Former Australian PM calls article suggesting war with China over Taiwan in 3 years 'egregious and provocative'
澳大利亞前總理稱文章暗指 3 年內會因台灣而與中國開戰“令人震驚和氣憤”
| Continues savage criticism of AUKUS submarines, 'worst deal in history'
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Australian Prime Minister (PM) Paul Keating slammed two of the country’s major newspapers on Thursday (March 16) for publishing a report suggesting Australia needed to prepare for war with China within three years, saying that the stories represent “the most egregious and provocative news presentation of any newspaper I have witnessed in over 50 years of active public life.” Keating said the reporting was “way worse than the illustrated sampans shown to be coming from China in the buildup to the war in Vietnam in the 1960s,” per the Guardian. His comments referred to a report published in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that engaged the opinions of five security analysts who outlined a view that Australia was not ready to be drawn into a war involving Taiwan and China, and that the country needed to begin preparations with urgency. Analysts’ comments in the articles were also at odds with Keating’s belief that Taiwan is not a vital Australian interest. The article said that if China attacked Taiwan, “Australia’s commercial and security lifelines to the world would operate only at Beijing’s pleasure,” and that “Australia would be highly vulnerable to economic coercion, military intrusion or both.” Current Australian PM Anthony Albanese called Keating's comments unfortunate. “I don't think that does anything other than diminish him, frankly, but that's a decision that he's made,” he said. The articles’ publishers came out in defense of their journalists, saying that Keating’s criticism of the articles was personal rather than engaging with the content, and his contributions were not useful. They also called the journalists responsible “two of the country’s most highly respected journalists and we stand by their reporting.” The publishers' statement also highlighted Keating’s failure to comment on a recent ABC story on the risk of war with China. This is a likely reference to an article published in February that reported four of Australia’s most experienced military strategists all saying they do not believe the U.S. can win a war against China, with or without Australian assistance. Keating’s comments came before a speech he delivered to Australia’s National Press Club on Thursday (March 16) in which he once again rallied against the Australian mainstream political establishment, calling Australia’s recent decision to spend AU$368 (US$244) billion over 30 years on nuclear submarines “the worst deal in all history," per ABC Australia. In 2021 he also attacked the submarine plan, saying that the alliance was “like throwing a handful of toothpicks at the mountain." |
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| Jono Thomson, Taiwan News, Staff Writer | |
| 2023-03-16 |
