Australia’s Foreign Policy towards China from the Perspective of the Multiple Stream Framework

Abstract

The relationship between China and Australia has maintained a trend of fluctuating development for a long period since the establishment of diplomatic ties. However, around 2017, Australia gradually adopted negative policies towards China, and the relationship between the two countries cooled down rapidly, with no obvious easing trend. Based on the Multiple Stream Framework, this paper attempts to use the China5G case to analyze the factors contributing to Australia's negative foreign policy toward China. The paper argues that the definition of problems by the top governmental officials and the urgency of the problem mutually determine whether the final resolution is negative or positive toward a country; that the complexity of domestic political party structure and electoral politics imply the preference for national policy; and that the lead of public opinion, as well as the government's political intention to maintain the rule of legality, are the key factors affecting the policy orientation. This analysis aims to better understand the deep connotation of the relationship between China and Australia and provides a thinking path for improving relations between the two countries. It also refers to analyzing the attitudes towards China's rise from other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.