Australia's former Prime Minister Paul Keating told ABC's 7.30 that "Taiwan is not a vital Australian interest" and it is "Chinese real estate", saying that both the U.S. and Australia subscribed to the one-China policy and had done so for decades. During an interview with China News Network, Warwick Powell, former policy advisor to Kevin Rudd and a senior fellow at Taihe Institute, says that Keating's view has been a long-standing Australian view in place for over 50 years.
Powell adds that the agency envelope for Australia's foreign and defense policy has been constrained by the ways the U.S. articulated its concerns.
According to Powell, Australia is better positioned to persuade Washington that reclaiming primacy in the Asia-Pacific is no longer viable or realistic. Instead, America's pursuit is a threat to regional stability, peace, and prosperity.
Keating's interjections, by putting these issues fairly and squarely back onto the national agenda, is a service to Australia and the region, Powell concludes. (Chen Tianhao)
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