Australian Albany Prime Minister Calls China a 'Good Child'?

An Australian security expert has criticized Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for showing an excessively conciliatory attitude toward China.

According to the Australian daily The Australian on the 30th, Peter Jennings, director of the Australian Strategic Analysis Institute (SAA) and a former senior official at the Australian Department of Defence, claimed that China expects Prime Minister Albanese to continue maintaining a 'good child' stance and to soften his remarks toward China.

Recently, Xiao Qian, the Chinese Ambassador to Australia, sparked controversy by urging the Australian government to resolve 'misunderstandings' regarding Taiwan and South China Sea sovereignty and to respect China's territorial claims. He also accused the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a conservative think tank formerly headed by Jennings, of spreading negative views about China.

Jennings pointed out that Ambassador Xiao's remarks were 'less insulting' than those of past Chinese government officials but still contained a one-sided message telling the Australian government to 'do as we want.'

He also interpreted the recent resumption of lobster trade between Australia and China earlier this month as China 'rewarding' the conciliatory attitude shown by the Australian Labor government.

He criticized, saying, "Prime Minister Albanese suppresses criticism and almost acts 'as instructed,' not responding even when China does bad things in the South China Sea," adding, "Thanks to this 'submissive' attitude, he is being rewarded by China."

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A spokesperson for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) emphasized that Australia's approach to China is to "pursue national interests by cooperating where possible and opposing where necessary," adding, "Wisely managing these differences and developing the relationship through dialogue is essential to protecting national interests."

At the same time, Australia shares concerns with regional countries about China's destabilizing actions in the South China Sea, particularly the dangerous behavior of Chinese vessels toward the Philippines and excessive maritime claims that do not comply with international law, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Nevertheless, the DFAT spokesperson added that there is "no change to the 'One China Policy.'"

Jennings warned that whether or not foreign policy changes, if the Australian Labor government shows a more conciliatory attitude toward China, it could lead to fatal consequences.

He stressed, "If the Australian government does not realize that taking an overly submissive attitude toward China is 'bad politics,' it is merely an example of 'poor political judgment.'"

Jung Dong-chul, Hanho Times Reporter

※This article was written using content provided by Hanho Times (www.hanhotimes.com).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.