Australia should consign to history its anti-China bias

There was once an ostensibly sweet honeymoon for Beijing and Canberra, when booming trade produced overwhelming optimism about the mutually beneficial nature and bright prospects of bilateral ties.

But what has been happening in Australia recently is a stark reminder that it may not be the kind of friend many in China have thought it to be.

If Australian media's political witch hunt targeted at "Chinese influences", Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's undisguised China-bashing, and the legislative moves aimed at restraining so-called foreign infiltration have soured government-to-government relations, recent reports of attacks on Chinese citizens studying in Australia have further tarnished the country's image in the eyes of the Chinese public.