CCP Foreign Minister’s Visit a Show About Nothing

Commentary The most striking thing about Beijing Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Australia is how empty the official events around it have been. Australian government statements about it have been content-free, apart from expressing the government’s delight about having the visit and meetings as evidence of a “stable” relationship. The public words of Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong have been carefully chosen to convey the impression that there have been stern words from her in private, but nothing that could cause a ripple of discomfort to Mr. Wang or his Beijing boss Xi Jinping. Modest public mentions of human rights, our “shock” at the death penalty given to Australian citizen Yang Hengjun, and volatility in the nickel trade in her press conference are meant to convey the success of frank dialogue behind closed doors....