Australians are racist?

It seems like whether we are in Europe, North America or here in Australia, Asia has not just been knocking on our door, it has actually already come to our living room.

Asia, especially China has actually entered our daily lives here in Australia quite decisively, and a lot of the "locals" are not liking it. Recently, there have been some opportunities for the China-bashers to voice their dissent with China's role here in Australia.

Stern Hu, an Australian-Chinese working for an Australian mining company has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Chinese authorities for stealing commercial secrets and receiving bribes. Australians were outraged. A large Chinese oil tanker has just recently been stranded just near the Great Barrier Reef and is now slowly losing its oil. The Australians are outraged.

And this last example really goes to the heart of the Australian psyche. Chinese buyers are increasingly buying property here in Australia. Often, the properties concerned are very up-market and perhaps just used by the buyer's children, studying or going to high school in Australia.

In Australia, more than perhaps in any other country of the world, the land and your property defines you and your life. As a young professional, you are taught to aim to own your own house as soon as you can. Currently, this is getting harder and harder as the housing supply is not catching up with the demand. This means, prices are going up!

That is good for the ones who own, but not so good for the ones who aspire to own. Young families and singles are forced to move to the outer suburbs, where cheaper patches can be had. It is of course very easy to blame immigration for this "crowding out" of low income earners...

About 100 years ago, the picture was much different. Chinese workers, often well-educated, literate and humble people were discriminated and humiliated. They were simply mistreated for the colour of their skin. If a white woman would do the unthinkable and fall in love with a Chinese man, the couple would be banished, curses would be thrown and them and sometimes even eggs too.

Then came the White Australia Policy. This was the ultimate racist policy, where Asiatics were not allowed into Australia anymore.

Now however, the tables are turning. So much so, that the Chinese are now starting to be hated for being rich. I am reading that Chinese buyers are not very welcome at auctions. I wonder if Australians would show the same reaction if a British or an American person would snap the property away before their eyes...?

(Almost) no Asia in Melbourne Suburbs

Last weekend I was lucky to be able to combine a business trip to Melbourne with a personal visit to my aunt.

The business trip was about an academic network, of which I am the secretary. Therefore I needed to know what is going on, what are the priorities of the network and what issues I needed to push. The second part was far more interesting and included a visit to the National Gallery of Victoria, where our Embassy (represented by me) is trying to set up a joint photo exhibition about our country's darker sides. Exciting!

Luckily, my auntie also lives in Melbourne. Although, strictly speaking she lives right on the northern edges of the city, where the suburban sprawl gives way to small hills, valleys, sprinkled farms and ever-sprawling housing developments.

I stayed with my lovely aunt for 3 days, during which we visited malls, visited more malls, visited a museum and the Dandenong Hills on the East of Melbourne, and some more malls.

Perhaps I had been living in a too urban place (Chatswood) in Sydney, where a pan-Asian population transplant life onto the streets and into Asian shops. Now, living in Canberra in the diplomatic area, I do not get to see much urban life at all. In fact, hardly any life at all. Leafy streets, Australian Federal Police Cars (I live near the US and Israeli Embassy) and quiet dark houses is all I see here in Canberra.

The suburban life in Melbourne was a bit of a shock for me then. When you want to go out and do something indoors you either take the 60 minute train ride to the city or you take a 10 minute car ride to the mall. Actually, there were about 4 or so malls right near where my aunty lives.

On Saturday afternoon, we went to a supposedly upmarket mall in the suburb of Doncaster. This was white young upper-middle class centre. There were hundreds of young suburban families with kids munching on chips and McDonalds burgers. But not only that, Thai, Chinese and also Japanese food was very popular with these "average Australians".

I was disgusted by the food because I could see how tasteless and dull the Thai food was and how old and cheap the Sushi looked. This is the totally watered down version of Asia that the average Australian gets in his every day life.

These observations from a flat endless suburbs with endless straight streets with similar-looking houses, interrupted only by huge multi-storey malls only confirmed my previous thoughts. Namely that the Asianisation of Australia is perhaps only applicable to very limited areas.

The suburban north of Melbourne however is clearly white Australian middle-class territory. This also is a strong indication that a majority of Australians perhaps think of Asia as little more than a few Sushi rolls, Pad Thai and Chinese Noodles. In these massive suburban areas Australia not only resembles but actually looks exactly like America, only with different brands of cars, which run on the opposite sides of the street.

These observations however are by no means representative of Melbourne. Melbourne also has its patches of Asian community and traditions. It has a large Vietnamese community and a tradition of Chinese residents dating back to two centuries ago, when Chinese gold diggers flocked to Melbourne and the surrounding cities of Victoria.

I hope I can have another visit to Melbourne reasonably soon so I can document this city's Asianisation a bit more. In the meantime however, the stale and boring taste of suburbia is still numbing my senses...

Australia and Indonesia. Two very different neighbours? (part 3)

First of all, Indonesia has come a long way. Just a few years ago (until 1998), it was trundling along under the heavy hand of Soeharto. Dictatorships don't just neglect people’s basic rights, but they also establish a tightly knit elite, which in turn entrench a culture of cronyism and nepotism, corruption and then eventually social unrest.
Besides the numerous internal problems, dictatorships tend to also give the country a very bad reputation. It will be perceived as backward, perhaps violent and dangerous.

Indonesia used to be seen as exactly this. It was seen as a dangerous country, on the verge of disintegrating. Indonesia made itself no favour by violently acting against separatism, especially in Timor.
This is the political side, but perhaps far more important is the personal side. Indonesia is still seen as a somewhat savage place, where Australians sometimes get mugged, catch diseases and even get killed.
But the strongest images, which are engrained in almost all Australian people’s minds are firstly, images of fellow country people locked up and eventually killed for the use of minor drugs and secondly, boats full of poor refugees being intercepted at sea or even arriving on Australian shores from Indonesia.

The issue of the boat people is dominating in Australia’s relations with Indonesia, and that by itself is an absolutely overblown issue, which is also hardly discussed on the Indonesian side. Interestingly, most of the boat people are in fact legitimate refugees, mostly from Sri Lanka, which eventually get residence in Australia. This is exactly what a country like Australia should do. We are a rich and open country and we should be welcoming to refugees, whose homes have been destroyed.

Indonesia has recently caught a lot of spotlight as the star of Southeast Asia in terms of democratic reform and economic growth. The country is now a vibrant democracy with a burgeoning civil society. Even though still poor, many people are lifted from poverty and become part of a growing middle class.

Because Australia has been busy with China, America (as always), Japan and itself, only few people have noticed the successes in Indonesia. Typically, Australia is trading far more with New Zealand, a country of 4 million with a far smaller economy than Indonesia, than with the 220 million archipelago to the north.

This doesn't just tell us an economic story, it also tells us a story of identity. The reason is relatively simple. Australia feels much more at ease dealing, trading and working together with New Zealanders. Hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders have moved to Australia and vice versa too. They speak the same language (nearly) and have a similar past – and also present.
Indonesians on the other hand are perceived as very different. I am actually not even sure if the people as such have a bad reputation, I moreover think they have NO reputation. The knowledge and interest of Australia in Indonesia is very limited. The official Australia, even though always ready to emphasise its importance, sees Indonesia through a lense of problems: people smuggling, terrorism, religious extremism, thereby hugely patronizing its neighbour.

Indonesia in the meantime now wants to be recognized as an equal partner, and recently, the Australia media have taken up this point, with some even arguing that Australia may even become the weaker link.

Lets see if Australia can start to tackle the ghosts of the past and get used to its new role, not as THE leader of the region but as one of two leaders.

Australia and Indonesia. Two very different neighbours? (part 2)

Australia, having a much larger landmass than Indonesia, actually is home to much fewer people. Roughly 22 million live in Australia, compared with an enormous sum of over 230 million in Indonesia.

Australia’s history is clearly defined by its primarily British heritage and colonization. For decades, it was basically a piece of Britain somewhere in the South Pacific. Its identity is shaped by the notion of “distance”. Distance from its “motherland” but also distance between places within the country. People who moved to Australia (including some of my ancestors) were pioneers, people who were seeking for a refuge, far away from their home, but still among people who look, speak and are alike.

In a way, they lived far, far away from the worries of the world, and Australia was the richest country of the world for some time. Then came the wars. On the one hand, Australia asserted its own identity, detached from the motherland. On the other hand though, the wars firmly put Australia’s alignment where it is now: very closely attached to America.

The wars and the ensuing decades didn't just entrench Australia’s alignment with America and still to a certain degree with Europe (and later during the Cold War also with Japan) but also arose fears of invasion from the north.
My grandma, when she was a young girl in Perth still remembers the sirens going off in anticipation of Japanese air attacks in World War 2. People were scared of the masses of Asians to the north. First they were scared of the Japanese, who colonized nearly all of Asia during WWII, but then later also China and Korea during the recent immigration waves, and of course also the giant and wobbly neighbour, Indonesia.

So, a certain fear of Asians is somewhat engrained in parts of Australia’s identity. Unforgotten is also the success of Pauline Hanson and her One Nation party, which campaigned under a single issue, immigration from Asia. She gave this fear a legitimate and political makeover, and was quite successful for a while with this strategy.

Unlike fears of Japan or China however, Australia’s fears of Indonesia don't necessarily stem from the fear of an aggressive push by a great amount of people to conquer Australia, but rather from the fear of disintegration and “Balkanisation” of Indonesia.
Such disintegration would ensue in chaos, insecurity would reign over the Archipelago and supposedly, millions of Indonesians would seek refuge in Australia. This is the ultimate fear and a definite the worst-case scenario for Australia.

These days, a push by the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, to increase the population of Australia from 22 million to 35 million in a few decades is met with stern criticism.
Warning voices like to remind other Australians that the country is already now hardly coping with infrastructure (traffic, housing), water supply is critical and the arable land areas are shrinking.

Thus, these conservative and defensive voices try to remind Australians of their old Asian fears, being run over by these millions of “yellow people”, with their old (white) Australia in tatters.
In reality, conservative white supremacists have already lost. Australia’s engagement with its northern neighbours, although not in full bloom yet, is blossoming. Increasing amounts of Asians are studying in Australia, and subsequently make Australia their home.
A lot of what has previously been written on this blog is a testimony to the changed face of (primarily urban) Australia.

But whereas Australia’s relations with Japan, China, Korea and also Singapore have not only seen growth in trade and investment but also an explosion in people-to-people links, relations with Indonesia have somewhat stagnated.
Why is that? Why are the official Australia, the business community, and the people at large so enthusiastic about Australia’s relations with China, Japan and Korea but not necessarily with Indonesia?

Australia and Indonesia. Two very different neighbours? (part 1)

Here in Australia, there has been a lot of buzz recently on the Australian relationship with Indonesia. Especially after last week's official visit of the President of Indonesia to Canberra and Sydney, including 7 ministers and 4 provincial governors (!!!) and addressing a joint session of the Australian Parliament, the discussion of the bilateral relationship intensified.

In my opinion, nothing highlights the occasional awkwardness of Australia in dealing with its Asian geography and proximity better than its shaky and sometimes awkward relationship with Indonesia.

Perhaps it's good to have a look at a map of the region first.

Looking at the position of Australia, it's pretty clear which country should be the main partner of Australia. The Indonesian archipelago lies just a few hundred kilometres to the north of Australia and is by far the nearest landmass from an Australian perspective.

Both countries are immensely large and span several thousand kilometres. It takes about 5 hours to fly from Sydney to Perth (on Australia's west coast) and probably about the same time from Sumatra to Papua in Indonesia's East.

Interestingly, the two countries' economies are also roughly the same size (depending on the way they are measured) and both countries are members of the increasingly crucial G-20 group of nations.

The picture painted is clear. Two large countries with large economies. Two regional powers with clout.

That is however where the similarities end - and the frictions in the two countries' relations begin.

Australia Endeavour Awards

Today, I went to a little function here in Canberra. It was about the Australia Endeavour Awards, which are given to outstanding students from abroad who want to come and study in Australia, but also to Australian students going abroad.

Interestingly, most of the awardees either came from Asia (mostly Southeast Asia) or went to Asia for their studies (I met two Australians who are going to Beijing later this year for one year study and one year internship at a company). These are amazing programmes, not just for students but also to foster intercultural dialogue and exchange, I think.

All the worse then that I was the only European at this function. It was all about Asia, Asia and Asia. A lady from the Endeavour Awards team came to me though and happily said that they have now just started to include Europe too.

Of course this is all again just proof how much Australia is veering towards Asia. It wants to understand Asia better but also improve the Asian people's image of Australia. It is also desperate for human resources, and interestingly it wants to recruit them in Asia too.

Perhaps however, the fact that I was the only person representing a European country at this meeting also shows our indifference to Australia. No wonder Australia is turning to Asia instead.

The meeting itself was a attended by a curious mix of diplomats, (interestingly only from Southeast Asia and the Middle East) award winners and programme administrators. I, being a junior member of an Embassy dont get taken quite so seriously by the attending diplomats, it seems.

The Vietnamese Ambassador looked at my name and function in disbelief and gave his business card to other people in the group, not to me though. It seems that representing a country is sometimes not enough for some people, you also have to look "senior and important".

In the meantime, while the Syrian, Sri Lankan and Vietnamese Ambassadors enjoyed each other's company, drinking several glasses of wine each, with their Mercedes Benz Limousines including drivers waiting outside, I went about my business and made great contacts with Australians who work in the education business. I told them about my country and how we are interested to have more exposure for our universities here in Australia, and they were delighted.

This little function was just one of a plethora of meetings, functions, exhibition openings, presentations and excursions to which all the Ambassadors are invited literally every single day. I dont know how much important links and connections they make during these events but I suspect the food and wine is just as important...

To quote my Ambassador, after I gave someone a choice of 4 possible dates to meet him. "Cancel two of these, an Ambassdor doesnt have THAT much time."

A Short Introduction: Asia in Europe and Australia

I grew up in the middle of Europe, a place where people are generally not very knowledgeable about Asia. There are exceptions. The French and British have some knowledge about their former colonies and usually at least can point out some Asian countries on a map. They are also somewhat familiar with Asian cuisine (think curries in Britain), share rivalries in sport (England and its former colonies in cricket) and perhaps even know someone from Asia personally. Such direct personal connections however do remain rarities and the general knowledge about Asia but also the interest in Asia is limited.

More recently however, Europeans have increasingly started to notice Asia. Whereas countries like Japan and China have become somewhat fashionable to a broader middle and upper class, many Europeans at the same time also fear the surging economies of Asia.

Attitudes towards Asia however have not changed greatly changed since the very beginnings of European relations with Asia. Asia has always been, and still is “the other” and the exotic in the distant East. This is very much the view from a continent, which has dominated the world economically and also culturally for many centuries; or at least would like to think that it has.

It is out of this perception of dominance and superiority that an attitude of ignorance, nonchalance and exoticisation has managed to take a hold and persist until today.

Whereas most Europeans have largely managed to remain distant to an “exotic” Asia, I have become increasingly interested in Asia the last few years. Living in New Zealand gave me a first taste of Asia, as I made numerous of friends and acquaintances from various Asian countries during these years. I have also been living with Korean people for the best part of the last five years. I have travelled extensively across Asia and in the last two years, I have lived in Bangkok, the bustling capital of Thailand and perhaps one of the most exciting urban places on earth.

It is from this background, and also from reading countless articles, blog entries and from talking to friends and acquaintances where I take my perhaps still limited but growing knowledge and fascination for Asia.

Recently, I have decided to start my professional career in Australia, probably the closest one can live to Asia without actually being in Asia. As far as I can tell so far, Australia offers a totally different experience to Europe in terms of the presence and influence of Asia. Most Australians roughly know about Asia’s geography, they are far more acquainted with Asian food, which is found on every street corner. Many Australians have travelled to – or at least through Asia and a high number of Australians interact regularly with Asian people.

Factors, which have contributed strongly to an “Asianisation” of Australia, are the geographic proximity, political, economic and societal pressures in the different Asian countries, the prevalence of the English language (thus attracting a large number of foreign students and their families) and the relative openness of the Australian society to new arrivals from Asia (this being a more recent phenomenon).

The reality of a strong Asian physical presence in Australia, especially in the large cities, coupled with strong economic and political ties has led to not only a general realisation of the importance of Asia for Australians but also to increased interactions and the integration of a certain “Asian Lifestyle” into the everyday life of many Australians.

The content of this blog will involve my personal observations of “Asia in Australia”. It will discuss everyday experiences, which in a way involve Asia in Australia. As with every blog however, planning the content at the beginning of a blog is not easy. Experienced bloggers know that frequently, blogs can take surprising turns and evolve into something surprising and unintended.

Therefore, let us now get started and find out about Asia in Australia.