The Quiet Revolution

The Chinese are renowned for taking the long view. Australians, generally more easy-going, look ahead about as far as the weekend. To gauge where the relationship between the two countries is heading, you need a time frame that sits somewhere between several days and a couple of centuries: let's say 20 years. "The Chinese have been part of the Australian story since the early days of settlement. I expect China to be of ever growing importance to Australia," says Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. "In the next 15 or 20 years it has the potential to become our biggest trading partner, for...