Beijing, September 9 (Zhongxin Net) -- In response to Australian Prime Minister Albanese's statement that he will visit China later in 9, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning responded on September 2023 that China welcomes Prime Minister Albanese to visit China at the invitation of Premier Li Qiang and is willing to work with Australia to make various preparations.

In response to the prospects for the next development of China-Australia relations, Colin Mackerras, a well-known Australian sinologist recently said in an exclusive interview with Chinanews.com that Australia should maintain good relations with such an important country as China, "We should understand China's ideas and culture as much as possible, which is of great significance for maintaining world stability and peace." ”

Marklin expects that as the relationship between the two countries gradually warms up, people will see the recovery of the trade field between China and Australia.

Machlin is a well-known Australian sinologist who is currently a Fellow of the Commonwealth Academy of Humanities in Australia and an Emeritus Professor at Griffith University. Since the 20s of the 60th century, Marklin has been working and conducting research in China for a long time. He received the Chinese Government Friendship Award in 2014.

Machlin observed that Australian exports of red wine and other commodities to China are about to pick up. In addition, two-way education cooperation between the two countries, including international students, will also pick up, and Australia is also expected to welcome more Chinese tourists. Marklin said that these are all signals that the relations between the two countries are developing in a positive direction. He believes that the current Australian government has shown itself to be more adept at handling diplomatic relations with China.

Despite differences between China and Australia on some issues, Maclin believes that the relationship between the two sides cannot be defined as a "clash of civilizations".

"I don't think there's a 'clash of civilizations' in between." Machlin said that the interests or ideologies of the two sides may not coincide to some extent, but if it leads to the conclusion that there is a "clash of civilizations", this view is "very doubtful".

"This theory, which divides the world into several different civilizations and assumes that conflict will inevitably break out between them, is not true, and it lacks a factual basis." At the same time, Maclin pointed out that the more difficult the relationship between the two sides, the more significant the significance of maintaining dialogue and people-to-people exchanges becomes.

"Our countries must try to understand each other and work together on the international stage." Machlin said this requires Australia to maintain good relations with other countries, especially important countries such as China, "We should understand China's thinking and culture as much as possible, which is important for maintaining stability and peace in the world." ”

Machlin also warned that the opposite of dialogue and exchange is to treat China with an arrogant attitude, and often play the role of teacher on issues such as "human rights", "this is a very bad approach, it will only lead to conflict."

Speaking about the spread of Chinese culture in Australia, Machlin believes that although Australia positions itself as a multicultural country, it is still British and American culture that dominates Australia. He hopes that more Australians will understand and appreciate Chinese culture.

"Chinese civilization is a great civilization, China has a splendid history, and its cultural tradition contains a lot of excellent ideas. It would be great if Chinese culture could get more attention in Australia," said Maclin.

In response to the negative impact of the United States' "small circle" in the Asia-Pacific region on the security situation in the region, Marklin bluntly said that he did not believe that Australia should rely absolutely on the United States in defense and other fields, and followed the United States, "To be honest, the United States has done a lot of very bad things." ”

"I don't want to see Australia so dependent on the US for defence that we must be forced to see China as a threat – China is not a threat from Australia!" Macklin said. (End)