Window of opportunity closing amid the China alternative

Associate Professor Graeme Smith puts forward a collection of views in The China Alternative. Photo: ANU Press - On the eve of a book launch, a leading academic said the clock is already ticking on how a new Australian government will react to the influence of China in the Pacific. The window of opportunity for Australia to play a greater role in the Pacific is closing if the next government fails to change its diplomatic approach, according to a regional expert from The Australian National University (ANU). Senior Fellow at the ANU Department of Pacific Affairs Associate Professor Graeme Smith said security deals like the newly-minted one between China and Solomon Islands will be more common in coming years. Associate Professor Smith is also the editor of a new book that looks at the broader themes of China's rising influence in the region, and said the clock is already ticking on how a new Australian government will react. "We need to broaden our Pacific labour mobility scheme beyond agriculture and create pathways to citizenship - if Australia becomes a more Pacific country, we will be a more credible partner in the region," he said. "We need to have a credible policy for addressing climate change.