In this abridged submission to the public inquiry into AUKUS, Wanning Sun warns that the pact’s securitisation of China is discouraging Chinese Australians from political participation and constraining academic freedom.

This is an abridged version of a written submission made to the Public Inquiry into AUKUS.

Chinese Australians have remained a largely silent constituency in the public debate over AUKUS, despite being Australian citizens with the same formal democratic rights to participate as any other member of the public. I suggest that this silence should not be interpreted as a lack of interest in Australia’s security or foreign policy. Rather, it reflects the corrosive effects of Sinophobia in Australia’s public discourse and the excessive securitisation of the Australia–China relationship.

Sinophobia and social cohesion

Lowy Institute polls consistently show that around two-thirds of Australians (65 per cent–67 per cent) “somewhat” or “strongly” support the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines.

In contrast, levels of support for AUKUS among Chinese Australians seem much lower. At a Chinese Australian Forum (CAF) panel discussion in Sydney in 2024, an informal audience poll revealed a stark contrast with broader national sentiment: only 15 per cent of participants supported AUKUS, 22 per cent were undecided, and 63 per cent opposed the pact.

This begs the question as to why there has been very little participation by Chinese Australian individuals and organisations in the public debate surrounding AUKUS.

AUKUS is fundamentally framed as a response to the strategic threat posed by China. The emergence of the current China threat discourse has relied on the convergence of three domains: media, foreign policy and public opinion. Media coverage legitimises foreign policy choices, those choices validate media framing, and shifts in public opinion become both the product and justification of an increasingly securitised policy agenda.

To a considerable extent, this has contributed to an enduring and widespread climate of Sinophobia.........

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