Australia's choice

The cancellation of a visit to Australia by Chinese vice-foreign minister is a restrained and reasonable response on the part of Beijing when that country has challenged China's core national interests.

There is no need for Canberra to feel "regret" over this incident, because a little soul-searching would point to the self-evident fact that it has no one other than itself to blame for the souring of Sino-Australian relations.

For reasons that only some of its sinophobic politicians could explain, Australia has made itself the champion leader of an anti-China chorus after the July 5 riots in Urumqi, in which nearly 200 innocent Chinese men, women and children were slaughtered by rioters.