Australia’s tone towards China ‘hardens’ after comments from Peter Dutton, Eric Abetz

Just two months ago, the PM left one of his MPs out in the cold over comments he made about China — but now ScoMo is taking a different stance.

ANALYSIS

Liberal Andrew Hastie might be wondering what has happened in the two months since he was told to keep his criticisms of China to himself.

Remember, in early August he was mocked and chided for allegedly comparing China to Nazi Germany, and for criticising interference in our internal affairs.

Andrew Hastie was mocked for his comments. Picture: Kym Smith

It all looks rather mild compared to current government comment.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on Friday laid into China with a ferocity absent from Mr Hastie’s efforts. And Saturday morning, Liberal senator Eric Abetz compared China to — wait for it — Nazi Germany.

Mr Hastie, a West Australian MP and former soldier, perhaps could comfort himself as a Liberal Party pacesetter in a critical policy area, a man ahead of his time.

More likely, though, he has merely been left in the wake of a rapid and radical change of direction by the Morrison government towards China.

Perhaps it has finally sunk in that Prime Minister and world traveller Scott Morrison is not going to get that invitation to Beijing.

PM Scott Morrison is hardening his relationship with China. Picture: David Mariuz/AAP

Whatever the reason, the government’s tone towards our big trade customer has hardened.

In early August, Andrew Hastie used a newspaper article to warn of what he saw as Chinese intrusions in “our parliaments, in our universities, in our private enterprises, in our charities — our little platoons”, as well as threatening our values and institutions.

His warning on complacency, using a WWII analogy, was misconstrued as depicting China as being Nazis.

Scott Morrison didn’t fall in behind his colleague and effectively left him stranded, aided by little more than a bromide about free speech.

“But what’s important is that the Government maintains the very consistent approach that we have on these issues,” said the Prime Minister.

“We’re very clear about what decisions we’ve taken in relation to that partnership we have with China.”

In September, Mr Morrison visited the United States and used a speech in Chicago to ramp up his brief that China had to follow the rules and was no longer a nation struggling to gain economic strength.

And on Friday, enter Peter Dutton.

“We have a very important trading relationship with China, incredibly important, but we’re not going to allow university students to be unduly influenced,” he said.

“We’re not going to allow theft of intellectual property and we’re not going to allow our government bodies or non-government bodies to be hacked into.

“Our issue, as I’ve said before, is not with the Chinese people, not with the amazing Chinese diaspora community that we have here in Australia. My issue is with the Communist Party of China and their policies to the extent that they’re inconsistent with our own values.”

Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton criticised China earlier this week. Picture: James Gourley/AAP

He made Mr Hastie sound like a Sino apologist.

Then there was this warning on appeasement of China from Eric Abetz, who used a WWII analogy on ABC TV Saturday morning.

“Neville Chamberlain knew how to talk the language of diplomacy, it took people like Winston Churchill to cut through and call it out for what it is.”

The “it” Churchill called out was, of course, Nazi Germany.

That policy consistency Mr Morrison spoke sternly of in early August lasted just two months.

Malcolm Farr is news.com.au’s national political editor. Continue the conversation @farrm51