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Australian ‘phobia’ of China’s rise has left it vulnerable, former PM Paul Keating warns
- Paul Keating, who served as prime minister from 1991-96, was a fierce advocate of greater Australian engagement throughout Asia
- He warned that media and security agencies have contributed to an irrational fear of China that has left Australia too reliant on the US
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Former Australian prime minister Paul Keating on Monday took aim at the Morrison government’s approach to dealing with China, warning short-sighted policies and “phobias” among the media and security agencies had left Canberra ill-prepared to adapt to Beijing’s growing influence.
“My concern is that what passes for the foreign policy of Australia lacks any sense of strategic purpose,” Keating said during a speech to the Strategic Forum event, organised by The Australian newspaper. “The whispered word of ‘communism’ of old is now being replaced by the word ‘China’.
“The subtleties of foreign policy and the elasticity of diplomacy are being supplanted by the phobias of a group of security agencies which are now effectively running the foreign policy of the country.”
Keating served as Treasurer in Bob Hawke’s government from 1983-91 and then as prime minister from 1991-96. Renowned for his caustic debating style, Keating has long been a fierce advocate of greater Australian engagement in Asia.
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In 1993, he sparked a diplomatic row with Malaysia after referring to Mahathir Mohamad as a “recalcitrant”, and also courted controversy by working closely with the Indonesian military under Suharto, allegedly overlooking human rights concerns in the process.
Since leaving office, Keating has continued to weigh in on Australian policy as it concerns Asia-Pacific, although his ties to the China Development Bank have prompted accusations of a conflict of interest.
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