We could have expressed our differences with China without burning the relationship, the current government in Canberra believes it is imperative to get close to Washington and they believe the way to do that is to be the most anti-China of America's allies.

Michael Shoebridge

For all the years of engagement with Australia, Beijing doesn't understand the place or the people, bullying Australians achieves the opposite of acquiescence and subservience. And Beijing's coercion of Australia, now using our trade as a weapon, is helping collapse hard-won soft power gains Beijing had made here and internationally in the last 20 years.

Michael Shoebridge