Australia enjoys the best of both worlds- free trade with China and a strong alliance with the US.

How much longer can it last?

US Secretary of State says Australia can either 'sell your soul for a pile of soybeans, or you can protect your people.'

Could this kind of rhetoric widen the gap between two of the most powerful nations in the world, forcing Australia to 'choose a side'?

Kevin Rudd, former prime minister of Australia and president of the Asia Society in New York.

John Mearsheimer, professor of political science at the University of Chicago and author of The Tragedy of Great Power Politics