Bolt: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese does nothing after Zhao Leji’s Taiwan takeover threat

One of the Chinese dictatorship’s most feared men gave Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a private warning to his face — so why didn’t he act?

Two weeks ago, one of the Chinese dictatorship’s most feared men gave Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a private warning to his face.

Taiwan is ours. Whatever happens, back off.

Or as China’s official media later described his message: “It is hoped that Australia will understand and respect China’s position.”

Albanese won’t say what was said to him, and now China has sent more than 100 naval ships – its most ever – to flex its muscles around our region.

The man telling Albanese to shut up was grim-faced Zhao Leji, the third-ranking member of China’s Communist Party and long one of dictator Xi Jinping’s most powerful enforcers.

Zhao for years led Xi’s purges against corrupt officials – or those he simply wanted gone. When Zhao finished as head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection three years ago, he was punishing more than 600,000 officials a year.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese won’t say what Zhao Leji said to him. Picture: Hilary Wardaugh.

That gives you a reputation, and when Zhao marched into our parliament, politicians and staff were warned to turn off computers and phones to avoid Chinese snooping.

This alone says something Albanese never admits publicly: China is a threat, not a friend.

So why does his government doze while our allies are scrambling to defend themselves?

As Zhao flew home, Taiwan, a democracy with a population almost as big as Australia’s, announced it would spend an extra $61 billion over eight years on its defence.

Japan is also preparing a record defence budget, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting last month a Chinese invasion of Taiwan was such a “survival-threatening situation” that Japan might have to defend it.

China erupted. Its consul-general in Osaka warned China would kill Takaichi – “her filthy neck will be chopped off” – if Japan acted. Its foreign ministry threatened to “smash” Japan’s head.

Japan and Taiwan have acted on the threat, but where is Australia? Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

China’s new aircraft carrier Liaoning last week hosted training flights off Japan’s southernmost prefecture, forcing Japan’s air force to scramble, and two other Chinese vessels were confronted by Japan’s coastguard as they menaced Japanese fishing boats off Japan’s Senkaku Islands, which China claims to own.

And what has Albanese said as China threatens to kill the Prime Minister of Japan, our close ally?

Nothing, leading Takaishi confidant Shingo Yamagami, Japan’s former ambassador to Australia, to last week publicly ask why “our Aussie mates” had kept silent in Japan’s “times of need”.

But I expect Zhao Lije in Beijing would for once have allowed himself a smile. Job done.

Originally published as Bolt: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese does nothing after Zhao Leji’s Taiwan takeover threat