According to Peter Jennings of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Australia’s longstanding approach to diplomatic relations with China when it “actively hid its more authoritarian behavior” is no longer sustainable. “It has not been a reality since 2012, when Xi Jinping came to power.” It is in the midst of a word war between Andrew Hastie, secretary and security committee chairman, and former DFAT and defense minister Dennis Richardson on the best strategy for dealing with China relations. “The idea that we can continue this policy of a different perspective, say nothing negative, have no criticism of China … this is no longer sustainable,” Jennings told Sky News moderator Sharri Markson. He said he welcomed the response from Mr. Hastie and other parliamentarians who have recently publicly criticized China’s behavior. “We need a really solid discussion about how China behaves and what our political attitudes should look like.” Regarding the sale of the Darwin port, Jennings said the decision that led to the approval to lease the port to China for 99 years was a “comedy of errors from the federal government’s perspective”. Darwin Harbor has recently been used as an example of Australia’s excessive dependence on China. Some politicians have asked the government to withdraw from business. Picture: Getty
