Australian Foreign Policy Shift in China’s One Belt One Road: The Role of Small Group and Multiple Autonomous Group Rahmatul Amalia Nur Ahsani and Baiq Wardhani International Relations Department, Faculty of Social and Political Science, Universitas Airlangga Keywords: OBOR, Australia, Small Group, Multiple Autonomous Group, Decision Unit Abstract: China’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) Foreign Policy aimed at building a liaison infrastructure between Asia, Europe and even globally is welcomed by the Australian government as a country that offered to invest in the project. Australia under the leadership of Prime Minister Turnbull has a cooperative foreign policy direction towards China. Therefore, OBOR investments offered by the Chinese government to the Australian government initially received a positive and optimistic response to the huge returns from infrastructure investments in Northern Australia where it coincided with the Australian government that intensifying massive infrastructure development in Northern Australia. However, Australia’s position in the OBOR cooperation was not clear with the rejection of the signing of the OBOR MoU by the Australian government. In this case, the author attempts to explain the shift in Australia’s position in OBOR through group level of analysis by explaining small-group decision units as well as multiple autonomous units. Furthermore, to explain how then the unit’s decision works, the author provide identification of the decision units contained in small groups and multiple autonomous groups, explaining how organizational structure of leaders to groups, as well as providing further small group analysis through the decision tree. 1 INTRODUCTION Turnbull seeks to avoid tension and emphasizes the existence of mutually beneficial cooperation Australia’s foreign policy under the government of between the two (Tyler, 2016). Prime Minister Turnbull centered on massive Departing from the above statement, Australia infrastructure development, investment growth and can be said open to outside investments that give trading activity, in particular with the Northern significant impact to their infrastructure Development Plan of Australia policy. The development. This also applies to China’s One Belt Australian government wants to make the northern One Road initiative which, when viewed from the part of Australia a state powerhouse of the economy. interests of trade and infrastructure, there is Before going further, Malcolm Bligh Turnbull’s considerable consideration regarding OBOR elected Prime Minister in 2015, has a foreign policy cooperation. First, the Chinese government invited direction that is quite a contrast to Prime Minister Australia’s participation in the project investment by Tony Abbott. One of them is related to how providing access and construction facilities in the Australia sees its relationship with China where if maritime project or “road initiative”. Australia has former Prime Minister Tony Abbott is more likely to been spending enormous amounts of money for see Australia’s relationship with China driven by the Chinese operating companies in countries that have spirit of regional rivalry and tends to forge mutual agreed to invest through China’s own Bank. More cooperation with China’s rival countries in other specifically, China offers substantial investments East Asia and Asia Pacific regions such as Japan. under OBOR to support governmental development While Turnbull primarily has businessman-oriented in Northern Australia (Wade, t.t.). China is traits, Turnbull positively views China’s economic Australia’s largest trading partner by an increasingly growth and the opportunities generated from it for intense cooperation since the signing of the China- Australia itself. However, with China’s economic Australia Free Trade Agreement or ChAFTA. position it does not necessarily make the Prime OBOR then seen as an opportunity that make the Minister of Australia to always be a pro-party with Australian government should be able to expedite foreign policy made by President Xi Jinping. PM Australia’s massive development plans especially in 562 Ahsani, R. and Wardhani, B. Australian Foreign Policy Shift in China’s One Belt One Road: The Role of Small Group and Multiple Autonomous Group. DOI: 10.5220/0010280305620567 In Proceedings of Airlangga Conference on International Relations (ACIR 2018) - Politics, Economy, and Security in Changing Indo-Pacific Region, pages 562-567 ISBN: 978-989-758-493-0 Copyright c 2021 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved Australian Foreign Policy Shift in China’s One Belt One Road: The Role of Small Group and Multiple Autonomous Group infrastructure in Northern Australia. The OBOR policy in many countries is created through groups initiative also became a major consideration for setting. This indicates that a leader regardless of the Australia especially after seeing the prospect of a country’s governance system (democracy or non- non-promising Trans Pacific Partnership with the democracy) in some cases does not create a united exit of the United States while Australia needs a lot foreign policy but there is some influences from the of investment in infrastructure both to improve its actors around it. The author then took Breuning previous projects mainly in urban transport (Eslake, (2007: 86) assumptions which states that the country 2017: 4). policy can be created by several different decision Based on the statements above, it appears that units and at different times. Decision units explain Australia has more reasons to participate in this big the capable actors that have the abilities on shifting project. However, in reality the Australian the decision-making circle (Neack, 2008: 67). The government has not shown a clear position in decision unit can simply explain who has access and OBOR’s participation with the signing of the One the capability to “sit” with the leaders of the country Belt One Road. According to the latest White Paper or the executive ranks of foreign policy makers and released by the Australian government in November has the capability to contribute to shape and 2017, the Australian Government’s interest in influence both the policy-making process or the final OBOR policy is largely based on the government’s decision. hope that Australia’s infrastructure development Furthermore, to be able to use the decision unit plan brings no debt and other losses to the region’s, that have mentioned earlier in explaining Australia’s but inside of it also mention related to the policy that policy toward OBOR, the author then take some considered still in “cautious” position (ACRI, 2017). basic form of the decision unit that can influence the Australia’s policy change on OBOR was also visible state leaders in formulating foreign policy. The when the Australian government through the decision unit can also be referred to as an advisory Minister of Trade, Tourism and Investment Steven team for leaders where within the advisory team Ciobo was optimistic about the benefits of OBOR itself there are various aspects that can circle leaders investment in Northern Australia. OBOR needs to be and influence leaders in formulating foreign policy considered further because it has not included (Breuning, 2007: 88). The personality of the leader informative and transparent issues after attending the influences how the leader organizes the advisory OBOR Summit in Beijing (ACRI, 2017). The author team. Breuning (2007: 89) mentions three then see that the consideration of the investment approaches, namely formalistic, competitive, and benefits mentioned in the previous section is collegial approach. The author explains how a group challenged by other considerations. This is of advisory works in the formulation of foreign interesting because the considerations of actors policy under Prime Minister Turnbull. The author is representing economic, trade and infrastructure more likely to choose a collegial approach where the interests are not necessarily manifested in the form approach emphasizes teamwork rather than of an agreement signed by Prime Minister Malcolm competition between entities. Advisory team is Bligh Turnbull. It also imply that Prime Minister further explained by the author through the Turnbull in foreign policy making regarding China’s explanation of small group where policy makers One Belt One Road is considering the various interact face-to-face to discuss decisions based on aspects voiced by several actors in it. Therefore, information and analysis provided by various through this paper the author seeks to explain what government agencies and departments. Breuning factors are influential in Australian foreign policy (2007: 99) emphasizes the very limited number of making and how the dynamics of the actors in it can policy makers. In this case no larger than the play a role in determining Australia’s position on governmental cabinet and does not include members OBOR. of parliament in the small group category. In this small group it basically puts the advisory group as a think-thank where each of the advisors has 2 GROUP LEVEL OF ANALYSIS incomplete information and then became the source in decision making so that through the face-to-face In explaining the Australian government’s response interaction, policy-makers try to construct together and debate about how the best way to respond to to China’s OBOR policy, the author use the group level of analysis by agreeing on Hudson’s (2007: 73) these foreign policy issues