Miranda Live: Bob Carr concerned with Australia’s China policy

THE former Foreign Minister says Australia’s relationship with the superpower is being ruined by “anti-China zealots”, and the government should revert back to the balance it found under Tony Abbott — listen to the full podcast.

TONY Abbott has found an unlikely supporter, with Bob Carr praising his dealings with China when he was Prime Minister.

The former Foreign Minister expressed his concern about the Coalition’s current relationship with the super power, telling Miranda Live a group of “anti-China zealots” — like author Clive Hamilton — are causing unnecessary panic in Australia.

LISTEN TO BOB CARR WITH MIRANDA DEVINE:

Bob Carr told Miranda Live a “distinct tilt took place in 2017”.

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“I’m just trying to get things back where we’ve got, as we had under Abbott, a national interest based China policy, where we let China know when we disagree with them”, he said.

Mr Carr believes Australia found balance with dealing with the communist nation in the year leading up to Tony Abbott being rolled by Malcolm Turnbull for the leadership.

“We had the balance more or less right in the last year or two of Tony Abbott — free trade agreement, serious position on the South China Sea — but engaging with China, and we ought to go back to it”, he told Miranda Live host Miranda Devine.

The former NSW Premier, who released his memoir Run For Your Life today, didn’t mince his words while referring to the current state of Australia-China relations, “I noticed in early 2017, a decisive and pretty amateurish, a pretty undiplomatic shift in Australia’s position”, he said.

Originally published as Miranda Live: Bob Carr concerned with Australia’s China policy