Misreading Détente: Australian and New Zealand Labo(u)r Government Diplomacy with the People’s Republic of China, 1972–75

Internationalist Labo(u)r governments took office in Australia and New Zealand in December 1972. One of their most celebrated achievements was diplomatic recognition of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Despite the scholarly attention given to this, the quality of their bilateral relations with the PRC has not been evaluated against the archival record. This article undertakes a comparative analysis of the Whitlam and Kirk Labo(u)r governments’ diplomacy with the PRC from 1972 to 1975. It argues that Australian and New Zealand diplomacy with China during this period was unsuccessful in achieving its political objectives due to a profound misreading of Cold War détente.