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In the early 2010s, White gained significant coverage in the Australian media, with regular commentary in The Australian, the Sydney Morning Herald, and numerous television appearances. Much of his intellectual work has been presented in articles written for The Strategist since 2012.[6]
In 2010, he published The China Choice: Why We Should Share Power. The book gained national attention as well as favourable commentary globally, including from the New York Times,[7] the Financial Times,[8] and the New York Review of Books.[9] The book's central argument is that there should be a concentration of powers in Asia as there was in Europe in the 19th century.[clarification needed] White claimed that Australia's strategic hedging could not last and that policymakers would one day have to choose to become aligned with either the US or China.[10]
For more than a century, [the US] has contributed to peace and order, to economic development, to political evolution, and to science, technology and art around the world – and all these contributions have been nothing short of exceptional.[11]
In 2012, Crikey's Power Index of influential thinkers in Australia ranked White at number seven.[12]
White advocated for a reconsideration of the Abbott government's preference for a deal with Japan for the construction of Australia's next-generation submarine fleet. The basis for his belief was the negative implications on Australia-China relations, and he instead advocated for deals with France or Germany.[13] He was also critical of the Rudd and Gillard governments' escalation of Australian involvement in the War in Afghanistan, which he argued resulted in increased casualties.[citation needed]
In 2014, White stated that Australia is a key player in the Asian region but that Australian governments routinely believe Chinese governments are preoccupied with economic interests when China is determined to redistribute regional power in its favour.
Australia seems to have acquired quite a prominent place in regional power politics, as shown by the way Obama, Xi, Modi and Abe have all come here to deliver big geopolitical speeches. It would be unwise to believe that the Chinese do not care about Australia's position on Asia's great strategic questions.[14]
Criticism
White has most often been criticised for his bullish outlook in defence matters, especially in relation to armaments. A strategist at the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy, James Goldrick, argued in 2015 that White's bellicosity must be measured against the price of war, stating that "[w]hat we have to be sure [about] is that the end justifies the means".[15]
Other commentators have argued that White exaggerates the threat posed by China in the Asian region. Paul Dibb from the Australian National University claims that White has overstated the ability of China to assert its power.[16]
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