Geographically, Australia and New Zealand are not part
of Asia, and throughout their short history, both countries
have identified themselves culturally and politically
with the West rather than with their Asian neighbors.
Their political institutions and values are derived from
Europe, and the form and content of their economies resemble
those of the advanced countries of the world
rather than the preindustrial societies of much of Southeast
Asia. Both are currently members of the British
Commonwealth and of the U.S.-led ANZUS alliance
(Australia, New Zealand, and the United States), which
serves to shield them from political turmoil elsewhere in
the region.
Yet trends in recent years have been drawing both
states, especially Australia, closer to Asia. In the first
place, immigration from East and Southeast Asia has
increased rapidly. More than one-half of current immigrants
into Australia come from East Asia, and about
7 percent of the population of about eighteen million
people is now of Asian descent. In New Zealand, residents
of Asian descent represent only about 3 percent of
the population of 3.5 million, but about 12 percent of the
population are Maoris, Polynesian peoples who settled on
the islands about a thousand years ago. Second, trade relations
with Asia are increasing rapidly. About 60 percent
of Australia’s export markets today are in East Asia, and
the region is the source of about one-half of its imports.
Asian trade with New Zealand is also on the increase.
At the same time, the links that bind both countries to
Great Britain and the United States have been loosening.
Ties with London became increasingly distant after Great
Britain decided to join the European Community in the
early 1970s. There are moves under way in Australia and
New Zealand to withdraw from the British Commonwealth,
although the outcome is far from certain. Security
ties with the United States remain important, but
many Australians opposed their government’s decision to
cooperate with Washington during the Vietnam War,
and the government today is seeking to establish closer
political and military ties with the ASEAN alliance. Further
removed from Asia both physically and psychologically,
New Zealand assigns less importance to its security
treaty with the United States and has been vocally critical
of U.S. nuclear policies in the region.
Whether Australia and New Zealand will ever become
an integral part of the Asia-Pacific region is uncertain.
Cultural differences stemming from the European origins
of the majority of the population in both countries hinder
mutual understanding on both sides of the divide, and
many ASEAN leaders (see Chapter 14) express reluctance
to accept the two countries as full members of the
alliance. Both countries continue to face problems in
bringing about the integration of indigenous peoples—
the aborigines and the Maoris—into the general population.
But economic and geographic realities act as a powerful
force, and should the Pacific region continue on its
current course toward economic prosperity and political
stability, the role of Australia and New Zealand will assume
greater significance.
World History
