This book challenges the common perceptions of Australian dependence upon great-power allies in the conduct of its foreign relations through a critical examination of Australia's relations with the People's Republic of China. The author focuses on the economic and political dimensions of the policy-making process from the founding of the PRC in 1949 to the present era, against an analytical framework that takes into account both internal and external factors in the formulation and implementation of Australian foreign policy.

Acknowledgments; Chapter 1 Introduction: The central question; Chapter 2 The pre-recognition period (1949-1972); Chapter 3 The Whitlam/Fraser period (1972-1983); Chapter 4 The Hawke era (1983-1989); Chapter 5 The Hawke/Keating period (1989-1996); Chapter 6 The Howard era (1996-2007); Chapter 7 The Rudd period (2007-2010); Chapter 8 Findings and conclusions;