David Walker grew up in small mining town in South Australia in the post war years. He became an academic in Australian studies, looking at how Australians have perceived Asia over the decades. In his childhood, Asia was thought of as a threatening and exotic place, looming over Australia. But at the same time, there were voices urging Australia to embrace its Eurasian future. Some years ago, David was appointed the Chair of Australian Studies at Peking University. When he took the job, he was almost entirely blind.

The Morrison Government will establish a new and innovative National Foundation for Australia-China Relations to strengthen one of Australia’s most significant bilateral relationships. The National Foundation will be a high profile platform for the promotion of Australia-China ties. It will harness efforts of the private sector, peak bodies, NGOs, cultural organisations, state and federal agencies and the Chinese-Australian community to turbo-charge our national effort in engaging China.