love the language of diplomacy. "Full and frank discussion" is how Defence Minister Richard Marles described his meeting with his Chinese counterpart at the Shangri-La Dialogue conference in Singapore over the weekend. While "full" and "frank" stand out - diplomatic longhand for "robust" - the most important word is "discussion". After two years of not talking with China, the fact the two defence ministers sat down together for an hour to exchange views was a small but positive step. You can't reconcile disagreements if you don't sit down to talk about them.

The shift in attitude from China is small - a congratulatory note to Anthony Albanese on his election win, an overture about resetting the relationship in time for the 50^th anniversary of the Whitlam government's establishment of diplomatic ties, and now the ministerial pow-wow - but it does dial back the tone. So, too, does Marles' measured but steadfast language after his encounter in Singapore. It is a departure from the tougher language of the former Defence Minister, now Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton. The previous government's stance might have solidified our standing among our allies but it made thawing relations with China more unlikely. The change in tone both in Canberra and Beijing might make mending an extremely complex and codependent relationship a little easier.

The fact is China and Australia need each other. China needs our raw materials. We need China's manufactured goods. A quick audit of the Echidna's immediate work burrow bears this out. The keyboard? Made in China. The mouse? Made in China. The computer? The lamp? Made in China. Even the Echidna's clobber is all made in China. The hoodie, the T-shirt, the jeans, the socks, the jocks and the shoes - a lot of it probably started as Australian cotton and was manufactured in factories clad in steel made from Australian iron ore.

China has changed under the authoritarian rule of Xi Jinping. It's more assertive, more inclined to take offence, more sensitive to scrutiny of its dreadful human rights record. And it's more likely to come into conflict with our own values and national interest. But shaking fists and shouting at clouds rarely settles disputes. Opening up dialogue is the first step - and it's encouraging to see that happen after two frosty years.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Can our differences with China be reconciled? Have we become too dependent on China? How do we undo that dependency? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au

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