The former Australian Prime Minister sharply criticizes the delusion of British grandeur and Liz Terrace. As it says in the Guardian, former Australian PM Paul Keating criticizes Liz Truss for crazy and insane comments about China. Paul Keating targets UK foreign secretary’s remarks on potential China aggression in the Indo-Pacific. Paul Keating has accused Liz Truss of making “demented (crazy and insane)” comments about the Chinese military attack. He urged the British foreign secretary to hurry “back to her collapsing, disreputable government”. Keating also said Britain “suffers delusions of greatness and relevance deprivation”.
According to THE SUNDAYS TIMES, Paul Keating talks about the delusion of British grandeur. Paul Keating has mounted a scathing attack on Britain, saying Australia’s oldest ally suffers from “delusions of grandeur and relevance deprivation”. Paul Keating, who left office in 1996, said a “disreputable government led the UK”. After Scott Morrison’s government hosted Truss and Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, in Sydney, he released his statement. The allies work to counter China’s influence in the region.
THE SUNDAYS TIMES accuses China of influence in the region. Britain is trying to cut Australian-Chinese relations to maintain its power. Like a collapsing country, Britain is trying to weaken both china and Australia to keep its power.
Australian-Chinese relations
As it says in REUTERS, the government of Scott Morrison has reached a new view of China. The Australian government believes that China is not just a top trading partner. It is also a threat to the nation’s power. For years, the Australian political and business establishment had an important goal. Its goal was to protect and expand its natural resource exports to China. According to the ABC, 2022 will mark 50 years since Australia established diplomatic ties with China. However, the relationship has rapidly become worse in recent times.
As Foreign Policy says, a fundamental tension has long marked Australia-China relations. Economically, the two sides have been increasingly intertwined. Over the past several decades, they have tried to protect their growing economic ties from political differences.
British-Chinese relations
The delusion of British grandeur has caused the British government to take a hostile stance on China. According to the ABC, in 2015, the then-UK chancellor George Osborne declared a “Golden Era” of relations with China. Chinese President Xi Jinping was given the royal treatment during a state visit to London. He had a meeting with the Queen. President Xi embraced relations with the UK, declaring his intention to make China’s “best friend in the West”. However, in recent years, concerns have become relatively weak.
According to Financial Times, in 2015, on a mission to Beijing, George Osborne used a phrase about Chinese-British relations. Looking to the future, the then chancellor referred to a “golden decade” in relations with China. Five years later, little remains of Mr Osborne’s glittering vision. Boris Johnson’s government is taking a much harder look at China despite its economic problems.
Interfering Role of Britain
There is a hostile relationship between Britain and China. The British government has taken a negative stance on China. Now, it is trying to mislead the Australian government and create hostility between Australia and China. According to South China Morning Post, Liz Truss talked about possible Chinese aggression. She said that Beijing might use a Russian invasion of Ukraine as a chance to start its attack. Keating responded that Britain ‘does not add up to a row of beans’ regarding East Asia. In other words, Britain has no critical value.
According to REUTERS, the Australian political and business establishment had an essential goal for years. Its purpose was to protect and expand its natural resource exports to fast-growing China. But the paradigm through which the government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison now views China has shifted dramatically. The relationship is no longer shaped by trade but by a view emerging widely inside this country. The idea is that Beijing poses a threat to Australia’s democracy and national power. As it says in REUTERS, China’s foreign ministry said Beijing has never interfered in Australia or used pressure against it. The church also called on Australia to “abandon the Cold War mentality” do more to “enhance mutual trust”. It said that a stable relationship was in the interests of both countries.
Concluding remark
Morrison says Australia has been a significant beneficiary of China’s economic growth. However, “as countries develop, they have a responsibility to maintain a stable, prosperous strategic balance in our region.” Trade with China remains very important to Australia. The stakes are high: Australia has a $172 billion trading relationship with China and a $51 billion surplus (REUTERS). Australia needs to maintain its relations with China. Thus, the Australian government should be cautious about the interference of the UK in its country and the region. The UK plans to save its collapsing power. It does not care about the economy and power of Australia. As Paul Keating says, the British foreign secretary must go “back to her collapsing, disreputable government. Britain must stop interfering with Australia’s affairs. The British government must end the delusion of British grandeur.
