China Panic by David Brophy | Black Inc.

China Panic: Australia’s Alternative to Paranoia and Pandering

You might also like

About the author

David Brophy

David Brophy is a historian of Uyghur nationalism and the author of Uyghur Nation. He is a frequent commentator on the Xinjiang crisis and a senior lecturer on modern Chinese history at the University of Sydney.

More about David Brophy



Read an extract

China Panic

Praise for China Panic

‘The most stimulating book I've read on the most important question facing Australian foreign and strategic policy. Brophy is not just answering questions others have asked, he's asking new questions.’—Allan Gyngell, author of Fear of Abandonment

‘Anyone who wants to know how and why Australia’s China narrative has descended to such a dismal point needs to read China Panic. Brophy is that rare China scholar whose moral convictions, unflinching courage and probing intellect combine to deliver a devastatingly sharp critique. China Panic embodies a virtuous circle of formidable knowledge, dispassionate reasoning and surgically precise analysis, all of which are in desperately short supply in the current China debate. China Panic brings to light a wide array of uncomfortable truths about our collective neurosis when it comes to China, and highlights the urgent need for Australians to take a long, hard look at our national consciousness and political process. A powerful antidote to Australia’s growing China phobia, this book is long overdue.’ —Wanning Sun, Professor of Media and Communication, UTS

‘In China Panic, David Brophy introduces much-needed nuance to the increasingly polarised discourse around Australia’s relationship with China. He dissects the cliches and prejudices that are stifling Australia’s ability to think clearly and act in a principled manner when it comes to dealing with China – revealing the flaws in the thinking of both the “China hawks” as well as elements of the left. With his detailed, knowledgeable and incisive analysis of everything from Xinjiang and Hong Kong to domestic politics, the independence of universities and the American alliance, he offers a unique and valuable perspective. China Panic is essential reading.’—Linda Jaivin, author of The Shortest History of China

‘China Panic is, in part, a project of demythologisation; an attempt to reveal the hypocrisies and distortions on which Australia’s China policy is constructed.’ —Australian Book Review