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James Curran, ‘A certain amount of forgetting’ The Australia-China Relationship from Menzies Onward

Australia’s relationship with China has always been fraught with both difficulty and opportunity. It was Menzies who established Australia’s first diplomatic mission to China during World War Two, and he had a lot of sympathy for the beleaguered ally that was the Chinese Nationalist Government. It was subsequently quite disheartening to see them defeated in the Chinese Civil War, but the Menzies Government’s attitude towards recognising the victorious Communist regime was far more nuanced than is generally assumed and he was actively conciliatory over the Taiwan Straight Crisis. Such nuance, combined with caution, is a necessary part of any dealings with China, as our present difficulties serve as just the latest chapter in a complex story.

In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Professor James Curran about his new book Australia’s China Odyssey: From Euphoria to Fear.

Professor James Curran is Professor of Modern History at the University of Sydney. A former analyst with the Office of National Assessments, he was also a Fulbright Scholar at Georgetown University in Washington DC and later the Chair of Australian History at University College Dublin. James has authored a number of books, including The Power of Speech: Australian prime ministers defining the national image, Curtin’s Empire, The Unknown Nation: Australia after empire (with Stuart Ward), Unholy Fury: Whitlam and Nixon at war, Fighting with America: Why saying no to the US wouldn’t rupture the alliance and Campese: The last of the dream sellers. James writes a fortnightly column on foreign affairs for the Australian Financial Review. His newest book, Australia’s China Odyssey: From Euphoria to Fear, has recently been released by Newsouth Press.