3.
success of Chinese cultural exhibitions and the Chinese cafe. There are now far more
Chinese cafes than English cafes in Australia: Victoria alone has 1,400 Chinese cafes.
In Australia many of the daily newspapers bring us a flow of Chinese news, an
analysis of Chinese events, which, in the course of some weeks, exceeds the news they
bring from the British Isles.
It could well be that the goodwill of Australians towards China is close to its peak,
at least for the twentieth century. The increase in sympathy towards China in the last
ten years is remarkable, but it would be unwise to think that it will necessarily continue
to increase.
I see in China at least four events or changes which could impair or weaken the
present cordial relations.
Firstly, increasing concord between Russia and China. I would think there is only
a one in four chance of that happening in the next 25 years; but my guess could be very
wrong. After all, who in the 1950s would have confidently predicted that tensions
between Russia and China would become so acute and be so prolonged? If in the near
future, Russia and China begin to smile at each other, many Australians will probably
feel uneasy towards China and that new coalition of world power.
Secondly, if China were to become economically more powerful in the next quarter
century - and her military potential were thereby increased substantially many
Australians would be less sympathetic towards China. One of the reasons why we are
less enthusiastic towards Japan than towards China is that Japan, economically, has
become a giant. Japan is almost too successful. Of course she deserves her success but
we don't always admire success in others. Now it could be that China will go through an
economic revolution in the next 25 years. In the last five years her economic
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