Australia looks like a wayward Hong Kong which has strayed from Beijing's cuddly and warm embrace. </sarcasm> It has even made the same mistakes HK made in the 1997 - 2020 period, embracing confrontation with China instead of very firm and quiet diplomacy. The story of our times is the collapse of firm diplomacy and diplomats in resolving international differences. Instead, everyone has flocked to social media because suddenly everyone is an expert in international relations. Just ask Hu Xijin.