People wearing masks walk on street in Sydney, Australia, on March 2, 2020. Photo: Xinhua

Australia maintains a political prejudice against China and other Asia-Pacific countries due to its long-term "identity crisis."

It has chosen to play the blame game alongside the US amid the pandemic and spread a "political virus" which will only narrow its economic recovery path after the outbreak.

Australia is a typical dual character country which tends to seek interest and commit disturbance simultaneously. With massive trade and economic ties with Asia-Pacific countries, it, however, often has a hostile attitude toward some South Pacific countries.

It is a long-persistent issue that Australia has an identity crisis as the nation regards itself as a Western country in terms of ideology and values, meanwhile has closer economic relations with Asian countries due to its geographical location, which has led to its lack of a sense of belonging on the global stage.

Without a clear sense of its identity, Australia is inclined to adopt an ignorant attitude toward Asia-Pacific countries and regions which are essentially vital economic counterparts for Australia due to their close geographic proximity and profound trade and economic relationships.

China, as the world's second largest economy, has been the largest trade partner for Australia. Although it has been harvesting profits from its trade with China, Australia still constantly chooses to sabotage the bilateral relationship.

As a member of the Five Eyes Alliance, it has followed the US' moves and joined the blame game to agitate for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus outbreak and tries to blame China for the pandemic.

The blaming game has been firmly refuted by China and sparked anger among Chinese netizens. Chinese officials have stressed that China has an open and honest attitude towards an international investigation and supports scientists to conduct research, but any investigation under the presumption of guilt is not acceptable.

As the global economy is under huge pressure from the pandemic, countries and regions are eagerly trying to resume production and promote economic recovery.

As for Australia, the choice rests in its own hands and a rational choice to pursue positive and sincere relations with China and other Asia-Pacific countries would generate a wider development space for the country during the post-pandemic era, while an ill-advised strategy will only lead to gloomier prospects.

The article was compiled based on an interview with Ruan Zongze by Global Times on Wednesday. Ruan is an executive vice president and senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn