Economy 'binds Sydney, Beijing'

The Australian ambassador's statement that Sydney does not think of Beijing as an "emerging threat" may well be true and not just a diplomatic comment, given the country's economic dependence on China, experts said yesterday.

"It's hard to imagine Australia thinking of China as a threat considering the business cooperation between the two sides," said Shen Dingli, executive dean of the Institute of International Studies at Shanghai-based Fudan University.

Shen said Sydney, however, did show "signs of fear" toward the emerging China for its surging military power.