Trade war? China was buying goods from Australia long before 1788

What is international trade?

In a simple sense, it’s the exchange of goods and services between countries.

It allows people to have access to items from foreign lands.

When practised, it can also encourage cultural exchange and promote friendships (or antagonisms) with other groups.

It just depends how it’s conducted.

Australia has a long history of trade

From the 1700s (at least), well before the colony of New South Wales was established in 1788, the Aboriginal people of northern Australia were trading trepang (sea cucumber) with fishermen from Makassar, a port-city on the island of Sulawesi (now Indonesia).

The “Macassan” fishermen would sail to Australia around December each year, with the north-west monsoonal winds.

They would spend…