The following essay by Shazleen Lateef and me was published by the Melbourne Asia Review on September 9th, 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and extended lockdowns in Melbourne, Australia. It is a part of the Asia Society Australia’s Looking Ahead series of analytical papers on policy responses to the pandemic, supported by the Victorian State Government.

This is the headline piece from the 2019 China Special Edition of Disruptive Asia. I argue that there is no alternative to engagement with China, given the depth and breadth of connections and our geography. Community, coherence and competency are the key to maintaining a healthy and robust relationship with China.