Asia's transformation, international relations and public policy

This article considers Hugh White's assessment of how China's rise is changing Asia's international order. It particularly welcomes White's intervention as a break from Australian International Relations scholarship's collective tendency to disengage from serious debates about public policy. It argues that while White's claims are plausible, the outcomes he paints are not as likely as he believes due to Chinese domestic economic and social constraints, the continuing ability of the CCP leadership to act autonomously of societal pressure and America's ability to politically manage its regional dominance. The article concludes by noting the absence of public debate about what China's rise means for Australia and the region and joins White in asserting the need to recognize that every strategic policy option it faces will impose new costs on Australia.