International relations should be based on equality and reciprocity

Comments on James Laurenceson, UTS: “Is China really a threat to maritime trade?", 4/06/2017

I think the point that Stephen Fitzgerald, Australia’s first ambassador to China, made is an important one, that is, that ‘what the US is really about is freedom of navigation for its military ships and aircraft to push hard up against Chinese waters — which it would not countenance near its own waters’.
The US should have a balanced, equal and reciprocal approach to international relations broadly and to the provision of freedom of navigation in particular.
An international order which is not equal but one-sided where the US can do anything to other countries (just like the current US president shows) and does not allow or accept other countries to do the same to it in return, is not just and should be changed.
The US should realise it cannot hold that position forever and sooner and later it has to change.

Having said that, every country, big and small and China included, should uphold the same standards in terms of international relations.