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VOA News (12 March 2022)

Ralph Jennings
 

Australia's already cool relations with China have declined again during the past few weeks over a new spate of incidents, experts in the Asia Pacific say.

Canberra announced Thursday it would add military personnel to work more closely with allies despite China's objections in late 2021. In February the West-leaning nation decried a laser that a Chinese vessel had pointed at an Australian military plane, and that month the government raised its budget for Antarctic exploration – another place where China is seen as a competitor.

"China-Australian relations are maybe even worse than U.S.-China relations," said Derek Grossman, senior defense analyst with the U.S.-based Rand Corporation research organization. "It just seems like the atmospherics around China (and) Australia has hit a vitriolic level."

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