The visit of China’s third-ranking leader should have prompted serious discussion about diplomacy and economic relations. Instead, Australia’s media fixated on security theatrics and fed a familiar cycle of fear.

An official visit to Australia from China’s number three leader Zhao Leji, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, should generate some news.

But this is Australia with, what in terms of mainstream media, must be somewhere near the most slavish in the world in parroting predictable narratives.

So what did we get instead of analysis concerning the visit? Some breathlessly excited commentary about the security risk of Chinese visitors wandering the halls of........

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