Communist China 'putting Australia in a new category' amid deteriorating relations

The Communist Party of China may have decided to "take Australia out of one category of countries that it deals with" as the bilateral relationship between the two nations continues to deteriorate says Melbourne University Professor Michael Wesley.

Australia no longer has any correspondents in China following the rushed removal of two Australian journalists over fears for their safety.

Professor Wesley said if the strategic partnership isn't dead between the two nations, "it's certainly on life support".

"It's hard to tell at this stage whether this is another step in a slow tightening of the pressure on Australia by Beijing," Professor Wesley said.

"Or whether China has simply decided to take Australia out of one category of countries that it deals with, which up until five or six years ago was seen to be a relatively friendly country to China, and simply put it in another category.

"That is a country that China will deal with on a pragmatic basis but with no pretense of any closeness and no favours done on either side."

"It's certainly starting to look like the latter of those to me," he said.

"It is very hard to see how the bilateral relationship is going to return to a level of, let's say pre-2012 where there were close and cordial relations between the Australian and Chinese governments".

Image: News Corp Australia

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